Draft night and the whole process leading up to it can be quite stressful for players. The hard work, the wait, the nervousness increasing as the rounds unroll, the call, the excitement… Whether they were drafted down south or in the CFL, the guys all have great draft stories that they’ll never get tired of telling. Here are a few:
“The first words that came out of my mouth were “Are you sure?” I had my sister and a few close friends over to watch the draft and we were having some technical difficulties throughout the night. One of my friends was on the Draft Tracker religiously refreshing the page since we knew the TV had a delay. The pick was posted online before it showed up on the TV and I hadn’t received a call, so when my friend told me I had just gotten drafted, I was little skeptical. There was a bit of an awkward hush in the room for a moment until we saw a 514 area code pop up on my phone.” – Ryder Stone, drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the 5th round of the 2018 CFL Draft
“I’ll remember that day for the rest of my life. I had all my boys over at the house and some family members. I knew I wasn’t going to get picked in the first round so I relaxed Day 1 of the draft. On Day 2, I was seeing teammates and opponents getting picked up. I was going crazy! Day 3 comes along and, after round 4, I got mad, turned the draft off and started playing video games. Shortly after, I get a phone call from a Miami number… my eyes got HUGE! While I’m getting a call, my little sister is in the kitchen getting her hair done by my mom because it’s her prom night. I’m on the phone, they tell me to turn the TV on and, when I do, I see my face! They’re showing my highlights, I’m ecstatic! The team and I ended up talking for about 30 minutes. I talk to coaches, the GM, scouts and while all of this is going on, my little sister’s date shows up. I’m in all of her prom pics speaking on the phone with the Dolphins and my agent.” – BJ Cunningham, drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 6th round of the 2012 NFL Draft
“When you’re the first overall pick, you’re told a little earlier than others. It was so hard to keep it a secret so I was anxiously waiting for draft day! My family and I flew to Winnipeg for the occasion. It was my first time there, I knew absolutely nothing about the city! All that mattered at that time was that my dream was coming true and the best part is that I’m still living it today.” – Henoc Muamba, drafted by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers as the first overall pick of the 2011 CFL Draft
“I didn’t believe my agent until I saw my name on the screen next to the Alouettes logo. There’s so much uncertainty throughout the whole evaluation and draft process that I tried to stay as calm as possible from start to end, but when I realized that it was true, I made sure to enjoy the moment to the fullest with my family, girlfriend and closest friends. If I’m here today, it’s thanks to their support and the countless sacrifices. I want to keep making them proud! One year later, I’m still as happy to be donning the colours of the team I admired as a kid. I promised myself I would give my best to the organization and that’s still what I plan on doing going into my second year.” – Jean-Gabriel Poulin, drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the 3rd round of the 2018 CFL Draft
