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Alouettes draft two players in 2023 CFL Global Draft

Montreal, May 1, 2023 – The Montreal Alouettes selected Swedish defensive lineman Simon Sandberg with their first pick (5th overall) in the CFL Global Draft on Tuesday.

Sandberg (6’3”, 295 lbs.) received an All-Pac-12 Honorable mention in 2022 while suiting up for the Oregon State University Beavers, registering 17 tackles and two for losses in 13 games, (all starts). The Karlstad native also knocked down two passes.

In 40 games during his four years with the Beavers, the 26-year-old amassed 51 tackles, eight for losses, and a sack, on top of knocking down five passes and forcing one fumble. He did well in the CFL Combine, in Edmonton, this past March.

Montreal then selected Australian punter Rhys Byrns in the second round (14th overall).

Byrns (6’0″, 191 lbs.) was named a First Team All-Sun Belt during his last two seasons with the University of Louisana-Lafayette Ragin Cajuns, as he led the conference with a 46.3-yard average on punts, which was the 11th highest total in the country in 2021. No less than 19 of his punts were of 50 yards or more during that season.

Last year, he maintained a 43.4-yard average per punt. In five seasons at former Alouettes linebacker Kyries Hebert’s alma mater, Byrns totalled 10,704 yards on 246 punts (43.5-yard average). He was also voted a Second Team All-Sun Belt in 2019 and 2020.