HIGH HOPES: Redblacks take wide receiver with second overall pick

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The Ottawa Redblacks helped their quarterbacks with the second overall pick in the CFL draft on Tuesday.

They took a pass catcher who should be difficult to overthrow.

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After Edmonton Elks kicked off the proceedings by taking Cincinnati linebacker Joel Dublanko with the first pick, the Redblacks stepped up and selected Nick Mardner, a 6-foot-6, 208- pound wide receiver from Oakville.

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Mardner, who played in just four games with Auburn last season, was overlooked in last weekend’s NFL draft, but has accepted an invite to attend the New York Giants mini-camp.

“He’s a great prospect in our eyes,” said Redblacks GM Shawn Burke. “He has size, physicality and speed. He checks all the boxes.”

Mardner was ranked seventh overall, and the No. 1 ranked receiver, by the CFL Scouting Bureau this spring.

Before transferring to Auburn, he had 19 receptions for 218 yards and three touchdowns in 2022 with Cincinnati.

He previously suited up for Hawaii from 2018-2021 where he made 62 catches for 1,270 yards and nine touchdowns.

In total, Mardner caught 81 passes for 1,488 yards and 11 majors during his collegiate career.

Mardner ran a 4.60-second forty-yard dash, 4.62-second short shuttle, and 7.43-second three-cone drill at his pro day in March, while recording 11 225-pound bench press reps, a 35-inch vertical and a 129-inch broad jump.

“There were injury concerns at Auburn and he never hit his stride,” said Burke. “In the NCAA right now, it’s a bit of a different journey because of the transfer portal. When you look at his stops at Cincinnati and Hawaii and the big plays he made, it just made sense for us (to pick him) with how we had him ranked on our (draft) board.

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“You always balance your board with your needs. When they match up together, it’s a great opportunity. We’re giving some young guys an opportunity at receiver this year; this isn’t a slight to Keaton (Bruggeling), Daniel (Oladejo) or Daniel Perry, but when you can get this type of playmaker with a draft pick, that’s what you ultimately want to do.

“He could be special in this league. It starts with getting him here first, we realize he’s going to (an NFL) mini camp. There’s a risk-reward factor, but we felt it was something we couldn’t pass on.”

Far too often last season the Redblacks had to settle for a field goal when their offence stalled inside the 20-yard-line. Mardner has the potential to help them fix that.

“He’s a big target,” said Burke. “We want to be better in the red zone. It’s tough for guys to guard 6-foot-6 in that small space.

“The CFL is obviously unique. I’m not going to say he was at the top of our board; a couple of the guys at the top of our board went Saturday (in the NFL draft). But the need matched where we had him ranked on our board.”

With their first pick (second overall) in the Global draft held Tuesday morning, the Redblacks selected punter Matthew Hayball, a native of West Adelaide, Australia, who has spent the past two season with Vanderbilt.

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Hayball, who averaged 47.6 yards per punt in 2023, signed a contract with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints on Monday.
“We expect Matt to go to the main (NFL) camp so it’s more of a long-term play,” said Burke.

“What long term means, I don’t know. If something happens and he doesn’t earn (an NFL) job, he’s talked about his willingness and openness to playing in the CFL. It’s not to take anything away from Richie Leone; he’s the best punter in the league. But you’re going to hear it day in and day out in training camp — compete, compete, compete. When the time comes, if he does come up here, we expect Richie and him will compete.”

Their second pick was linebacker Heston Lameta, a 25-year old product of Pago Pago, American Samoa, who last season started 11 games at North Arizona.

A 6-foot-1, 230-pounder, Lameta had 56 total tackles, 16 solo tackles, a tackle for a loss and a forced fumble in 2023.
“(Lameta) sort of fits the some of the similar traits of guys we have here from a global program,” said Burke. “He can backup if we wanted to keep a global on the roster as a linebacker, special teams, physical, aggressive runs well. Interested to take a look at him. He will probably be a little more of a project, but you have to be prepared in football to make decisions, and ultimately that linebacking group was one we wanted to identify in both drafts probably, and he was the best guy available.”

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