HIGH HOPES: Redblacks select 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 tackle.

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After the Edmonton Elks started the process 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 only four games with Auburn last season, was passed over in last weekend’s NFL draft but accepted an invitation to attend the New York Giants’ minicamp.

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

Mardner was ranked seventh overall and the No. 1 receiver by the CFL Scouting Office 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 receptions for 1,270 yards and nine touchdowns.

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

“I’m grateful and blessed with the opportunity, man,” Mardner said on a video call. “I feel blessed for any opportunity when it comes to football. I feel honored and humbled.

“I want to prove to myself that I am who I say I am,” he added. “Regardless of where I am, I need to show everyone what I’m really capable of.”

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

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“There were injury concerns at Auburn and he never got it right,” said Burke, who said Mardner was dealing with a foot issue and a new system. “In the NCAA right now, the journey is a little different because of the transfer portal. When you look at his stops in Cincinnati and Hawaii and the big plays he made, it made sense for us to (draft him) because of the way we had him ranked on our draft board.

“You always balance your board with your needs. When they coincide, it is a great opportunity. This year we are giving some young men a chance as receivers; This isn’t a slight on 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 all starts with getting him here first, we realize he’s going to a (NFL) mini camp. There is a risk-reward factor, but we felt it was something we couldn’t convey.”

Too often last season the Redblacks had to settle for a field goal when their offense stalled inside the 20-yard line. Mardner has the potential to help them solve that problem.

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“It’s a great goal,” Burke said. “We want to be better in the red zone. It’s hard for guys to clock 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 were on Saturday (in the NFL draft). But the need matched where we had him ranked on our board of directors.”

Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce said “there are a lot of things I like about Nick” beyond his size and the fact that he runs and jumps well.

“Probably the biggest thing for me, as a former receivers coach, is that I always talk about having hot hands,” Dyce said. “When the ball is up there, he’s a great target in the red zone, and he goes up and plays with the mentality that the ball is his. He has a chance to make a real difference in this league…plus he gives you the flexibility to be able to play in-boundary and as he progresses and plays more, he’ll be able to move into space. So I think as he continues to grow in our game, when he gets here, he’s going to have a very, very high ceiling.”

As happy as they were to land Mardner, the Redblacks were downright giddy after selecting defensive lineman Daniel Okpoko with their second-round pick (11th overall).

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The 6-foot-4, 275-pound man was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but grew up in Saskatoon. From there he headed to California, where he played 37 games in five seasons with the San Diego Aztecs.

“You know I have a pretty straight face most of the time and I’m here smiling,” Burke told members of the media in the hallway of TD Place. “We really liked Daniel Okpoko and we didn’t think we would have the opportunity to select him in this place. We have an excited war room there.”

The Redblacks hope Okpoko will benefit from the guidance of respected veteran defensive lineman Cleon Laing.

“Obviously I can’t say enough about Cleon, and for him to learn with a guy like Cleon and have that opportunity… add some depth to our rotation. We see him as a potential CFL starter someday, not today, but someday. He was very productive last year at San Diego State. Athletic, big, and physical traits have also played a role, but we probably see him more as an inside guy. But we are very excited to have him in the building.”

With their first pick (second overall) in the overall draft held Tuesday morning, the Redblacks selected punter Matthew Hayball, a native of West Adelaide, Australia, who spent the last two seasons 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 main (NFL) camp, so it’s more of a long-term play,” Burke said.

“I don’t know what long term means. If something happens and he doesn’t get a job (in the NFL), he has talked about his willingness and openness to play in the CFL. This is not to take anything away from Richie Leone; He is the best punter in the league. But you’ll hear it day after day in training camp: compete, compete, compete. “When the time comes, if he comes here, we hope he and Richie compete.”

His 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.

The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Lameta had 56 total tackles, 16 solo tackles, one tackle for loss and one forced fumble in 2023.
“(Lameta) kind of fits some of the similar traits of the guys we have here in a global program,” Burke said. “He can be a substitute if we wanted to keep a well-rounded player on the roster such as linebacker, special teams, physical and aggressive runs. Interested in taking a look. “It’s probably going to be a little bit more of a project, but you have to be prepared in football to make decisions, and ultimately that group of linebackers was one that we probably wanted to identify in both drafts, and he was the best guy available.”

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