Montreal Alouettes
By: Justin Boone
jboone@ticats.ca
Q: You’re probably the most well known prospect when it comes to Hamilton, how did you end up playing football at McMaster?
Bradwell: I don’t know. I liked their football team and my sister was going to Mac. I really liked their campus and I just thought it would be a good place to go to school. I’m definitely happy I chose it. It’s a great school.
What’s something those fans in Hamilton might not know about you?
Bradwell: Well… I used to be a big hockey player at one point in my life. I wanted to play pro hockey, but football seemed to fit my skill set a little better. A bunch of my friends were playing in high school, and I just tried it out and fell in love with it. It’s been like that ever since.
Q: What’s something about you’re game you think you’ll need to improve on before you can make it in the pros?
Bradwell:I think I need to improve on every part of the game. I played wideout for the first three years at Mac and this was my first year moving into slotback, so there are some adjustments you have to make and going to the next level there are even more. That whole mental part is something you always have to work on.
Q: What kind of adjustments are you talking about specifically?
Bradwell: Just the coverage, the way the guys play. Getting a waggle at the line, getting off releases a little different, your zone routes are different at slotback than they are at wideout spot. Playing wideout you’re more on an island against one guy the whole game, whereas slot your more involved with more players. I think it fits better for me playing inside at slot.
Q: What was the highlight of your football career so far heading into the draft?
Bradwell: Probably the game against Western last year. It was the second game of the year and a breakout game for me. Everything sort of clicked and went my way, I ended up with like 200 yards receiving and a couple touchdowns and it was my sister’s wedding that night too, so it was a pretty good day.
Q: Who was the best player you faced in college?
Bradwell: There are a lot of guys. The team that jumps out at me is Queen’s. That was the third game of the year. We had a lot of passing yards the first two games, but Queen’s pass coverage was really good and I couldn’t really get open, they dropped a lot of guys into coverage, and it was pretty frustrating.
Q: Is there anyone already in the CFL that you try to emulate or hope to match their success?
Bradwell: I’d like to think of myself sort of as an Andy Fantuz-type player. I’m not going to be explosive, or destroy anyone with my speed, but I think I can get open, catch the ball and make plays once I catch the ball.
Q: Since your season ended, how have you been preparing for the draft?
Bradwell: I’ve been training since like December trying to do everything I can. I mean, I was relatively unknown until this year so talking to my agent and a few teams, there’s interest, but it all depends on draft. I’ll just take it from there.
