Allen Cameron
Calgary Herald
Anthony Woodson has gone from a sure first-round pick in Sunday’s Canadian Football League Canadian college draft to a potential late-round steal, and, yeah, it kinda bugs the University of Calgary Dinos running back.
“Is there a chip on my shoulder? Definitely,” said the former St. Francis Brown. “Definitely. It was hard going to the combine (the CFL evaluation camp earlier this spring in Toronto), seeing the high-profile players and wondering where I would be had I stayed healthy the last two years. But it’ll definitely be a motivation for me when I do find my way to a camp.”
And when he does hear his name called out Sunday as one of two Dinos expected to be selected in the annual talent-grab — offensive lineman Quinn McCaughan is the other — Woodson vows he’ll be healthy for training camp.
Therein lies the problem; the 22-year-old business major, the son of former Calgary Stampeders linebacker Anthony Woodson, has had troubles doing just that. Late in the 2008 season, when was a second-team all-Canadian, he broke a rib and punctured a lung on an innocent-looking sideline tackle late in a game. During the following winter, he hurt his shoulder. And over the summer, he suffered a broken foot, which kept him out of the 2009 season; he re-injured the foot at the evaluation camp, but still managed to post the sixth fastest 40-yard dash.
“Here’s a kid who I don’t think missed a practice or a game, and then he’s been hit hard with three tough injuries,” said Dinos coach Blake Nill. “But he’s the prototype athlete that CFL teams are looking for as part of their Canadian content. He’s got the speed, he’s got the talent and, just as important, he’s a coach-able young man, he’s an intelligent young man.
“Of course, teams will wonder if he can handle the wear and tear. But I sincerely believe the injuries that occurred were more bad luck than anything, and it would be a mistake for a team to pass on him if they have a shot to take him, especially in the later rounds. If Anthony hadn’t gone through those injuries, he’d be a no-doubt first-round pick.”
McCaughan, meanwhile, opened the 2009 season with the Dinos with absolutely no draft aspirations.
“I didn’t even know it was my draft year coming; it actually kind of came out of nowhere,” said the 21-year-old Winnipegger. “And then halfway through the season, an Argos scout was at our practice, and that’s when coach (Greg) Vavra (the Dinos’ offensive co-ordinator) told me it was my draft year. And now I’m pretty excited.”
The six-foot-three, 275-pounder, a communications major, is raw, and still a bit undersized, to make an immediate impact in the CFL, but he would be considered a project pick, with three years of CIS eligibility remaining.
“Quinn is a prototype Canadian offensive lineman,” said Nill. “He’s a tough kid and a very good athlete. The one thing you’d ask is whether he has the size to play. Well, he will have the size. He’s not big enough yet, but he still has three years of eligibility, right? And he’s a great athlete and strong.”
Both players will be on the field at McMahon when the draft takes place Sunday morning as the Dinos hold their spring training camp, although Woodson will be observing as his foot injury continues to heal.
“I feel like I’ll make the most out of whatever opportunity I’m given, and one thing my dad has always conveyed to me is that it’s not how you get your opportunity, but it’s what you do with it,” said Woodson. “I know I’m not looking at being a high-round draft pick because of the injuries I’ve had, but whether I come in as a low-round draft pick or I get a shot through free agency, I know I’ll be able to stick with a team because I’ll be able to show my talent.”
courtesy of www.calgaryherald.com
