CFL.ca Staff
VANCOUVER — With their second pick of the first round, the BC Lions have selected Calgary OL Kirby Fabien with the seventh overall selection.
Fabien, a two-time CIS All-Canadian, arrives in Calgary with one year of eligibility remaining with the University of Calgary.
The six-foot-six, 295-pound Calgary native participated in just one drill at CFL Evaluation Camp, registering 21 reps in the bench press.
His peformance at E-Camp saw him plummet 10 spots in the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings down to 15.
With their first pick of the Draft, the Lions selected DL Jabar Westerman second overall.
“We’re very pleased with our results so far today,” said Lions GM Wally Buono. “We believe that we have selected two young men so far that enable us to remain strong on both sides of the line of scrimmage.”
Earlier in the draft, the Lions traded up to acquire the second overall pick from the Edmonton Eskimos, and selected DL Jabar Westerman.
“My style of play is relentless – see the ball, get the ball,” said Westerman.
The Brampton, ON native enjoyed a standout career while playing in the NCAA. In 2011, Westerman racked up 26 tackles and four sacks, a striking improvement from his 2010 season, which saw him register 22 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
Standing tall and wide at 6-foot-2, 285-pounds, Westerman knows that using his size will play a major role in deciding whether or not he has what it takes to play professional football.
“My greatest asset, I would say is my size and strength, just because how big I am – I’m almost 300-pounds – and I’m pretty quick for my size. Most people underestimate my speed,” said Westerman.
At E-Camp, he pumped out 22 reps on the bench press, and ran a respectable 5.16 40-yard dash.
The Lions had only two more picks throughout the remainder of the draft. In the third round, they selected Western University OL Matthew Norman and capped off their 2012 Draft by selecting Calgary linebacker Jordan Verdone.
