Isaac Owusu
Ticats.ca
The Tiger-Cats 2014 draft haul provided the defence with an influx of talent, with all six picks owned by the Black and Gold being used on defenders.
There are currently three of their six draftees attending training camp at McMaster University’s Ron Joyce Stadium; Beau Landry, Martin Pesek and Chris Johnson.
Landry, who played linebacker at Western, was the team’s top pick, going eighth overall.
Through six days of camp practices, Landry’s talent is apparent but he understands that reaching his potential is a process.
“Camp is going well, I knew there was going to be a leap playing at this level but everything is happening gradually,” he said.
“The guys have been great, and the speed is a lot faster, but it’s coming along.”
Landry was a force in university, gaining recognition as a CIS All-Canadian and first team OUA All-Star. He totaled 130.5 tackles, six sacks and four interceptions.
He doesn’t get too ahead of himself when looking at his role in 2014.
“I look forward to contributing on special teams. That’s where I’ll make my mark. Anywhere else that the coaches see that I can help, I’m going to try and do it,” he said
Landry understands that his success will come from being coachable and unafraid to ask questions. So far, he has leaned on a variety of teammates for information.
“There’s guys allover the field, specifically at weakside linebacker. There’s guys like Simoni (Lawrence), (David) Caldwell, we have a whole group of great guys like (Frederic) Plesius,” he said.
“Even in the back-end with (Brandon) Stewart, and (Craig) Butler. There’s a whole bunch of guys that I can draw information from,” he added.
Pesek’s time at Acadia finished with a total of 42 tackles, 31 of them were solo, and 22 assisted. The Ticats’ seventh round selection is not only getting adjusted to being a professional, but also a new position.
“The defensive line is stacked,” he said.
“They moved me to three technique, and I played defensive end in college. That transition right there has been different, but all the guys ahead of me are really helpful since all of them are older and have more experience. I’m getting better day by day and they’re real helpful,” Pesek added.
He points the glaring changes that he’s noticed in the first six days of his transition.
“The game is a lot faster and the level of competition is a lot higher here. Everyone on the field is really good and I have to step my game up and give it 100 percent.”
Chris Johnson, a fifth round pick remembers having a calm draft day experience, surrounded by family members. The calm went away upon receiving a phone call.
“Right before it happened I got a call from my agent and he was like ‘congrats Chris!’ I was like ‘what?’ and then TSN said my name on the TV, and everyone started cheering and going crazy.”
Johnson finished his OUA career with 91 tackles and five sacks.
Being in camp is an educational process for the former University of Toronto linebacker.
“It’s a lot of learning. There’s a lot of great players and coaches and it’s a big step up from University,” he said.
“It’s faster, and you have to react quicker. There’s no room for mental mistakes here.”
