The Lévis native spent the last two seasons playing for the University of Memphis, where he started 24 games.
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The Alouettes rode their defence to an improbable Grey Cup victory last season.
Therefore, it wasn’t shocking when Montreal selected a defensive player in the first round of Tuesday night’s CFL Canadian college draft, although picking linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku could be considered a surprise given the losses the Als have suffered along the defensive line.
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Cantin-Arku, 6-foot-3 and 240 pounds, spent the last two seasons playing for the University of Memphis, where he started 24 games. He produced 155 total tackles, 8.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 quarterback sacks, knocked down four passes, forced two fumbles while recovering one, and intercepted one pass.
The native of Lévis was an all-AAC honourable mention in 2023.
“He’s a productive player who brings a physical presence and moves well laterally,” Als general manager Danny Maciocia told the Gazette. “He could possibly change the ratio.”
In the Als’ championship upset victory against Winnipeg, Darnell Sankey started at middle linebacker and was flanked by Tyrice Beverette and Reggie Stubblefield. All three players are imports. While free agent Avery Williams isn’t expected to return, the Als have Canadian linebacker Tyrell Richards waiting in the wings.
While Richards, selected first overall by Montreal in 2022, has been frequently injured, he has displayed tremendous potential and playmaking ability when healthy. He returned an interception for a touchdown against the Blue Bombers last season and also forced a fumble.
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There was some pre-draft speculation the Als might select a defensive lineman to compensate for the losses of rush-ends Shawn Lemon and Lwal Uguak. Lemon recently announced his surprise retirement shortly before the CFL suspended him indefinitely for betting on games during the 2021 season, before he had joined Montreal. Uguak, selected seventh overall last season, signed as a free agent with the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in January.
Cantin-Arku was one of several Quebec-born players who committed to Syracuse University in 2019. He spent three seasons with the Orange, producing 105 total tackles, 11 tackles for loss, five sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. He also knocked down one pass.
He’s considered a hard hitter, although he had an unimpressive time of 4.85 seconds over 40 yards at his pro day in March. Cantin-Arku also recently accepted a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Miami Dolphins, meaning there’s no guarantee he’ll be at the start of Montreal’s training camp May 12 in St-Jérôme.
The Als have placed a strong emphasis on developing Canadian players, especially Quebecers, since Maciocia became GM in January 2020. They’ll go to camp with 25 non-imports on their rosters, including a significant number of starters. Among them are offensive-linemen Kristian Matte, Justin Lawrence and Pier-Olivier Lestage; receivers Tyson Philpot, who scored the Cup-winning touchdown, and Kaion Julien-Grant; tailbacks Jeshrun Antwi and newcomer Sean-Thomas Erlington; safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy, and defensive-line free-agent additions Derek Wiggan and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund.
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Cantin-Arku became a more physical player over the course of his college career. He played in the middle at Memphis and is unlikely to dislodge Sankey. But Cantin-Arku undoubtedly will be expected to contribute on special teams because of his size, aggressiveness and athleticism. He’ll also provide the Als with options at the position. He’s considered a tackle-to-tackle player who plays the game downhill. He’s a solid choice who was expected to be taken in the first round.
Cincinnati linebacker Joel Dublanko, as expected, went first overall on Tuesday to Edmonton. Ottawa, selecting second, took Auburn wide-receiver Nick Mardner, while Saskatchewan made a surprise choice at No 3 — Boston College offensive-lineman Kyle Hergel. Hergel was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New Orleans Saints last weekend.
Greenfield Park’s Ben Labrosse, a McGill defensive back, went fourth overall to the Calgary Stampeders. One pick later, St. Hubert wide-receiver Kevin Mital was selected by the Toronto Argonauts. Mital played for Université Laval, the defending Vanier Cup champions.
The Als didn’t have a second-round choice, having traded the pick to Edmonton in the winter of 2023 for offensive-lineman Jesse Gibbon. Gibbon dressed for 17 games last season as a backup. He was originally selected second overall by Hamilton in 2019.
Earlier Tuesday, the Als selected punter Sam Clark ninth overall and offensive-lineman Nouredin Nouili (18th) in the global draft. They played collegiately at James Madison and Nebraska, respectively.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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