NFL

Giants make tight end Theo Johnson 2nd Canadian taken at NFL draft in Detroit

The New York Giants on Saturday selected Penn State tight end Theo Johnson of Ajax, Ont., with the seventh pick of the fourth round in the NFL draft Saturday. Offensive lineman Isaiah Adams was the first Canadian off the board when Arizona chose him on Friday night.

Penn State standout had career bests in receptions, yards, TDs last season

Canadian men's tight end runs a drill at the NFL scouting combine March 1, 2024 in Indianapolis.
Penn State tight end Theo Johnson performed well at the NFL combine, posting a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, 39.5-inch vertical, 10-foot five inch broad jump and a short-shuttle time of 4.19 seconds that topped the position group. (Darron Cummings/Associated Press)

It didn't happen when Canadian Theo Johnson thought it would, but he landed where he wanted to.

The New York Giants selected the Penn State tight end with the seventh pick of the fourth round, No. 107 overall, of the NFL draft Saturday in Detroit. Johnson had been projected as a possible second-day selection.

"[That] wasn't in the cards for me but I think I got picked exactly when I was supposed to and exactly where I was supposed to," Johnson told reporters in New York after his selection. "Since the beginning of this process, the Giants were very clear with their interest in me.

"Went to school and worked with Christian Daboll [Giants head coach Brian Daboll's son] when he was at Penn State. So pretty early on, they showed a lot of interest and it was clear that this was definitely a potential landing spot for me."

Johnson became the second Canadian off the board. Isaiah Adams of Ajax, Ont., an offensive lineman at Illinois, was taken in the third round by the Arizona Cardinals on Friday

Nineteen selections later, the Detroit Lions took tackle Giovanni Manu of the University of British Columbia. Manu was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows, B.C.

And with the final pick of the fifth round, No. 176 overall, the New York Jets selected cornerback Qwan'Tez Stiggers, the CFL's top rookie last season. Then in the sixth, the Cincinnati Bengals picked Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan, of Lethbridge, Alta., 194th overall.

Last year, a record five Canadians were drafted.

Following the draft, UBC tackle Theo Benedet, the North Vancouver, B.C., native who was Canadian university football's top lineman the last two years, signed as a free agent with the Chicago Bears. Also, Toronto's Kyle Hergel of Toronto, an offensive lineman at Boston College, signed with the New Orleans Saints.

The six-foot-six, 260-pound Johnson of Windsor, Ont., appeared in 45 games over four seasons at Penn State, recording 77 catches for 938 yards and 12 TDs.

Last season, he registered career highs in receptions (34), yards (341) and touchdowns (seven — tied for team lead) and was an honourable mention All-Big Ten selection.

After participating in the Senior Bowl, Johnson performed well at the NFL combine, posting a 4.57-second 40-yard dash, 39.5-inch vertical, 10 foot five inch broad jump — all second-best results — and a short-shuttle time of 4.19 seconds that topped the position group.

'He runs like a wide receiver'

Johnson could fill a big need for the Giants with veteran tight end Darren Waller pondering retirement.

"He runs like a wide receiver," said Daniel Jeremiah, the NFL Network's draft guru. "I thought he aced the spring.

"From what we saw at the Senior Bowl, the all-star circuit, he was excellent there. Then the combine, pro day, you name it, that's where he really upped his stock."

Johnson said he hasn't talked to the Giants regarding where he fits on the roster.

"What I do know is I'm going to come in and I'm going to work from Day 1 and whatever role I earn will be one that I earned," he said. "I'm going to do my very best to show everybody in the building that I deserve to be taken seriously.

"I'm definitely capable of being a tight end you can't take off the field with all the attributes that I have and I'm going to work for that."

WATCH | Penn State tight end Johnson ready for NFL draft:

Windsor football player set for NFL Draft

7 months ago
Duration 2:17
Theo Johnson, one of the prospects in this week's NFL Draft, spoke with Meg Roberts ahead of the event in Detroit.

Jeremiah had Johnson listed at No. 82 on his top-200 draft prospects. He also pegged Arizona tight end Tanner McLachlan of Lethbridge Alta., at No. 68.

Earlier this month, Johnson was listed at second overall in the CFL Scouting Bureau's list of the top-20 prospects for the league's 2024 draft, which will be held Tuesday night.

'A massive human being'

"I'm definitely capable of being a tight end you can't take off the field with all the attributes that I have and I'm going to work for that."

The towering six-foot-eight, 350-pound Manu and highly touted teammate Benedet anchored a UBC offensive line that allowed 15 sacks and helped the offence average 6.8 yards per rush.

The Thunderbirds reached the Vanier Cup last year, dropping a 16-9 decision to the Montreal Carabins. Still, it was UBC's first appearance in the Canadian university football championship game since 2015.

Manu became the first UBC player to be taken in the NFL draft.

WATCH | Canadian NFL fans cross border to Detroit for NFL draft:

Football fans cross border to take in NFL Draft

7 months ago
Duration 1:33
Football fans boarded the Windsor-Detroit Tunnel Bus early Thursday morning to be a part of Detroit's first ever NFL Draft. The CBC's Chris Ensing caught up with some fans on their way to the city.

"I'm not here on my own," Manu said. "I'm here because of my family and all the mentors I've met on the way through this amazing sport of football I discovered in Canada.

"And yeah, the journey's only starting, it's going to get a whole lot better. But, yeah, it's been a long process, a lot of sacrifice, a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but I'm happy to be here."

Manu didn't attend the NFL combine but 16 teams attended UBC's pro day. He posted a 5.03-second 40-yard dash and had 23 reps in the 225-pound bench press.

Earlier this off-season, Detroit signed Canadian defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, the CFL's top defensive player last season with the B.C. Lions. Manu had a pre-draft visit with the Lions (12-5, first NFC North).

Stiggers coming off dominant season with Argos

The six-foot, 197-pound Stiggers had a team-high five interceptions and 56 tackles in 16 regular-season games with the Toronto Argonauts.

Stiggers finished high school in 2020 and had committed to Tennessee's Wayne College on scholarship. But when his father died in September 2020, Stiggers fell into a deep depression and didn't attend school.

Eventually, with help from his mother and fiancee, Stiggers returned to football in 2022, playing in the Fan Controlled League, a seven-man indoor circuit.

His coach was John Jenkins, a former Toronto offensive assistant who recommended Stiggers to the CFL team.

'I'm just looking forward to it all'

The six-foot-five, 244-pound McLachlan enjoyed a record-setting tenure at Arizona, surpassing Rob Gronkowski for most career receptions by a tight end (79). He recorded 45 catches for 528 yards and four TDs in 13 games last season to earn All-Pac 12 honourable mention.

"Whatever is asked of me, I'm excited to go do it and do it to the best of my abilities," McLachlan said during a conference call with Cincinnati media.

"I'm so excited to go play with those guys [Bengals starter Joe Burrows, receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins] and I'm just looking forward to it all."

McLachlan will join sophomore running back Chase Brown, of London, Ont., on Cincinnati's roster.

McLachlan began his college career at Southern Utah in 2018 before transferring to Arizona. Injury forced McLachlan to miss the Senior Bowl but he attended the NFL combine where he posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.61 seconds, 35-inch vertical and nine-foot nine-inch broad jump while not participating in the bench press, three-cone and short shuttle.

But Jeremiah, who had McLachlan as his second-rated tight end, said the Canadian recently had core muscle surgery.

Over 700,000 fans set attendance mark

The NFL draft has a new attendance record after more than 700,000 fans flooded downtown Detroit for the three-day event.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer broke the news at Campus Martius Park during the third and final day of the draft, which consists of selections in the fourth through seventh rounds.

"It has been a historic week here in the great city of Detroit," Whitmer said Saturday. "We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about."

While it will take years to know if this year's picks delivered for their teams, there's no doubt that Detroit made the most of an opportunity to host hundreds of thousands of fans and show 50-plus million viewers the new-look city.

Motown beat Music City's three-day attendance record of 600,000 set in 2019, when fans filled Broadway in Nashville.

Detroit drew a record 275,000 people on Thursday for the first round and had 550,000 fans through the second round, breaking Day 1 and 2 attendance records set in Nashville five years ago as part of the league's decade-long tour around the country.

With files from The Associated Press

Add some “good” to your morning and evening.

Get up to speed on what's happening in sports. Delivered weekdays.

...

The next issue of The Buzzer will soon be in your inbox.

Discover all CBC newsletters in the Subscription Centre.opens new window

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Google Terms of Service apply.