A Little Bit of Canadian Flavor Added to the NFL

Over the past number of years Canadian athletes have not much of an impact on the NFL. A few players have been drafted, a few have even played but it has become known as quite a rarity. In a country that seems to revolve around hockey, the Great White North simply does not produce that many high-caliber football players. With that being said this past week was quite monumental for Canadian football fans or really, any Canadian in general.

At the start of the week there was big news out of San Diego as Canada's own Vaughan Martin was selected by the Chargers in the 4^th round of the 2009 NFL draft. Martin raised some questions earlier in the year when he announce that he would make himself eligible for the draft. He was a relatively unheard of name and had only played two years of college level ball in London, Ontario. However the question marks were quickly turned away as more scouts came to London to inquire about the services of the six foot three, 331 pound lineman.

The Chargers made Martin one of a very select group of Canadian university players to be drafted in the NFL draft. Most players are left untouched and then scooped up as free agents after the draft. There is obviously something special about Vaughan Martin that teams started to take notice of. The man is an absolute specimen with the speed and agility of someone half his size.

In other news for Canadian football fans, all start Bishop University RB Jamaal Lee was signed by the Carolina Panthers. Lee stunned pro scouts at the CFL draft combine this year and he was expected to make an immediate impact on the Canadian Football League this year. However he is going to get the chance to make an even bigger impact in the most popular football league in the world. While the chances of Lee making the starting roster are set at slim, it is another major hurdle for Canadian football players on the whole.