After a quick glance at the Saint Mary’s Huskies’ roster, you might think Darcy Brown’s entry has a misprint.
There aren’t many six-foot-three, 251-pound receivers at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport level, and there certainly aren’t many six-foot-three, 251-pound receivers with only eight catches garnering attention for the Canadian Football League draft.
But Brown is. Teams envision converting Brown to the fullback position and there is a good chance he will be selected in the mid-to-late rounds of Saturday’s annual event.
“I guess they can’t really justify putting a 250-pound receiver out there,” said Brown, who has always been a receiver other than a half season as a running back in Grade 10.
“I’m willing to do whatever they want me to do. I haven’t been trained by coaches to be a fullback but I’m willing to learn as much as they want to teach me.”
Saint Mary’s boasted the nation’s best rushing attack last year and receivers such as Brown took a backseat. On his eight catches, he accumulated just one touchdown and 75 yards.
So when the CFL was dialing numbers to invite prospects to its March evaluation camp, Brown didn’t expect to get a call.
“I was surprised to hear I’d been invited,” he said. “I figured once I got the call I’d show up in the best shape I could and do whatever I could to get noticed by the scouts.”
Brown made a big impression at the combine, matching the strongest defensive linemen and running backs with 23 reps on the 225-pound bench press. He also showcased a 35-inch vertical leap and ran 40 yards in 4.68 seconds.
Huskies head coach Steve Sumarah said he has fielded a number of calls from CFL teams interested in Brown.
“From a physical standpoint, Darcy has always had the tools,” Sumarah said.
“He impressed everyone at the draft combine. He was big and fast and strong and with all those things, he put himself in position to get drafted.”
The Huskies have several other players eligible for the draft. Among them, rookie running back Devon Jones — revealed as draft-eligible only recently because he attended a U.S. college in 2005 — could generate interest.
Acadia receiver Matt Carter is ranked fourth and St. F.X. offensive lineman Steve Myddelton is No. 13.
