Riders draft pick Antony Auclair registers first NFL catch

Quebec native Antony Auclair registered the first catch of his NFL career on Sunday.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end caught a pass from quarterback Jameis Winston on the second play from scrimmage against the Green Bay Packers. It went for 11 yards and was good enough for a first down (according to both the officials and Auclair.)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders draft pick was signed as an undrafted free agent with the Buccaneers immediately after the 2017 NFL draft. The Riders selected him in the fourth round, 30th overall in the 2017 CFL draft.

The six-foot-five, 254-pounder had 17 catches for 229 yards and two touchdowns in eight regular-season games for the Rouge et Or last year. He recorded a team-high 70 receiving yards and one touchdown in Laval’s 2016 Vanier Cup championship victory.

Then he garnered an invite to the East-West Shrine Game. After showing well in Florida, 17 NFL teams travelled to Quebec City to see Auclair perform at his pro day. That made 10 NFL teams bring him in for a visit.

During training camp in Tampa Bay, Auclair performed well while sharing his Canadian pride.

Auclair has played in four games for Tampa this season and finished Sunday’s 26-20 loss to the Packers with the single reception.

– with files from Justin Dunk