Laval attracting NFL scouts for fourth consecutive pro day

For the fourth straight year, Laval University will hold pro day with NFL scouts in attendance.

The perennial USports powerhouse has garnered the attention of NFL personnel men for consistently developing top end talent. Defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, tight end Alex Savard and Samuel Thomassin are the current attractions that will take centre stage on March 11.

Offensive lineman Charles Vaillancourt started the Rouge et Or run of pro days. A year later, 17 NFL teams travelled to Quebec City for Antony Auclair’s pro day in 2017. Since the 25-year-old has played two seasons for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That made Laval a permanent place to search for NFL talent.

It was Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman Laurent Duvernay-Tardif who first drew NFL evaluators to Quebec when nine franchises made the trip to Montreal in 2014. The Chiefs selected Duvernay-Tardif in the sixth round of the NFL draft and he has developed into a high-calibre starter. The McGill University product inked a five-year extension worth over $42 million including $20 million in guaranteed money and $10 million signing bonus.

Betts is the marquee name drawing NFL buzz this time around. Just like Duvernay-Tardif, Vaillancourt and Auclair, the Quebec conference all-time leading sack man impressed scouts at the East-West Shrine Game in January – half of the NFL teams met with Betts in Tampa Bay.

Photo credit: Louis Charland

Betts is the first player to win the USports J.P. Metras Trophy as the outstanding down lineman three straight years while becoming the only athlete ever to win four major USports awards during his career (who was also named 2015 rookie of the year). He led USports with nine sacks and 14 tackles for loss in just six games during the 2018 season, capping the senior campaign with a Vanier Cup championship. Betts holds the Quebec University conference record with 35.5 sacks in four seasons.

Savard, who Auclair believes has the tools to make an NFL roster at tight end, is also a draw for scouts. At the 2018 USports East-West Bowl, Savard ran a 4.70 40-yard dash, 4.26 shuttle, 6.78 three-cone, jumped 34.5-inches on his vertical and pumped out 26 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press at six-foot-five-and-a-half, 248 pounds. All of those numbers were better than Auclair put up at his pro day and both players are physical specimens.

Thomassin is a towering offensive lineman who is yet another stout blocker developed by Carl Brennan, Laval’s well-regarding offensive line coach. The 2018 All-Canadian put forth a strong season and is slimming down to be as athletic as possible for his close-up with NFL teams.

There have already been NFL scouts from three teams – including the New Orleans Saints – travel to Laval in order to see Betts, Savard and Thomassin play last season. Expect more NFL teams to send personnel men for the pro day.