Alouettes select OL Tiger Shanks in first round of CFL's Canadian college draft

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The offensive tackle position in the CFL traditionally has been occupied by American-born players. Tiger Shanks eventually hopes to buck that trend with the Alouettes.

The Als selected the 6-foot-5, 325-pound Shanks fifth overall Tuesday night as the CFL conducted its Canadian college draft. Originally from Vancouver, Shanks spent much of his childhood in China before his family relocated to Lake Oswego, Ore.

He was a four-year starter at the right-tackle position at UNLV before deciding recently to make himself eligible for the CFL selection process. He’s the only offensive lineman in the school’s history to earn first-team all-Mountain West honours. But he chose not to proceed with speed or quickness testing at his pro day due to a nagging hamstring injury. He wasn’t selected in the recent NFL draft, nor has he received a rookie mini-camp invitation.

While there were a variety of Montreal- and Quebec-based players who were rated highly, Als general manager Danny Maciocia said he took the best available prospect.

“He had 50 starts at UNLV. That’s high-level competition,” Maciocia told The Gazette in a text message. “He’s a competitor with a high-level football IQ. He’s a mature and confident young man.”

Montreal-born Damien Alford, a 6-foot-6, 215-pound wide receiver who transferred from Syracuse to Utah last season, went first overall in the draft to the Calgary Stampeders. Alford has accepted a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Kansas City Chiefs.

Université de Montréal defensive-lineman Jeremiah Ojo, 6-foot-3 and 236 pounds, went seventh overall to the Toronto Argonauts, the defending Grey Cup champions. Ojo first will be attending rookie mini-camp with the New York Giants.

And Christopher Fortin, an offensive lineman who went to the University of Connecticut, completed the first round (eighth overall), going to Calgary. The 6-foot-5, 300 pounder is a native of St-René, Que.

The Als selected University of Calgary safety Nate Beauchemin in the second round (14th overall). Beauchemin, 6-foot-2 and 204 pounds, is a native of Kelowna, B.C., and should make an immediate impact on special teams. He was a playmaker last season for the Dinos, intercepting four passes along with forcing one fumble. He had 39 tackles.

Shanks becomes the highest CFL draft pick in UNLV history. He’s only the sixth Rebels player to ever appear in the CFL draft, and the first since offensive lineman Brett Boyko and tailback Shaquille Murray-Lawrence both were selected in 2015. Boyko had been the highest UNLV draft choice, going 14th overall to the B.C. Lions.

Shanks tied the school record by starting 51 games, primarily at right tackle. He entered his senior season as a member of both the Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award watch lists. The Outland is awarded to the best interior lineman in college football while the Lombardi is presented to the NCAA’s outstanding offensive or defensive lineman.

Shanks was part of a Rebels team that went 11-3 last season, while producing its first national ranking in school history. He was considered UNLV’s best offensive lineman, spearheading a dominant rushing offence and helping drive the Scarlet and Gray toward the top of the Mountain West conference, according to the Las Vegas Sun. UNLV defeated California in the L.A. Bowl.

Shanks was considered a late bloomer; a three-star prospect coming out of high school who had only five Division-I offers — Idaho, Idaho State, Sacramento State, San Jose State and UNLV. Following a redshirt year and shaky freshman season, he allowed only one sack in both 2023 and ‘24. Last season he also allowed only 11 pressures over 410 pass-blocking snaps.

During his media availability on Monday, Maciocia waxed enthusiastically about the depth and talent available this year.

“This is as good a class as you’re going to come across,” he said. “I’m fairly confident quite a few of these players are going to be playing at the next level. This (crop) is pretty dynamic. This one’s pretty good. You’re going to be drafting into the third and fourth rounds and you’re still getting potentially quality Canadians that have the ability to start at some point in time. This is as good a draft as I’ve been associated with.”

Tuesday morning the CFL held its global draft. The Als selected University of Memphis punter Joshua Sloan (seventh overall) before taking punter-placekicker Joshua Hutley 16th overall out of Concord University.

Alouettes Canadian college draft picks

• 5th: Tiger Shanks (OL), UNLV
• 14th: Nate Beauchemin (DB), Calgary
• 23rd (via B.C.): Gabriel Lessard (LB), Montreal
• 26th: Hakeen Harris (WR), Davenport
• 35th: Keanu Yazbeck (RB), Western
• 44th: Gabriel Maisonneuve (DL), Montreal
• 53rd: Isaac Gaillardetz (WR), Laval
• 62nd: Jonathan Sénécal (QB), Montreal
• 70th: Riley MacLeod (LB), Western