Offensive lineman Giovanni Manu selected by Detroit Lions, becomes 1st UBC player ever taken in NFL draft
Canadian football observers thought it could happen, and on Saturday, it did. Towering offensive lineman Giovanni Manu – who was born in Tonga and grew up in Pitt Meadows, B.C. – became the first player from the University of British Columbia ever to be selected in the NFL draft.
The Detroit Lions selected Manu in the fourth round of the draft, using the 126th overall pick on the 6'8", 350-pound offensive tackle.
Manu arrived on campus at UBC when he was just 16 years old and credits the Thunderbirds coaching staff with helping him grow as a person and develop into an NFL prospect.
"Coach (Blake) Nill, he's like a father figure to me. And even my positional coach, Dan Dorazio. They're great guys," he said in an interview with CTV News earlier this month.
"I cherish the six years that I've been here. It's definitely something I'll always remember and tell my kids in the future."
Manu and highly touted teammate Theo Benedet anchored a UBC offensive line that allowed 15 sacks and helped the offence average 6.8 yards per rush last season.
The Thunderbirds reached the Vanier Cup last year, dropping a 16-9 decision to the Montreal Carabins. Still, it was UBC's first appearance in the Canadian university football championship game since 2015.
Ahead of this weekend's draft, TSN NFL insider Farhan Lalji told CTV News Manu projected as a mid-to-late-round pick who was likely to start his time in the NFL on a team's practice squad.
Manu has only played against Canadian competition at the USports level, and Lalji thinks NFL teams will see him as a player-development project.
"But I don't think it's going to take long until we see this guy in the National Football League," Lalji said earlier this month.
"It's not a question of if, but when."
On Saturday, Lalji shared a video on social media of the moment Manu found out he had been drafted.
Manu joins a Lions team that came close to its first-ever Super Bowl appearance last season, before a second-half collapse saw them lose the NFC Championship Game to the San Francisco 49ers.
The Lions were one of more than a dozen teams that had expressed interest in Manu at UBC's pro day or in private meetings with the player.
Manu will be joining at least one other Canadian on Detroit's roster when training camp begins this summer. Earlier in the off-season, Detroit signed Canadian defensive lineman Mathieu Betts, who was the CFL's top defensive player last season with the B.C. Lions.
Detroit appears set at tackle with Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker, but looked to improve its overall depth by selecting Manu.
Manu was also listed in eighth spot on the CFL Scouting Bureau's list.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ben Miljure and The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Canadian border workers vote in favour of possible strike: union
Border workers have voted in favour of a strike mandate which could lead to 'significant disruptions' to the flow of goods, services and people through Canadian ports of entry, their union said Friday morning.
BREAKING Top UN court orders Israel to halt military operation in Rafah
Judges at the top UN court said on Friday the situation in Gaza had deteriorated since they last ordered Israel to take urgent steps to alleviate the humanitarian crisis there.
Milk sold in Canadian stores tested for avian flu: Results of 303 samples
As avian flu spreads south of the border, Canadian officials are now testing samples of milk sold in grocery stores across the country.
Ontario patients visiting emergency rooms out of fear of being booted by family doctor
Ontario patients are now visiting emergency departments out of fear of being de-rostered from their doctor’s office – a loophole that results in hospitals dealing with non-urgent cases, and disrupts continuity of care paramount to family medicine, according to health-care experts.
Top Russian military officials are being arrested. Why is it happening?
It began last month with the arrest of a Russian deputy defense minister. Then the head of the ministry’s personnel directorate was hauled into court. This week, two more senior military officials were detained. All face charges of corruption, which they have denied.
Outdated rules and mounting losses: Can anything be done to fix Canada Post?
Canada Post needs drastic measures to staunch the fiscal bleeding and revamp its operations after a tough decade, experts say.
American Airlines retreats after blaming a 9-year-old for not seeing a hidden camera in a lavatory
American Airlines has distanced itself from a court filing in which the carrier said a nine-year-old girl should have noticed there was a camera taped to the seat of an airplane lavatory.
What is 'slapped cheek disease' and should parents be concerned?
Despite its rough name, experts say most cases of 'slapped cheek disease' are mild and not a cause for concern.
Search for truth goes on, regardless of killer Robert Pickton's fate, say victims' advocates
Advocates for alleged victims of B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton say they remain focused on getting justice for the women, as Pickton lies in a Quebec hospital in a coma after being attacked in prison.