CALGARY – Peter Nicastro's selection in the first round by the Toronto Argonauts unleashed a flood of University of Calgary Dinos football players taken Tuesday night during the Canadian Football League's annual Canadian draft.
Nicastro, an offensive lineman out of St. Francis High School in Calgary, was the seventh overall selection and the Dinos' 25th all-time first-round pick. A 2019 Canada West all-star, he was also the first of six total Dinos taken by siix different teams Tuesday night.
Linebacker
Grant McDonald (Edmonton, 14th overall); defensive back
Deane Leonard (Hamilton, 18th overall) and linebacker
Charlie Moore (Calgary, 26th overall) joined Nicastro as Dinos taken in the top half of the six-round draft. A pair of offensive lineman,
Logan Bandy (Saskatchewan, 38th overall) and
Tyler Packer (British Columbia, 51st overall) rounded out the Dinos' selections.
"We're very excited for all six players," said Dinos head coach
Wayne Harris. "They're all high-quality young men who have done an outstanding job in our program and have earned the opportunity to compete at the next level."
All six were members of the Dinos' still-reigning 2019 Vanier Cup championship, with five of the six earning Canada West all-star status during their varsity careers. Both Bandy and Leonard were two-time All-Canadians.
"They were third-year players that were the nucleus of our championship program, and it's really too bad they didn't get the chance to showcase just how good they are in 2020," said Harris. "They are definitely the core and the heart of our team. Six individuals, and you can't say enough about each of them and what they've meant to our program and our success as a team. We are very happy for them all."
The Dinos' reputation as a factory for offensive linemen was burnished, too.
"It really is outstanding – we have a strong history of offensive linemen getting the opportunity, and all three of these guys are characteristic of that long tradition," said Harris. "These are physical, big, tough, athletic, smart football players – it's no surprise they were drafted, and I think all of them will have long careers in the CFL."
It was a banner night for Canada West, with 14 selections from the conference and once again, the Dinos led the way on draft day with the most players taken of any program on the continent. Since 2006, 63 Dinos football players have had their names called by CFL teams, the most of any school in North America. In the program's history,
159 players have been drafted into the Canadian Football League.
2021 DINOS – CFL DRAFT PICKS
OL
Peter Nicastro (1st round, 7th overall) – Toronto Argonauts
LB
Grant McDonald (2nd round, 14th overall) – Edmonton Football Club
DB
Deane Leonard (2nd round, 18th overall) – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
LB
Charlie Moore (3rd round, 26th overall) – Calgary Stampeders
OL
Logan Bandy (5th round, 38th overall) – Saskatchewan Roughriders
OL
Tyler Packer (6th round, 51st overall) – British Columbia Lions
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