Five Marauders drafted into Canadian Football League
Wayne Moore led the way on a busy night for the Marauders football program, as five McMaster players were selected by Canadian Football League teams over the course of Tuesday’s CFL Entry Draft.
The fourth-year running back was chosen by the Montreal Alouettes with the 11th overall pick in the second round, becoming the first member of the Ontario University Athletics conference to be selected.
Moore was the fourth McMaster running back to be selected in the CFL Draft, following in the footsteps of former Kojo Aidoo (2003), Jesse Lumsden (2005) and and Andre Sadeghian (2007). He finished the 2015 season with a total of 565 rushing yards and three touchdowns.
Halfback Declan Cross was the second McMaster name to be called on Tuesday, as the Toronto Argonauts chose the versatile offensive weapon with the 27th overall pick in the fourth round. Known well for his blocking prowess, Cross missed four games due to injury in 2015, but finished the season with 42 yards receiving and 23 rushing.
A stalwart on Mac’s offensive line, Zach Intzandt followed his Marauder teammates by being selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with the 37th overall pick in the fifth round. A regular starter since his second year in Maroon and Grey, Intzandt successfully made the transition across the trenches early in his McMaster career.
Across the line, defensive end Mike Kashak was the next McMaster player to be selected, being chosen by the Calgary Stampeders with the 51st overall selection in the sixth round. A key member of the suffocating defensive unit that led McMaster to the Vanier Cup in 2014, Kashak racked up 25 tackles in 2015, including 12 for a loss and eight sacks.
Despite spending a year away from the Marauders, John Ngeleka’s skills as a defensive back and special teams ace were valued highly enough for the Toronto Argonauts to make him their second McMaster pick and seventh round choice with the 58th overall selection. In his last Mac action, Ngeleka posted 9.5 tackles in a full season of action in 2014, and was a regular starter in the playoff run that culminated in an appearance in the 50th Vanier Cup in Montreal.
