Achi news desk-
Observers in Canadian football thought it could happen, and on Saturday it did. Towering offensive lineman Giovani Manu – who was born in Tonga and raised in Pitt Meadows, BC – 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 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) Neal, he’s like a father figure to me. And even my position coach, Dan Durazio. They’re great guys,” he said in an interview with CTV News earlier this month.
“I cherish the six years I was here. It is definitely something I will always remember and tell my children in the future.”
Manu and teammate Theo Bendt anchored a UBC offensive line that allowed 15 sacks and helped the offense average 6.8 yards per rush last season.
The Thunderbirds reached the Vanier Cup last year, dropping a 16-9 decision to the Montreal Carabiniers. Still, it was UBC’s first appearance in the Canadian university football championship game since 2015.
Before this weekend’s draft, TSN NFL insider Farhan Lalji told CTV News Manu is expected as a mid-to-late round pick who could begin his time in the NFL on the team’s practice squad.
Manu has only played against Canadian competition at the USports level, and Vallaji thinks NFL teams will see him as a player development project.
“But I don’t think it will be long before 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 a 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 to express interest in Manu at UBC’s pro day or in private meetings with the player.
Manu will join at least one other Canadian on Detroit’s roster when training camp begins this summer. Earlier in the offseason, Detroit signed Canadian defensive lineman Matthew Betts, who was the CFL’s top defensive player last season with the BC Lions.
Detroit appeared to be dealing with Penny Sewell and Taylor Decker, but tried to improve its overall depth by selecting Manu.
Manu was also listed as eighth on the CFL Scouting Bureau list.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ben Miljure and the Canadian Press
