A quartet of fourth-year athletes heard their names ring loud on Thursday night, as
Noah Hallett,
Jakub Szott,
Tyson Middlemost, and
Joe Bencze were selected in the 2020 CFL Draft.
Hallett, a Health Society major, was selected 18th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The London, Ont. native ranked second in the OUA this past season in interceptions and was an integral piece to the Marauders Yates Cup run. A U SPORTS second-team all-Canadian and OUA first-team all-star at defensive back, Hallett was as disruptive a force on defence as anyone in the country accounting for 29.5 tackles to go with a sack.
Szott, a Commerce major, was selected 29th overall by the Ottawa Redblacks. Hailing from Toronto, Ont., Szott was a 2019 OUA second-team all-star as an offensive linesman after protecting the Marauders second-ranked passing performance in the conference that went for 303.9 yards per game, as well as the team's nearly 130 yards on the ground.
Middlemost, an Economics major, was selected five picks after Szott in the fourth round of the draft by the Calgary Stampeders. The Dundas, Ont. native ranked in the top 20 in the OUA in average receiving yards with 55.3, and recorded 100+ yards per game twice during the regular season. Middlemost recorded a career-high total yards per season with 442, despite recording his third lowest reception per game rate with 3.1.
Bencze, an Economics major, was taken off the board in the fifth round as the 45th overall pick selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. An offensive linesman with the Marauders for the past four seasons, Bencze best season with the Maroon came during the 2017 season where the then sophomore recorded 18 tackles on the year. A native of Peterborough, Ont,, the Economics major excels just as equally in the classroom, having recently earned Academic All-Canadian honours.
CFL Draft Selections
Round 2, Pick 18 overall: Noah Hallett, DB – Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Round 4, Pick 29 overall: Jakub Szott, OL – Ottawa Redblacks
Round 4, Pick 34 overall: Tyson Middlemost, WR – Calgary Stampeders
Round 5, Pick 45 overall: Joe Bencze, OL – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
