THE CANADIAN PRESS
Vaughn Martin’s gamble paid off big-time Sunday.
Over the winter, Martin raised eyebrows when he declared himself eligible for the 2009 NFL draft despite having played just two seasons with the Western Mustangs.
But the six-foot-three, 331-pound defensive lineman became the first Canadian collegiate player selected as an underclassman to the NFL when the San Diego Chargers chose him in the fourth round, 113th overall.
They did so despite Martin still having three years of university eligibility remaining. He wasn’t even eligible for the CFL draft until 2011.
But the 22-year-old — whose nickname at Western was Vicious — worked out for 15 NFL teams, spoke with several others, and clearly impressed.
"They (the Chargers) said they would start me out at right defensive end, then work my way to nose (tackle)," Martin said on the Chargers’ website. "I’m excited to play both positions and to play with the personnel they have.
"I like to come off the ball and make plays. I’m very aggressive. I like to hit people hard and chase the ball."
Martin wasn’t the only Canadian to secure his NFL future. A league source requesting anonymity said Sunday night that defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman of Brampton, Ont., a three-year starter at Rutgers, had signed as a free agent with the New York Jets after going undrafted.
The six-foot-three, 257-pound Westerman appeared in 50 games for Rutgers, recording 141 tackles — including 44.5 for losses — with 26 sacks. He had six sacks this past season despite being hampered by a torn biceps injury that required season-ending surgery and forced him to miss the PapaJohns.com Bowl.
However, Westerman was healthy enough to participate in Rutgers’ pro day last month before NFL scouts. He posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.78 seconds, a vertical jump of 36.5 inches and bench-pressed 225 pounds 20 times. He had met this off-season with the Chicago Bears and was projected as either a speed-rushing defensive end or hybrid linebacker.
Martin has all the physical tools to be a solid pro but is deemed a raw prospect — as much as for where he playing in Canada as his relative inexperience.
But at his pro day in Windsor, Ont., Martin bench-pressed 225 pounds 32 times and posted a 40-yard dash time of 5.04 seconds.
"Obviously he played at a lower level of competition than the typical Division I college, but our guys loved how he showed flashes of dominance," John Spanos, San Diego’s director of college scouting, said on the team’s website.
"He moves like a guy that is smaller. He has tremendous upside and his best football is ahead of him.
"Our northeastern scout (Tom Gibbons) went up to Canada for a workout that was attended by multiple teams. We looked into everything about his background and ability on the field. We felt lucky he was still there when we picked because we liked him all along."
Mustangs head coach Greg Marshall wasn’t surprised that Martin was selected in the fourth round.
"I got a lot of calls from a lot of teams about him and things had really been picking up the last two weeks," he said. "I always thought there was a chance (of Martin returning to Western) but it’s time for Vaughn to move on and for us to move on.
"Our goal as coaches and teachers is to try and win football games but it’s also to help prepare our players to move on to the next level. Vaughn is definitely ready."
Marshall should know.
He spent three seasons as the head coach of the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2004-2006) and was the league’s coach of the year in ’04 before being let go by the Ticats during the ’06 campaign.
He returned to his alma mater later that year.
One big difference Martin will have to adjust to is getting into his stance right on the line of scrimmage instead of lining up a yard off the ball like he did at Western.
But Martin doesn’t see that as being a problem.
"I have a lot to learn as far as technique," Martin said. "My quickness helped me with having to play a yard off, so playing a yard closer will be nice.".
Marshall said Martin has both the size and athletic ability to play either end or tackle in the Chargers’ 3-4 scheme.
"The one thing Vaughn has is a good burst off the line," Marshall said. "You can teach hand position and other defensive line techniques but you can’t teach quickness.
"And I know teams were really impressed with his football intelligence when they talked to him. He has only played two years (at Western) but the upside is his body hasn’t taken a beating compared to other players and he’s fresh."
Martin can also expect to be well compensated.
For example, last year the Pittsburgh Steelers signed fourth-round pick Tony Hills, a tackle from Texas taken 130th overall, to a three-year, US$1.45-million deal with a reported signing bonus of $304,000.
Leading up to the draft, the expectation was Martin would be a late-round selection (sixth or seventh round) or a coveted undrafted free agent.
But Marshall said based on the calls he fielded from clubs south of the border, he had a feeling Martin would be selected much earlier than anticipated.
"The Chargers probably felt if they didn’t move on him in the fourth round they wouldn’t get him at all," Marshall said. "There were four or five teams who were really interested in him."
Martin spent two seasons at Western after a commitment to play for Michigan State fell through due to academic transcript issues, according to his profile on NFL.com.
Born in Jamaica and raised in Toronto and London, Ont., Martin recorded 33.5 tackles along with two sacks and one fumble recovery in 2007.
Last year, he switched to defensive end and recorded 29 tackles with 2.5 sacks, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries while helping the Mustangs advance to the Vanier Cup, which they lost 44-21 to Laval.
Opponents gained only seven yards on 36 rushing plays directed toward him and completed just 3-of-16 passes into his area for a mere six yards.
"We’re really happy and excited for Vaughn," Marshall said. "It’s obvious that he made a good decision (to come out for the NFL draft).
"I think he’s just scratching the surface in terms of his potential. We’re certainly going to miss him but we’ll find someone to take his place. We have to, it’s the nature of the game."
