Football friend Help!?

Question

Hey I want to know if there are any players in the NFL from Canada because i have a frind who lives there and he doesn't think he can make it to the NFL because he is from Canada and I want to be able to prove him wrong and hopefully help out with his confedence. Any position would do but preferably a linemen on Defence. (thats what he plays)

thanks for the help!

Answer 1

There are several players in the NFL who are from Canada. However, your friend will have to go to the U.S. to play college ball to have any hope of making it to the NFL. There he will get the exposure needed...

Answer 2

Certainly the training in the US for gridiron football players is more intense and at a higher level than in Canada and there are so many more teams in the US.  That being said, I enjoy watch CIS (Canadian university) football a lot, the guys train hard and are very committed even if they know that the most they can aspire to money-wise is a salary of no more than around $100,000 per season in the CFL.  

The problem in Canada, and I do view it as a problem, is that there is so much focus on hockey, it is the only sport where a large number of Canadians are able to make it to the highest level.  So many of our best athletes gravitate towards hockey and don't take football, basketball, soccer, baseball too seriously.  Of course there are exceptions.  Fortunately Canada at least has one professional league of it's own, the CFL, where we have some control.  Even the NHL now is an American dominated and controlled league from an administrative and operational viewpoint, sadly.

Answer 3

Well, the key to making the NFL as a Canadian is to play college football in the States, and/or excel in the CFL first.  Keep in mind that our national league mandates that 30% of its players be Canadian, and that there have been CFLers move on to the NFL, although the most recent Canadian to do so, Jon Ryan, is a punter, not a D-Lineman.

So, while your friend's chances of playing in the NFL are fairly slim, he does have a better shot at playing pro football in his home country, if that's any consolation.

Answer 4

Here is a link to Canadian players in the NFL:

http://www.databasefootball.com/players/...