Renegades go local in 2004 Canadian draft
Published on April 28, 2004 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
Ottawa Renegades News Release
OTTAWA â The Ottawa Renegades took the local route in a big way during the 2004 Canadian College Draft on Wednesday, using the club's pair of first-round choices to select players from the Nation's Capital.
Using the second and third-overall selections of the draft, the Renegades picked offensive lineman Ibrahim Khan of Orleans, a suburb in Ottawa's east end, and wide receiver David Azzi of the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees.
Khan (6-3, 304, Simon Fraser) is an outstanding player who was named Canadian Interuniversity Sports Most Outstanding Lineman last season, and was one of three Canadians to participate in the 2004 East West Shrine Game, an all-star game for graduating college players, mainly from the United States.
The selection of Khan marked the third straight year that the Renegades have used its first pick of the draft to select an offensive lineman. In the club's first draft in 2002, the Renegades chose Alexandre Gauthier with the first overall pick. During last year's selection, the Renegades drafted offensive lineman Trevor Kine from New Mexico State.
Azzi (6-1, 201) began his collegiate career in his hometown at the University of Ottawa as a quarterback in 2001 and played both receiver and quarterback in 2002 before making a full transition to pass-receiving duties in last year.
In 2003, Azzi led the Gee-Gees in receptions with 36 catches for 643 yards and five touchdowns. He earned OUA conference all-star honours for the third straight year.
Azzi is the highest pick in the Canadian College Draft from the University of Ottawa since DB Scott Gordon was taken in the second round, 18th overall, by Calgary in 2002. Azzi is also the first Gee-Gees player to be selected in the first round of the draft since Ibrahim Tounkara was taken by Calgary in 2001.
The Renegades also bolstered the club's Francophone content with the selections of Christian Leibl-Coté, a native of Quebec City, in the second round (12th overall) and defensive tackle L. P. Ladouceur, from the Montreal suburb of Pointe-Claire, in the fourth round (29th overall)
Currently, the Renegades have seven players from Quebec on the team's roster: defensive lineman Tim Fleiszer (Montreal), linebacker Kelly Wiltshire (Montreal), offensive lineman David De La Perralle (Montreal), offensive lineman Alexandre Gauthier (Maria in the Gaspé region), receiver Denis Montana (Montreal), offensive lineman Jean-François Roy (Quebec City), and running back Kevin Lawrence (Montreal). Another five players on the Renegades roster (receiver Darryl Ray, receiver Pat Woodcock, linebacker Jason Kralt, offensive lineman Mike Sutherland, and defensive lineman Michael Boireau) speak fluent French.
With the club's third-round selection (20th overall), the Renegades chose kicker Shaun Suisham (pronounced SWEE-shum) from Bowling Green University. A native of Wallaceburg, ON, Suisham holds the Bowling Green record with 157 successful extra points.
The Renegades picked defensive lineman Matt Kirk of Queen's University with the club's fifth-round choice (38th overall). Kirk, a Kingston native, is the first player from Queen's to be selected by the Renegades in the club's draft history.
The final pick of the Renegades in the sixth round, 47th overall, was wide receiver Christian Heffernan from the University of Western Ontario. The native of London, ON is the first player from Western ever chosen in the draft by the Renegades.
Canadian Football League Stories from April 28, 2004
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- Chris Burns appearance on TSN program rescheduled - Ottawa Renegades
- Alouettes pick two Montreallers in CFL draft - Montreal Alouettes
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- The Best of the Rest - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Renegades go local in 2004 Canadian draft - Ottawa Renegades
- 2004 Ottawa Renegades Draft Notes - Ottawa Renegades
- Esks go on offensive with first two draft picks - Edmonton Elks
- Bombers select Jon Ryan - Winnipeg Blue Bombers
- Riders grab fullback with first round pick - Saskatchewan Roughriders
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