Could Vaughn Martin Be a First For The NFL...?

University of Western Ontario defensive lineman Vaughn Martin ((pictured, thanks UWO SID)) has declared for the NFL Draft as an underclassman. He could be the first player from the CIS ((the Canadian version of the NCAA)) to be drafted as such from Canada.

David Naylor of TSN and GlobeSports caught up with him before the Draft weekend.

"...it's not hard to see why NFL teams have lining up to take a closer look at Vaughn Martin, a 6-foot-4, 334-pound defensive lineman from the University of Western Ontario with the speed and agility of someone half his size.

"I've been told the sky is the limit and I kind of believe that," he said.

Teams have flown Martin around the country over the past three weeks. While others have come to London, Ontario themselves for a closer look. One even sent a private detective to town to check out his background and reputation.

It's all been an entertaining part of the process for the 23-year-old who decided in January - after two seasons of CIS football - he was ready to try the National Football League.

"One of the criticisms of my game is they say 'you're raw - you're athletic but you're raw," Martin explained. "And you also need to learn our game. If that's the process, I'd rather start that sooner than later. Being a guy from Canada, it gives them a better chance to get to know me better."

Martin first moved to Canada from Jamaica when he was nine years-old, but didn't stumble upon football until Grade 10 - when he suited up as a running back and linebacker. And as he grew, so too did his prospects on the gridiron.

"When I started I was a hockey player, that was my sport," he explained. "In football, I was an outside linebacker or running back and I ate my way to the middle of the field - literally. My grocery bill between tenth to twelfth grade was like car payments."

Martin attracted plenty of attention from U.S. schools before taking some time off to improve his grades and then deciding to enroll at Western. In two seasons with his hometown team, he played every defensive line position. Last season, he tallied 36 tackles and 3 1/2 sacks.

There have been only about a dozen Canadian university players over the past 30 years who've have gone on to play in the NFL. And of those only a handful were drafted.

Vaughn Martin seems destined to join that select group this weekend. After that, it will be up to him to turn his potential into his NFL destiny. "I know I'll face a lot better competition," he said. "But I'm excited to see how I meet it, what my learning curve is going to be. I want to maximize my potential and be the best I can be."

Here's the standard promo piece done by his home school...
((HT: Univ. of Western Ontario))