Gaels football players shine in CFL draft

Henning went 2nd overall to the Argos, Elks take Pace while Kpehe heads to Calgary.

Three members of the Queen's Gaels football team were drafted by CFL clubs.

The league held their annual college draft Tuesday night.

Niklas Henning went in the first round, second overall, to the Toronto Argonauts. The six-foot-six, 287 -pound offensive lineman from Milton was named to the U SPORTS Second Team All-Canadian and an OUA First Team All-Star last season.

Henning was also invited to a pair of NFL mini-camps with the Las Vegas Raiders and the Indianapolis Colts.

Linebacker Justin Pace was selected in the fourth round, 35th overall, to the Edmonton Elks. He had 38 tackles in five regular season games.

The six-foot-one, 223-pound Montreal-native was named to the U SPORTS Second Team All-Star after leading the Gaels with 6.4 tackles per game, good for third in the conference.

Steven Kpehe was taken by the Calgary Stampeders in the seventh round, 62nd overall. The six-foot-two, 223-pound defensive end from London, Ont had 18 tackles and three sacks this past season.

A total of 74 players were taken in the CFL draft, 45 played in USPORTS, 21 of those were from the Ontario University Athletics conference.

Story by Ken Hashizume