In his draft year, only five players were chosen after him, 65 heard their names called before his was, and few — if any — of those 70 were shorter than his five feet and nine inches.

Yet here is Sean Thomas Erlington, helping shift the Hamilton Tiger-Cats roster ratio balance as their starting running back, his yards from scrimmage piling up like last winter's endless snow drifts.

After warming up on opening night with 68 receiving yards and another 35 on three pass receptions, the 26-year-old out of the University of Montreal was one of many Argo-killers during the Saturday slaughter in Toronto. In only three quarters of play, he registered 165 scrimmage yards from 56 passing yards and another 109 overland, the most of his career.

That's not a long career. So far. But a portfolio that includes running, catching, deceptive blocking skills, kickoff returning and — if needed — downfield coverage, speaks a long-term language.

"A lot of people talk to me about how late I was drafted," Thomas Erlington says. "Through my years in Montreal, I had quite a few injuries and I never actually played a full season. There was also the fact that I have good acceleration, I have a good burst but I don't have a huge top speed, which I've been working on."

And, unspoken, was his height, making it easy to move on to the next guy.

But all Thomas Erlington needed was a chance. He got it on Ticats special teams and then, although he rushed for 92 yards in an early game last season, former head coach June Jones began using him mostly as a spot receiver.

That, says new head coach Orlondo Steinauer, really helped round out his game and Thomas Erlington says it also helped unround his body. He now plays at an efficient 205 pounds instead of his draft-year 217. The lighter load and a lot of work on holding his physical form throughout his patterns and longer runs has also helped him maintain his initial speed over greater distances.

And living year-round in Hamilton gave him a leg up on his relationship with the quarterback.

"When Jeremiah (Masoli) came back to Hamilton early this off-season, I was pretty well the only receiver from the Tiger-Cats who was here," Thomas Erlington says. "We practised a lot one-on-one to continue that good bond which we started last year."

Given his versatility, and the fact that the Ticats have changed running back to a Canadian position because of their belief in him (both backups are Canadian and the only American back, Cam Marshall, is on the six-game injury list), Thomas Erlington was a steal. Wait, change that to armed robbery, with perceptive scouting as the weapon.

"We liked him from early in his career at Montreal," says Ticats co-manager Drew Allemang, who directs Canadian scouting. "He was a little undersized, but what we really liked about him was that he was good at everything. He had balance, and quickness, was a good receiver and since he's got here, he's done a lot of work to get faster overall and get stronger. He's a little thicker and stronger than perhaps his height would make you think."

Thomas Erlington is the only eighth-rounder from his draft year to play in all three seasons since then. And just two from the seventh round that year have played all three seasons.

Not only was he an uncommon diamond in the eighth-round rough, Thomas Erlington is arguably one of the most savvy picks the Ticats have ever made in the bottom half (fifth round or lower) of the modern CFL draft, which began in 1986.

Last year's starting safety Mike Daly, a 2013 sixth-rounder from Mac, has paid huge dividends, as did offensive lineman Pascal Cheron, taken in 1999's sixth round, while Mathieu Girard (seventh round 2014) and Brett Golding (seventh round, 2017) still figure in the team's offensive line depth. Mike Filer, the longest-serving Ticat, was a fifth-rounder seven years ago, but that was by Calgary. And receiver Chris Getzlaf, linebacker Scott Coe and kicker Scott Lauther were all taken between the fifth and seventh rounds by Hamilton but made their CFL names elsewhere.

"When I look back at it, it does surprise me," Thomas Erlington concedes. "Not that they didn't pick me earlier, but that I was taken in the eighth round and I'm still here."

And more than just here.

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Notes: Luke Tasker is still day-to-day but did take part in individual drills. ... Centre Demetrius Rhaney is still missing while he attends to personal business.

smilton@thespec.com

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