TORONTO — With just a single reception throughout his first two professional seasons, the production has failed to match the hype for former third overall CFL Draft pick Danny Vandervoort.

Now the McMaster product is looking for a new team after being released Tuesday night, perhaps the most surprising of 10 players let go in the BC Lions’ efforts to meet the May 1 league-mandated roster requirement of 75 players.

Solomon Elimimian, long rumoured to be on the trading block, headlines the list, while another big name was 2016 first round pick and offensive lineman out of Laval Charles Vaillancourt.

Oddly enough, Vandervoort isn’t the only high draft pick from the 2017 draft class no longer with his original team. The first overall pick from that year and defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie was released by Winnipeg last training camp, receiver Nate Behar left Edmonton as a free agent, and the Stamps have since parted ways with sixth overall pick Randy Colling.

RELATED:

» View 2017 CFL Draft results

» Bio: Danny Vandervoort

» Previewing the 2019 draft

For the Lions and Eskimos, the returns on Vandervoort and Behar are a reminder of the draft’s hit-or-miss nature, especially when it comes to receivers. Last year’s first overall pick Mark Chapman, a receiver out of Central Michigan, has yet to even sign with the Ticats.

But just as Behar could soon be allowed the chance to flourish in the nation’s capital, Vandervoort should still be of interest for teams across the CFL. Still barely 25 years old, the 6-foot-2, 204-pound pass-catcher had an impressively productive career with the McMaster Marauders and even put on a strong display at the CFL Combine in 2017, helping him rank fourth in the pre-draft CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.

There’s been little talk so far of where Vandervoort could wind up, but the first logical connection has to be the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, just down the road from his hometown of Barrie, Ont. and in the same neighbourhood where he attended university.

Mike Jones and Justin Buren are back on the roster for next season, Shamawd Chambers is expected to return from injury and former fourth overall pick Brian Jones was added via free agency. But there’s room for Vandervoort to climb the depth chart and make an impact in June Jones’ prolific passing offence.

Another team that could use a Canadian receiver before the draft is Saskatchewan. The Riders are expected to miss Jake Harty for most of 2019 as he continues to recover from an injury. Devon Bailey and Joshua Stanford handled most of the starts last season, but neither one is back on the roster. Vandervoort could learn from a true professional in Cory Watson and eventually push for a starting job in Riderville.

With a draft class that’s lauded for its depth at receiver going into the 2019 CFL Draft on Thursday night, Vandervoort would be an intriguing addition that’s ready to make an impact entering his third professional season, wherever he ends up landing.