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It was the biggest risk a team could take in last week’s 2019 Canadian Football League draft, and the Edmonton Eskimos dove in cleats first.

They knew full well that selecting the No. 1 prospect with their top pick in the No. 3 spot, that Laval defensive end Mathieu Betts will not be in attendance when rookies across the league are scheduled to report on March 15 — though that date is currently flexible, given a collective-bargaining-agreement talk or two.

After all, the native of Montreal, who followed up the U-Sports rookie of the year award in 2015 with three straight U-Sports outstanding down lineman awards, signed a free-agent contract as an outside linebacker with the Chicago Bears following last week’s National Football League draft and was among 80 Bears hopefuls attending the club’s rookie mini-camp last weekend.

It was there the 24-year-old Canadian star found out he had become a top-three pick in Thursday’s CFL draft, but not for about half an hour after the Eskimos announced their selection.