The 2015 CFL Draft was all about offensive linemen. The first three picks were o-linemen, and so were six of the nine selections in the first round.

Quarterbacks? Not so much. But of the two that were drafted and the one that was claimed right after the draft ended, each has his own interesting story.

Brandon Bridge

The Mississauga product has been part of quite the emotional roller coaster since the NFL Draft concluded on May 2. After not getting selected by any of the NFL’s 32 teams, Bridge attended rookie camp with the Dallas Cowboys and left there last weekend without a contract.

There was no doubt that someone in the CFL would take a chance on Bridge even though his first choice remains playing south of the border.

Turned out Jim Popp of the Alouettes thought he was more than worth it. Montreal took Bridge in the fourth round, making him the first Canadian quarterback selected in the draft since Brad Sinopoli in 2011.

Popp called Bridge “one of the top five players in this draft.”

There will be no converting Bridge to receiver, which is what happened with Sinopoli in 2013. Popp said that Bridge is “100-percent quarterback.”

Bridge tweeted this out Tuesday night.

Andrew Buckley

Mr. Irrelevant. That is the name University of Calgary pivot Andrew Buckley will have attached to his actual name whenever people talk about the 2015 CFL Draft. Buckley waited and waited at a draft party with his Dinos teammates for what seemed like forever.

“I was kind of getting disappointed towards the end as I was seeing five picks (left), then four, then three, then two and then it was my sports-and-information director (Ben Matchett) who saw it first on the ticker (that Buckley was drafted). He just shook my hand and said, ‘Congratulations, you’ve gone.’ I thought it was a dream at first.”

Buckley went 62nd overall to the defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders as the last pick of the draft. The six-foot, 200-lb. pivot is from the Stampede City, so the fact it was Calgary that took him made the night extra special.

“Makes it way cooler because like I’ve grown up watching the Stampeders and my family has been season-ticket holders now for 15 years or something like that,” he said. “We’ve been big supporters of the Stampeders and now to put on the jersey is like a dream come true.”

Buckley was one of seven Dinos to be taken Tuesday night, showcasing how much of an elite talent pipeline the U of C has become.

Jordan Yantz

Regina native Jordan Yantz also knows a little something the waiting game. The Mantioba Bisons quarterback spent the entire draft waiting for a call. And it didn’t come until after the draft was over.

“Starting at 6:00 p.m. (mountain time) and until I got my phone call at 10:45 pm, that makes for a long night.”

Yantz was back home with family in Regina, and every one around him remained optimistic throughout the process.

“My girlfriend was pretty positive the entire night. Being around my family—my mom, my dad, my brother and everybody—was very comforting for me,” Yantz said. “They just said, ‘Give it an hour, you’re going to get a phone call.'”

The draft came and went without that call, but that’s hardly the end of the story.

“I was talking with my agent (after the draft was over). He said he phoned BC right away asking if they wanted to get me into camp. He said they (the Lions) can’t because I’ve been picked up. BC wouldn’t tell him who picked me up. By that time he was still phoning around to every team to see which team had picked me up.”

It turned out to be the Blue Bombers, with Yantz getting a call from head coach Mike O’Shea.

“Coach O’Shea said, ‘We’re serious about you and what you did last year (took the Bisons to the national semi-finals), we’re excited about it and we want you to come in here and compete.'”

Tweet of the Week

I have to put a Canadian spin on the Deflategate controversy. While we all tried to digest what the NFL did by suspending Patriots QB Tom Brady four games for his part in the whole controversy this tweet popped up in my timeline.

Sarah Colonna’s “man” (husband) is Regina native and Seahawks punter Jon Ryan, and for the record he did throw a touchdown pass in the NFC Championship against the Green Bay Packers back in January. Colonna is a comedian and clearly very funny.