Even though the SFU football team went winless last season, two new CFL draftees are proving that the team is still capable of turning heads.

On the annual CFL Draft held on May 10, former Clan football players Michael Couture and Quinn Horton were picked by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Calgary Stampeders respectively. Two SFU players were drafted in 2016, an increase from 2015 when only Lemar Durant was chosen.

Couture was drafted 10th overall by the Blue Bombers. The Burnaby, BC native was a two-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference First Team All-Star, as a centre in 2014 and as a tackle in 2015. He was drafted considerably higher than expected, as he was ranked 16th in the CFL’s Scouting Bureau Final Rankings.

Couture’s former coach, Kelly Bates, has spoken very highly of him. “Mike is a great person and his hard work has paid off,” Bates told  SFU Athletics. “He has been drafted by an organization in Winnipeg that will give him a tremendous opportunity to play and grow into the game at the next level.”

He will join former teammate Matthias Goossen, who was drafted second overall by the Bombers back in 2014. His versatility on the line was what ultimately made him a high pick, as he has played every position on the offensive line throughout his four years at SFU.

Horton became this year’s Canadian “Mr. Irrelevant,” the nickname for the last player picked in the NFL draft. He was selected in the eighth round with the 68th overall pick. He was a GNAC All-Conference First Team in 2015 and finished the season with 37 tackles, 8.5 of those for a loss.