Idonije to take stage at draft

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/04/2016 (2919 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It’s now guaranteed: there will be at least one University of Manitoba Bisons alumnus called up the to stage at the NFL Draft this week.

No, that lock isn’t David Onyemata (time will tell if the rising prospect hears his name plucked by an American team) but it is someone with whom he shares a country of origin, position, alma mater, and a stunning rise to international attention.

Former Bisons defensive end Israel Idonije is set to announce the Chicago Bears’ third-round draft pick today. The Brandon-raised Idonije played the majority of his NFL career (2003-12) for the Bears.

A Bears spokesman confirmed Idonije, who was the team’s nominee for the 2010 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award, will handle the announcing duties. He will be joined onstage by students from Chicago’s Barton Elementary School.

The draft kicked off at Chicago’s Auditorium Theater Thursday with the first round. The second and third rounds are set for today, and it will wrap up Saturday with the remaining four rounds. Barring any trades, Idonije is set to announce the 72nd-overall selection.

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It would be rash to veer off into wild speculation but, if nothing else, it is interesting Idonije will figure into the event — as it is widely speculated Onyemata will become the first U of M player drafted into the NFL. (Idonije was signed as an undrafted free agent.)

Onyemata, who trained in Los Angeles during the off-season, won’t be in Chicago for the draft: he’s planning on watching at home in Winnipeg with some of his friends. While much of the buzz around Onyemata suggests he could go somewhere in the fourth through seventh rounds, some observers think he may have a shot at going as high as the third.