When it was announced that the Chicago Bears had signed Mathieu Betts as an undrafted free agent following the draft, a lot of people blurted out, “Who?” Not surprising. Americans don’t have a ton of knowledge of Canadian college football. Only the diehards would and even then the information was a little hard to come by.
CFL experts tagged Betts as the best overall prospect in their upcoming draft. An elite pass rusher who finished with 35.5 sacks in college while helping his school win two national championships in three years. He quickly followed that up with a standout performance at the East-West Shrine Game, one of just two Canadian players to attend.
This apparently caught the attention of the Bears, who were one of the few teams to keep a close eye on him afterward as ChicagoBears.com revealed.
The Bears continued to monitor Betts in March when they were reportedly one of five NFL teams to attend his Pro Day workout at Laval in Quebec.
Betts is confident that he can compete at the highest level and is eager to prove that he belongs beginning this week at Bears rookie minicamp. When asked about his strengths, he mentioned his effort, motor and pass-rush ability.
“I want to show that I can do a bunch of things here,” Betts said. “We’re a team now. We’re competing for a roster spot, but I want to help out everybody the best way that I can to show them I’m here for a good reason and help the Bears win.”
Mathieu Betts is hoping to carry out a rare feat with the Bears
Not long after Betts signed with the Bears, it was announced that he was the 3rd overall pick in the CFL draft. While he said it would be great if at some point in his career he can play in his home country again, his focus is on Chicago. It seems the young man is committed to making a go of it in the NFL. Something that not a lot of former top 5 CFL draft picks have done.
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Since the draft took on its modern format back in 1985, only four players to go that high chose to make a run at the NFL instead and had some success. Ian Beckles played guard for nine seasons in the league for the Buccaneers and Eagles. Mark Koch was a backup defensive lineman in Washington where he helped them win two Super Bowls.
The two best though were safety O.J. Atogwe and running back Rueben Mayes. Atogwe played seven seasons in the league and collected 25 career interceptions for St. Louis and Washington. Mayes was a two-time Pro Bowler and Rookie of the Year for the New Orleans Saints. To date, he remains the most successful Canadian-born top CFL draft choice in the NFL.
Betts is hoping to reach a similar height as well, if not exceeding it. If he weren’t aiming that high, then he would’ve just stayed in Canada. The Bears recognized that desire and gave him the opportunity to pursue it.
