A record number of Canadians could get picked in the NFL draft

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This year's NFL draft class is not the strongest. There are even doubts about the consensus No. 1 pick, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who's expected to be taken by the Carolina Panthers when the first round kicks off tonight. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner has pretty much all the skills and traits required to excel in the pros, but he measures in at a Flutiesque 5-foot-10 and less than 200 pounds — far short of the specs for a prototypical franchise QB.

Teams that prefer a higher-ceiling physical specimen can turn to Anthony Richardson, the Florida quarterback who dropped jaws with his athleticism at last month's scouting combine and on college fields last season. But some think Richardson is too erratic and raw to gamble a high pick on. The two other top QBs in the draft, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Kentucky's Will Levis, aren't can't-miss prospects either.

It's also not a great year for receivers, with some experts predicting none will go in the top 20. And the only surefire running back appears to be Bijan Robinson of Texas, who has the mixture of rushing and receiving skills that modern teams love.

The Canadian prospects are a bit murky too. There doesn't seem to be a Chase Claypool, the star Notre Dame receiver who went in the mid-second round in 2020 before scoring 11 touchdowns as a rookie with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Or even a Jevon Holland, who's become a key safety for Miami since the Dolphins picked him high in the second round in 2021. This year's group falls more in the range of Josh Palmer (now a Chargers receiver) or Chuba Hubbard (Panthers running