Three most notable Canadian players currently in the NFL

The NFL is comprised almost entirely of United States Citizens. But out of the few ‘foreign’ players to play in the NFL, Canada holds the largest slice of pie. Let’s look at a few of the most notable Canadian players that currently grace the National Football League with their presence.

We Grow ‘Em Big

The majority of Canadians that make it into the NFL tend to be linemen. With the exception of a couple of Tight Ends, a Wide Receiver, and one Punter (Jon Ryan, now a free agent), the bulk of Canadian players are fighting in the trenches.

Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, G

Laurent tops the list of notoriety because his 2017 deal had him as highest paid Canadian player in NFL history. At just under 8.5 million dollars per year, he is on the second season of a 5-year 42.40-million-dollar deal. More impressive than his pay, and the fact that he helped to lead the Kansas City Chiefs to a 5-0 start by protecting Patrick Mahomes before suffering a fractured fibula, is the fact that Duvernay-Tardif is also a Physician. His scholarly achievements put him into a very elite group of NFL players who have achieved their doctorate.

The Mont-Saint-Hilaire native skipped football in high school, but he had enough natural talent to play for the Redmen at McGill University where he only practiced once per week so that he could focus on medicine. Amazingly enough, he was still the best player in Canada at the time.

LDT is currently on injured reserve, but he is expected to make a return late in the season. But even if Andy Reid plays it safe with him for the rest of the regular season, we should see LDT in the playoffs where he could help the Chiefs beat the odds in the AFC at top books like Bodog.

Luke Willson, TE

In his five years playing in the NFL, Luke Willson has racked up 100 receptions and 11 touchdowns. From LaSalle, Ontario, Willson went to St. Thomas of Villanova Catholic Secondary School Willson where he was twice the Athlete of the Year. A natural athletic talent at 6’5, 250-pounds, he is prototypical Tight End that can excel in both blocking and receiving. Talk about opportunity all over the place. Luke Wilson played baseball with the Canadian Jr. National Team and even signed with the Blue Jays. He was also picked by the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL draft of 2012. But in the end, he decided to stick with football and accepted his 5th-round pick from the Seattle Seahawks in 2013.

With the Seahawks, Luke Wilson had a pivotal two-point conversion reception that helped Seattle move past the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship game in 2015. Now playing for the Detroit Lions, Willson’s hometown of LaSalle is just a hop, skip, and a jump away.

Tyrone Crawford, DE

After bouncing back and forth from tackle to end, Tyrone Crawford has carved a niche for himself at defensive end after seven years in Dallas. Tyrone Crawford is definitely the biggest winner when it comes to raking in the dough. In 2015 Crawford signed an extension with the Cowboys to the tune of $45 million with a little over $24 million guaranteed. Even though he hasn’t a ‘breakout’ year, the Cowboys reasoning is sound. The former kid from Catholic Central High School in Windsor, Ontario is a consistent and dependable force on defense, a leader on the field and often one of the key figures at defensive meetings.