Wide receiver Shamawd Chambers wasn’t surprised when he was drafted sixth overall by the Edmonton Eskimos in 2012.
Chambers, who had been ranked anywhere from second to fourth by the CFL Scouting Bureau that season, said he “had a good idea that I’d be in Edmonton” as early as the CFL combine.
“I’m excited to be back”
“It seems like an eternity now,” said the 28-year-old five-year veteran, who was named the Most Valuable Canadian player in the 2015 Grey Cup. “It seems like a long time ago.
“When my name was called, it was a hurrah and I got on the phone with everyone who was over in Edmonton at the time. It was a cool experience, that’s for sure.”
It was also a huge relief.
“I was moreso ready to just get it over with, to get over that process (of the draft) and start the football process,” he said.
Chambers, who was with immediate family members on draft day, was injured for two games early in his final season of CIS football so he didn’t put up the numbers he expected. But the six-foot-three, 219-pound pass catcher was still the first skill position player chosen in the draft and one of only six receivers taken during the six rounds.
He later attended a free-agent tryout – or organized team activities (OTA) weekend – with the Philadelphia Eagles and was “very, very, very intrigued” with the possibility of going to the NFL team’s training camp. That invitation came on the same night he was about to fly to Edmonton to report for the CFL club’s training camp. Because he would have been the 18th receiver in the Eagles’ camp and they would only keep six during the regular season, Chambers didn’t know if he would get a fair shot to make the team.
The 2017 CFL draft starts at 5 p.m. Sunday.
The Eskimos promised Chambers that he would be allowed to develop “the way I was supposed to” with the Esks.
“Low and behold, it worked out and I got on a plane and … a few years later we’re here,” said Chambers, who actually returned to the Green and Gold this winter after spending one season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2016.
“I thought that Edmonton was a place that I may like to stay for the remainder of my career just because it’s somewhere I called home once and I’m excited to be back, that’s for sure.”
Stay tuned to Eskimos social media and ESKS.com for live draft updates this Sunday, May 7 beginning at 5 p.m.