David Beard was pleasantly surprised at the 2015 CFL Draft.
The six-foot-five, 327-pound Sherwood Park product was “pretty anxious” after breaking his wrist halfway through his final U Sports season with the University of Alberta Golden Bears.
“There were not a whole lot of clear expectations going into the draft,” recalled the five-year Eskimos veteran, who was chosen in the second round, 16th overall.
“I’m pleased with how things have gone so far,” said Beard, 27, who was the Eskimos’ Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman last year. “I think I’ve made the most out of my opportunity and I’m hoping to continue to do that.
“It’s been a pretty cool journey,” he continued. “Coming out of the woodwork, not having a whole lot of draft currency or draft status, not necessarily a big name out there, pretty fresh to the O-line and still being able to establish myself, I’m very happy, for sure.”
Beard, who took over the starting role at centre late in the 2018 season, has started each of the Eskimos’ last 22 regular-season games at centre and 41 games in a row covering three different positions dating back to Oct. 9, 2017, despite playing only two seasons (16 games) as an offensive lineman in university football.
He was a defensive end during his first two years at the U of A and was preparing to start his third year at defensive tackle when a starting O-lineman left the team three days before the season opener.
Head Coach Chris Morris asked Beard to switch to left tackle on the offensive line on short notice.
“I was honestly hesitant at first because I was enjoying and, in fact, feeling like I was finding some success on the D-line,” Beard recalled. “It was kind of like, ‘Yeah, I don’t know. I’m having fun on the D-line.’
“But once I made the switch and was finding some success early on with the O-line, as well, I was happy to do that knowing that I was making a difference for the team,” he added. “That was a position where the team needed me at the time so I was happy to do that.”
His lack of experience on the offensive line combined with the broken wrist left Beard feeling vulnerable in the CFL Draft.
“I was playing with a bum wrist as an O-lineman, so my film quality was what it was,” he said with a shrug. “It was not my best display because of the circumstances, but that was what I had to offer.”
Submitting “sub-accurate” film to the scouts because of his injured wrist was one thing. But missing an opportunity to showcase his skills at the 2015 CFL Combine because he couldn’t do a bench press or the one-on-one drills “was disappointing.”
“It was something I was super-pumped for, regardless,” he said about the draft. “Any kind of opportunity that was going to present itself, if any, I was going to be pretty happy about. That was kind of my mindset going into it.”
Fortunately, a couple of former Eskimos offensive lineman – Morris, the U of A head coach, and his offensive line coach, Tim Prinsen – vouched for Beard’s ability and Edmonton drafted him only a few picks behind their first selection, Danny Groulx, at seventh overall and current linemate Jacob Ruby, who was chosen eighth by the Montreal Alouettes.
“I was pleased and, yeah, maybe a bit surprised that I went as early as I did,” Beard said. “I don’t believe it was a mistake, by any means, but it was a nice surprise. I would have taken any spot, but it was a nice feeling to go in the second round, for sure.”
On Draft Day, Beard was having dinner at home with his in-laws and watching the draft results on TV when he left the room to answer a phone call from the Eskimos.
“I missed the actual announcement … and got the phone call and found out just as everyone else did. It was kind of cool,” he said.
Beard missed seven games during his rookie CFL season and eight games in his sophomore year with injuries but has since turned into a versatile ironman, playing 55 consecutive games – starting eight times at left guard, 12 times at right guard and 24 times at centre.
“Even getting drafted and going to my first Eskimos training camp, I was still getting stuff figured out as I am today,” he said about his knowledge and skills on the offensive line. “I’m always refining my craft.
“I wouldn’t say I felt comfortable or super, super experienced until probably my second year with the Eskimos. That was when I felt like stuff was starting to come a lot more second-nature. It took a number of reps (repetitions).”
Beard made a reference to a widely touted theory from a 1993 psychology paper popularized in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, Outliers, that says anyone can master a skill with 10,000 hours of practice.
“Yeah, it certainly took some time,” he said about his conversion to the offensive line.
Beard made his first start at centre against the Ottawa RedBlacks on Aug. 10, 2017, and then made seven more starts at left guard between Sept. 9th and Nov. 4th. In 2018, he started every game – the season opener at left guard, 12 games at right guard and five at centre.
He was the full-time centre last year on the O-line that allowed the fewest quarterback sacks (25) in the CFL.
“It’s a pretty special kind of badge to collect some dust on, but it’s pretty cool to be a part of a group that did as well as we did last year,” he said. “By no means were we perfect, so we have lots of room to improve. That’s pretty exciting to think about – how much better we can become.”