The signing of mathieu betts, the cfl’s most valuable defensive player, was one of the more exciting developments in the detroit lions’ early season.
The former bc lion exploded in 2023 with an 18-sack effort, and many are curious how much of his game will be transferred to the nfl.
Betts’ decision to join the lions was even more surprising because it was offered money from at least one other nfl team. Is detroit planning on a specific agenda for him?
After finishing the season tied for 23rd in sacks, the lions could certainly use some extra pass rush. What are betts’ hopes for the future, given that she has a veteran minimum wage?
This week, we spoke with jc abbott, a cfl writer, to get to know betts better. Abbott had some really interesting things to say about betts and seems to be genuinely optimistic about his chances to make the lions’ roster.
Betts quickly dismissed the idea that he was a one-season wonder, explaining why he struggled with the edmonton eskimos/elks, and also noted that he was also one of the most dominant players in u sports football (canadian college).
Abbott said, “mathieu betts is arguably—i would say certainly one of the top three—best players to come out of canadian university football.” “he studied at the university of laval in quebec city, which is a powerhouse unlike any other,” he said.
Take alabama and what they do in the ncaa ranks, and multiply that by ten, and that was laval’s time,” he said.
“When he was with the rouge et or (laval’s squad), his first year was the canadian rookie of the year, and his next three seasons were the j.p. petras trophy, which is given to the country’s best lineman, offensive or defensive.
You’re talking about a guy who received an award every year he played in college football, and we talked to abbott about cornerback qwan’tez stiggers (conversation begins at 17:20), a cfl player who is reportedly eligible for the nfl draft.
Although abbott does not have a lot of experience, he believes he will be selected in April.
“At this point, I think it’s almost a given that he’s going to get drafted,” Abbott stated. “He’s a unique situation, as demonstrated at the Shrine Bowl. I don’t think he will simply visit the Lions in the top-30. I believe he is chosen.
This is a very instructive conversation that you can listen to below. Additionally, the podcast’s video version is available on our YouTube page.
