Carter O'Donnell (right) is a top prospect for the CFL Draft. (Photo: U of A Athletics)

By Dan Hermanutz

Thurber grad shines at shrine bowl

Red Deer’s O’Donnell a top prospect for CFL Draft

Jan 26, 2020 | 8:28 PM

Red Deer’s Carter O’Donnell finds himself in some pretty elite company.

The former Lindsay Thurber Raiders gridiron star is currently ranked fourth overall for the April 30 CFL Draft. He’s ranked highest among offensive lineman and among all U Sports (Canadian university) players.

O’Donnell has spent the last four seasons playing for the University of Alberta Golden Bears, and recently played in the East-West Shrine Bowl in St. Petersburg, Florida. The game is a chance for the best players to showcase their talents for scouts from the NFL and CFL.

“I was there for eight days,” he explained. “The first couple days they just took hand measurements and arm measurements, you had like a little orientation and then you have food and there’s a little team meeting. Throughout the whole week, I don’t remember how many we did but we did a whole bunch of cognitive testing and your reaction time.”

O’Donnell, one of just two U Sports players invited to the Shrine Bowl, started at right tackle for team West and played their most of the game.

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“It’s pretty cool,” he admits. “Talking to some people from other schools that have over 100,000 people at their games in the stadiums, or have played with guys that are in the NFL, it’s cool to play with all of those guys.”

Checking in at six-foot-six and 315 pounds, the 21-year-old admits he never really saw his likely future as a pro football player as a possibility.

“I just thought it would be a way to play football and go to school, and then I guess I’m pretty good at it,” said O’Donnell. “It’s been pretty fun, you know. It has come with its challenges but it’s been a great experience. I don’t think a lot of people get to have an experience like this very often in their lives.”

This past season, his fourth with the Golden Bears, saw O’Donnell earn a Canada West all-star nod and first-team all-Canadian honours.

O’Donnell spoke to several NFL teams at the Shrine Bowl and hopes it could possibly lead to something big down the road.

O’Donnell has been invited to the CFL Combine. It’s also likely the Golden Bears will be hosting a pro day at U of A to give pro scouts another first-hand look at what the hard hitting Red Deerian has to offer.