Lethbridge football player Tanner McLachlan drafted by the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals
Years of hard work paid off for Tanner McLachlan after he heard his name called at the NFL draft last Saturday.
The Bengals picked the 25-year-old tight end in the sixth round with the 194th overall pick.
That made McLachlan the first ever player from Lethbridge to be drafted by an NFL team.
On Wednesday over 100 people packed in the gym at McLachlan’s old high school, Lethbridge Collegiate Institute, to celebrate McLachlan’s accomplishment.
“It's a blessing. (I'm just) super grateful to represent southern Alberta and all the people here," said McLachlan. "I hope i keep making people proud and just keep doing my thing,”
McLachlan finished his high school career as LCI's all time reception leader.
He started his college career at Southern Utah University before transferring to the University of Arizona.
He finished his career as Arizona’s all-time reception leader for a tight end, beating the record held by Rob Gronkowski.
A strong redshirt senior year helped convince the Bengals to spend a sixth round pick on McLachlan.
It's been a whirlwind few days for the entire family.
McLachlan’s parents are still wrapping their heads around their son being an NFL draft pick.
“It's honestly been surreal. It's been awesome to watch Tanner on his journey and for us to experience that with him and be a part of that ride,” said Tanner’s dad, Sheldon.
LCI coaches still have fond memories of McLachlan.
Basketball was his first love but once he stepped onto the football field he dominated on both sides of the ball.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to see warm summer, wildfire risks loom for some regions: forecast
Get ready to feel the heat, Canada. Weather experts are predicting more sunshine and warmer temperatures for the summer.
3 Israeli soldiers killed in Rafah booby trap explosion, media say, as offensive widens
The Gaza health ministry called on Wednesday for ensuring safe pathways for the immediate entry of fuel and medical aid to Rafah and northern Gaza, according to a statement carried by Hamas media quoting spokesperson Ashraf Al-Qudra.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.
Could a Senate bill cause age verification laws to apply to Netflix? Experts say yes
Canada's privacy czar and a government official are warning that a Senate bill proposing to block minors from 'sexually explicit material' online could apply to streaming services such as Netflix.
Introducing peanut butter during infancy can help protect against a peanut allergy later on, new study finds
New evidence suggests that feeding children smooth peanut butter during infancy and early childhood can help reduce their risk of developing a peanut allergy even years later.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there's a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.