Matt O'Donnell (Canadian football)

Matthew O'Donnell (born March 26, 1989) is a Canadian football offensive lineman for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). O'Donnell played high school football at Holy Cross Catholic Secondary School in Kingston Ontario. In the Canadian Football League's Amateur Scouting Bureau final rankings, he was ranked as the 11th best player for players eligible in the 2011 CFL Draft, and sixth by players in the CIS.[1] On December 17, 2010, it was announced that O'Donnell was one of two CIS players to be named to the East–West Shrine Game.[2]

Matt O'Donnell
No. 66     Edmonton Eskimos
Born: (1989-03-26) March 26, 1989
Comox, British Columbia
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusNational
Position(s)Offensive lineman
Height6 ft 11 in (211 cm)
Weight350 lb (160 kg)
UniversityQueen's
High schoolHoly Cross
CFL draft2011 / Round: 2 / Pick: 15
Drafted bySaskatchewan Roughriders
Career history
As player
2011–2012Cincinnati Bengals*
2012–2014Edmonton Eskimos
2015Cincinnati Bengals*
2015–presentEdmonton Eskimos
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
CFL All-Star2017
CFL West All-Star2017, 2019
Career stats

College career

When O’Donnell first suited up at Queen's back in 2007 he was a sizable yet very green 18-year-old rookie. But his time spent under the Queen's coaching staff allowed him to develop into one of the top offensive line prospects in the country heading into the 2011 CFL Draft. Heading into the draft O'Donnell was ranked 11th on the CFL Amateur Scouting Bureau's list of the top prospects.

The ranking is certainly deserved after an impressive college career. He won the Gaels’ Justin Schwieg Trophy as most improved player in 2008, and was named The Orrin Carson Memorial Trophy for best Offensive Lineman twice, for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. He was also named a first-team All-Canadian in both 2009 and 2010, and took home the OUA award for best lineman this past season.

Professional career

CFL

O'Donnell was chosen in the second round and 15th overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. O'Donnell was the fourth offensive lineman taken in the draft, but was the highest CIS offensive lineman selected.

NBA

On May 31, 2011, it was reported that O'Donnell had chosen to delay his signing with the Roughriders due to the NBA's Boston Celtics put him through a workout session in June. This move was seen as peculiar given the fact that he had not played basketball since high school.[3]

O'Donnell also received interest from the Toronto Raptors and he attended a workout in June 2011.[4]

Cincinnati Bengals

On July 26, 2011, O'Donnell signed a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals one day following the 2011 NFL Lockout. In December 2011, O'Donnell signed a 2-year extension with the Bengals. [5] He was waived by the Bengals on August 31, 2012. [6]

Edmonton Eskimos

The Roughriders traded O'Donnell's rights to the Edmonton Eskimos on September 5, 2012. He was officially signed by the Eskimos on September 17.[7] He played for the Eskimos from 2012 to 2014.

Cincinnati Bengals (II)

O'Donnell was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals again on February 2, 2015. He was waived by the Bengals on September 5, 2015, after failing to make the 53-man final roster.

Edmonton Eskimos (II)

On September 9, 2015, O'Donnell re-signed with the Edmonton Eskimos.[8] He played and started in eight regular season games and two post-season games, including his start at right guard in the Eskimos' 103rd Grey Cup win.

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-04-08. Retrieved 2011-04-10.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2017-09-04.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. https://www.tsn.ca/nba/story/?id=367498 Roughrider's O'Donnell has tryout with the NBA's Celtics
  4. https://sports.yahoo.com/cfl/blog/cfl_experts/post/matt-odonnell-works-out-for-raptors-but-is-nfl-his-goal?urn=cfl,wp71
  5. https://www.tsn.ca/nfl/story/?id=372501
  6. http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/sports/friday-s-nfl-transactions-list/article_35a30830-f3ea-11e1-8a23-0019bb2963f4.html
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2012-09-17.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Matt O'Donnell Returns to the Green and Gold". Edmonton Eskimos. 2015-09-09. Retrieved 2020-04-30.
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