After getting drafted to the CFL last spring, both Theo Grant and Evan Floren have returned for one last season with Queen's. These offensive linemen endured the draft process, got picked, and negotiated their return to U SPORTS so they could complete their degrees and play one final season with Queen's Football.
 
On May 2, Grant was picked in the fourth round, 32^nd overall, to the Montreal Alouettes. Floren was drafted the same day in the sixth round and 47^th overall to the Toronto Argonauts.
 
Before the draft, however, came years of preparation, and both players credit their success in the draft to the time and coaching they received at Queen's.
 
"Ultimately, [Queen's is] the only place I've played football. It's the only place I've been coached playing football and practicing football and all that," Grant said in an interview with Athletics & Recreation.
 
"All the development would have come from them. They've played a pretty huge role I would say."
 
Floren echoed a similar sentiment: "Queens has definitely been very important in my development as a player, it's the only reason I've really been able to be successful enough to be drafted into the CFL. It's all because of the hard work that I've put in here and the coaching that I've got."
 
The CFL Draft is organized in a unique way where players don't have to declare their participation and are instead assumed to be in the draft simply based on age. For Grant, this assumed participation orchestrated his entire experience. Originally, he planned to return to Queen's, play another year with the team, and complete his engineering degree; however, he didn't postpone entering the draft and when Grant received an invite to the invitational CFL Draft Combine, he was surprised.
 
Floren's draft experience was a little more purposeful, but as he got started, he realized the benefits going back for one more year at Queen's would yield.
 
"It's kind of a great deal because if you don't, you kind of commit too much to something where you are cutting off your degree," he said.
 
"It's pretty common, a lot of players do it, especially linemen because it's a very developmental position. You kind of start by getting drafted to the CFL and you go through the camp and at the end of it instead of making cuts and stuff they have that conversation with you."
 
 Although, before they negotiated their return to school, both Grant and Floren had to put in the work to actually get drafted. They attended invitational and national combines and trained for months to prepare.
 
"A big part of preparation for me was gaining some weight in that time, which I managed to do," Grant said.
 
While preparing, Grant also saw his CFL chances flash before his eyes when he sustained an ankle sprain in the two weeks between the invitational and national combine. Thankfully, many days of rehab and physio got him back in drafting shape just in time.
 
Grant's entire draft process was filled with surprises. Not only did the invitational combine invite and ankle injury shock him, but so did his own prophetic powers. A month before draft day a friend texted to ask how he was feeling about it all. Grant responded with a prediction saying he thought he'd go 32^nd overall to the Alouettes and just a few weeks later, his prediction came exactly true.
 
After being picked, both players joined their teams for training camp and preseason games. They went from some of the youngest in the draft, to playing alongside football greats with multiple years over them.
 
"It's definitely an experience when you are playing with players where some of them are older than coaches that you have. These players have like three kids and have played with all these other NFL players. It's definitely a kind of weird experience but in a good way," Floren said.
 
Grant also enjoyed his time in training camp.
 
"It was really fun, and I didn't find it particularly intimidating. It's football when it comes down to it. I felt like I fit in there and I really enjoyed doing it," he said.
 
Now back at Queen's, these two have big goals. Both mentioned a desire to play in the Yates and Vanier Cups, and plan on using this season to improve their personal skills before moving to the big leagues.
 
The next time to see these future CFL players in action is on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. at Guelph or online through OUA.tv.