The NCAA’s extended COVID-19 eligibility rules have made the 2022 CFL Draft shallow in terms of American college talent, but there will now be one more Division 1 prospect eligible for selection.
Former Western Illinois defensive back Demetri Royer was added to the 2022 draft class earlier this month, sources confirmed to 3DownNation. The son of a former hockey player from Quebec who was raised in Clearwater, Florida, Royer had his citizenship status approved by the CFLPA just prior to the league’s deadline for eligibility last week.
Royer last suited up for the Leathernecks in 2019, starting 11 of the 12 games he played at strong safety. He recorded 74 total tackles and broke up five passes, while recovering a fumble.
The five-foot-11, 200-pound defender sat out the 2018 campaign after transferring from Charleston Southern University. In nine games the year previous, he amassed 77 tackles, a forced fumble and two pass breakups. Royer redshirted his first season with the Buccaneers in 2015, before suffering a torn ACL which cost him the entire 2016 season.
Prior to his collegiate career, Royer led Clearwater Central Catholic high school in interception en route to being named an Under Armour All-American. He was a second team all-state selection in Florida and first team all-county as a senior.
Royer graduated from Western Illinois with a general studies degree in December of 2019 and did not return for the school’s shortened FCS spring season, despite having remaining eligibility. The 27-year-old now has his sights set on a CFL career and could prove to be an intriguing option in the shallow 2022 Draft.
