Projected first-overall CFL draft pick Giordano Vaccaro ready for professional football

Photo courtesy: Chris Lyons/Purdue Athletics.

Canadian offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro (pronounced: ‘Vuh-CARE-o’) was faced with a difficult decision heading into his final collegiate season: remain at the University of Manitoba or pursue the NCAA Division I.

The Bisons had an incredible year in 2024, finishing atop the Canada West standings for the first time in almost 20 years. Vaccaro won the J.P. Metras Trophy as the top lineman in the country and the team’s offensive line was dominant, helping Manitoba finish first in U Sports with over 250 rushing yards per game.

“I didn’t want to leave a 7-1 Bisons team. It was a hard decision to make, but I felt like I exhausted all my options in Canada winning that top award,” Vaccaro told 3DownNation during the CFL Combine in Edmonton. “When I had the opportunity to go Division I, it was a hard decision but I had to make it.”

The Winnipeg native chose to accept a scholarship offer from Purdue University, a Power Four program in the Big Ten Conference. Vaccaro began the season in a depth role and never got the chance to start as the Boilermakers suffered only one injury along the offensive line all season.

It couldn’t have been easy for an award-winning offensive lineman to spend almost the entire year sitting on the bench.

“I think the biggest thing was just staying ready each and every day, showing up to practice with a great attitude,” said Vaccaro. “I took every practice like it was a game because eventually my time would come and if it did come, then I had to be ready for that opportunity.”

In the team’s season-ending matchup against rival Indiana, Purdue gave Vaccaro some reps at guard. He held his own against the eventual National Champions, boosting his confidence heading into the offseason.

“When I had that opportunity to go against the No. 1 (team in the country), it was more of a mental thing to know that I could play at this level, I could compete at this level, and go against these guys and dominate a little bit,” said Vaccaro.

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The biggest change that resulted from Vaccaro’s stint at Purdue was his body composition. He looks noticeably leaner than he was at Manitoba but has clearly added muscle, having recorded 28 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press at his pro day in March.

“I’m in the best shape of my life, and I give a lot of that credit towards our strength and conditioning staff at Purdue,” said Vaccaro. “It was a great decision (to transfer). I’m glad I made it.”

The six-foot-two, 307-pound blocker was an immediate standout with the Bisons. He started at left tackle as a true freshman, becoming the first player to do so during the long tenure of head coach Brian Dobie. After Sean Rowe committed to the program for 2023, however, Vaccaro was moved inside.

“It was a decision by Coach Dobie and I to move to the left guard position,” he said. “We trusted Sean Rowe to play left tackle and he did an amazing job. When I moved to left guard, I felt that was really natural for me to move back inside, and getting that accolade of first-team All-Canadian (in 2023) really turned a switch for me to taking this football thing seriously, making a career out of it.”

Though he’s soft-spoken and unassuming off the field, Vaccaro is anything but on it. Playing guard was a perfect fit for him as he learned to outmuscled interior defenders.

“At guard, you’re in the muck. You’re going against 310-pound guys, 340-pound guys at the nose guard position,” said Vaccaro. “At guard, you can just be a mauler and I feel like that’s where I thrive best in my game. At tackle, you have to be more patient at times.”

Though 3DownNation has projected him as the first-overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, Vaccaro isn’t spending any time worrying about where he’ll end up in the professional ranks.

“If I had to guess where I landed, it really doesn’t matter to me. I just hope any organization that takes me is willing to coach me and put as much effort as I will to their organization as well,” he said.

“Having family and friends by your side is the biggest thing, and taking each day, just being the best version of yourself. That’s why I keep on saying that because that’s what I’ve learned from coaches — just taking it every day and not worrying or fixating too much into the future of what could happen.”