The BC Lions have drafted South African kicker Carl-Heinrich Meyer in the first round of the 2024 CFL Global Draft 6th overall. The Lions also selected Australian punter Tory Taylor in the second round 15th overall.
K Carl Meyer – Jacksonville Sharks (6’3, 235 lbs)
Meyer is a former professional rugby player from South Africa who played in the Indoor Football League last year with the Jacksonville Sharks. He played in 3 regular season games and 1 playoff game last year for the Sharks making 18 of his 21 extra points (note the IFL field goal posts are 10 feet wide compared to the 18 feet and 6 inches in the CFL).
Meyer participated in the 2024 CFL Kicking Showcase this past offseason. At the showcase, he punted 8 times averaging 51.7 yards with 4.54 seconds of hangtime. In the field goal portion he made kicks from 30, 34, 40, and 44 yards. He missed his longer kick from distances of 48, 51, 54, 57, and 60. His kicks from the left side at 48 and 54 yards were near misses. In the kickoff portion of the event, he averaged 61 yards over 4 kickoffs with an average of 3.86 seconds of hangtime.
Taylor played in 49 games for Iowa punting 295 times for an average of 46.3 yards per punt. In his final season in 2023, he punted 93 times for an average of 48.2 yards per punt with 32 punts inside the 20. He set a record for most punting yards in an FBS season at 4,479 yards. He also finished his career with the highest career average punting yards at 46.3.
He was named First Team All-Big Ten in 2020 and 2023. In 2022 he was named Thrid-Team All-Big Ten. This past season he was the recipient of the Ray Guy Award which is presented to college football’s most outstanding punter.
Taylor was drafted in the 4th round of the NFL Draft 122nd overall and was the only punter taken in the NFL Draft. It is unlikely he will make his way to the CFL in the near future given the NFL attention, but if he does BC holds his rights.
Jonathan Clink joined CFL News Hub in early April of 2023. His primary responsibilities are covering the BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes.
He self awarded himself the CFL Rookie Journalist of the Year in 2023 following the 2023 CFL season. He also proclaims himself to be a "really cool guy". He was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba and lived a large portion of his childhood in Northwest Ontario. He currently lives in Grand Rapids, Michigan and misses being being able to have 4 months of skating every winter.
Clink has written over 240 articles for CFL News Hub. He was the publication's boots on the ground at the 2023 Grey Cup in Hamilton.
Clink has always had an obsession for sport and has a background in other sports as well having played hockey all his life and soccer, basketball, and lacrosse in high school. As a young child he used to log his hockey statistics after every game which is either an indication that he was destined for the role or perhaps and indication that he is rather strange.
