Mack hopes to solidify his roster spot this Friday, but Montreal still has 17 potential receivers at camp.
TROIS-RIVIÈRES — There are certain expectations that come with playing football for a prestigious school like Ohio State.
And for a while, although he went undrafted, it appeared receiver Austin Mack, attempting to crack the Alouettes’ roster as a CFL rookie, might fulfill those expectations.
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Signed as a free agent by the New York Giants in 2020, he worked his way up from the practice roster before being activated in Week 6 that season. During an early November victory against Washington, Mack caught four passes for 72 yards, including a 50-yard reception — the team’s longest offensive play to that point — from quarterback Daniel Jones. A potential 10-yard touchdown, Mack’s first in the NFL, was overturned after replay officials determined his knee was down before reaching the end zone.
Mack played 11 games as a rookie, catching seven passes for 91 yards. But then a hamstring injury potentially derailed what might have become for the former Buckeye.
“The Giants had good receivers,” Mack said following Tuesday’s training camp practice at Stade Diablos. “If you’re hurt or they don’t have any investment in you, that’s how it is.”
Mack received an injury settlement from New York but left a lasting impression with Giants former head coach Joe Judge, impressed by Mack’s gritty play.
“He just keeps showing up,” Judge said at the time. “He’s a guy that may not flash all the time, but does something that jumps out at you. He keeps making play after play and shows up on a regular basis.”
There was a brief stint in Tennessee, followed by portions of two seasons in San Francisco for Mack, although he never advanced further than the 49ers’ practice squad before being placed on injured reserve and released last August. But Pier-Yves Lavergne, the Als’ director of national scouting, spotted Mack at San Francisco’s training camp and came away impressed.
Mack had been hoping for some NFL tryouts over the winter but, when none materialized and after some soul searching, decided to sign with Montreal.
“I’ve battled through some injuries the past few years, had a little success in the NFL,” said the 25-year-old native of Fort Wayne, Ind. “God eventually gives you another path. Some people take it and some people don’t. For me, I took it with full force and am trying to make an opportunity out of it.”
Mack, 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, played 32 games at Ohio State, catching 79 passes for 1,050 yards while scoring six touchdowns. Prior to the NFL draft, he was timed at 4.59 seconds over 40 yards. With his dimensions, combined with the width of the CFL field, Mack might be able to run rampant with Montreal. And the Als certainly have openings at receiver following the free-agent departures of Eugene Lewis and Jake Wieneke.
Limited to the first half of last Friday’s exhibition game at Ottawa, Mack caught three passes for 22 yards. He hopes to solidify his roster spot this Friday, when the Als host Hamilton at Molson Stadium in their final pre-season tuneup. Montreal still has 17 potential receivers at camp.
Mack performed well at the Als scrimmage during the opening week of workouts, according to receivers coach Mike Lionello, and has only progressed from there.
“He’s making plays all over the field,” Lionello said. “I knew he was at Ohio State with a bunch of good players. You expect a guy (from there) that’s going to want to come in and compete, play hard. That’s what he’s been. The level of competition he brings is amazing.”
Mack believes his time at Ohio State, playing under former head coach Urban Meyer, has defined the player and man he has become.
“There’s nothing like it,” he said. “I’m talking about the top of the top. I went against first-round draft picks on defence. The competition level, not to mention Urban Meyer, who’s sitting there and wants the best out of you every single day. Just to push through it, the grit and mental (toughness required). That’s what I take from it.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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