Wide receiver [autotag]Nick Mardner[/autotag] spent just one season on the Plains, but it was enough time to catch the eyes of Canadian Football League scouts.
Mardner, who played for Auburn during the 2023 season after transferring in from Cincinnati, was selected in the 1st round of the CFL draft on Tuesday, going 2nd overall to the Ottawa RedBlacks. As a native of Oakville, Ontario, Mardner is the first Auburn player in history selected in the CFL draft due to his national designation.
Following his selection, Mardner becomes teammates with former Auburn wide receiver [autotag]Eli Stove[/autotag] on Ottawa’s roster. He is also the sixth former Auburn player on an active CFL roster joining [autotag]Brandon Council[/autotag], [autotag]Zakoby McClain[/autotag] (Saskatchewan), [autotag]Smoke Monday[/autotag], [autotag]TD Moultry[/autotag] (Montreal).
Mardner had a solid career as a wide receiver at Hawaii and Cincinnati before transferring to Auburn for his final collegiate season. He totaled 81 catches for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns at his two previous stops but failed to record a catch at Auburn. According to Pro Football Focus, he appeared in four games last season for 37 total snaps. He was the most active in Auburn’s loss to Georgia on Sept. 30, where he participated in 18 snaps.
Mardner now joins a long list of former Auburn players who have also played in the CFL including Darvin Adams, Nick Coe, Nick Marshall, and Ryan Davis.
Auburn ➡️ 𝐎𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐰𝐚@NMardner has been drafted second overall by the @REDBLACKS !#CFLDraft pic.twitter.com/OT3YegsL4L
— Auburn Football (@AuburnFootball) May 1, 2024