Canadian Mehdi Abdesmad won't be glued to a TV during the NFL draft

Massachusetts Blake Frohnapfel (7) carries the ball in front of Boston College defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad (45) during the first half of an NCAA college football game in Foxborough, Mass., on Saturday, Aug. 30, 2014. (CP/AP/Michael Dwyer)

Mehdi Abdesmad will be the last to know if he's taken in the NFL draft.

The draft, which begins Thursday in Chicago and runs through Saturday, will be on TV at Abdesmad's family home in Montreal, but he won't be glued to the set. The Boston College defensive lineman plans to stay busy with other activities, keeping his phone near to answer the call from any team selecting him.

"(The draft) will be in the background but my family and friends and I will be playing games or something," Abdesmad said via telephone. "You don't want to just sit in front of the TV.

"That would be a more nervous thing so you try to do something else."

If Abdesmad, the lone Canadian invited to this year's NFL combine, watches the draft, it will be the first round Thursday.

"I'd like to see where some of the guys I know will end up," the 24-year-old said.

The second and third rounds go Friday, with the final three being held Saturday. All seven rounds will be broadcast live by The NFL Network.

Abdesmad is one of five Canadians who could be drafted this year. The others include Iowa receiver Tevaun Smith, defensive lineman David Onyemata of the Manitoba Bisons, Trent Corney of the University of Virginia and Michigan State cornerback Arjen Colquhoun.

If all Canadians are selected, it would be the most ever. Four Canadians were taken in 2014 after four players with roots in Canada went in 2012, including American-born Regina Rams defensive lineman Akiem Hicks.

Smith said he will be watching the draft.

"I watch it every year," he said. "Now, it's like a whole TV show so it will still be cool to watch.

"After Saturday, I should know what's the next step for me, whether it's getting drafted, getting picked up as a free agent or going to the CFL. It will definitely be a relief just finally figuring out what exactly I'm going to do."

The six-foot-six, 285-pound Abdesmad played 11 games last year, registering 49 tackles, 15 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks to earn an honourable All-ACC mention. Not bad considering he battled knee injuries the previous two seasons.

Abdesmad posted a 5.10-second time in the 40-yard dash at the combine, 25 reps in the bench press, 29.5-inch vertical jump and nine-foot broad jump. He also worked out for 16 NFL scouts at Boston College's pro day in March and has spoken to representatives of 22 squads.

Mercifully, the months of indecision will end soon for Abdesmad, but he says he's taken it all in stride.

"I just want to play football and help a team to win," he said. "I've really enjoyed the process.

"It's something that happens just once in your lifetime so I've embraced it. But I'm ready to make this my job."

Smith, 23, raised eyebrows at Iowa's pro day, posting a 4.33-second 40-yard dash that would've left him tied for third at the combine.

The six-foot-one, 205-pound Smith also registered a 38-inch vertical jump, 3.94-second shuttle and 6.56-second three-cone and bench-pressed 225 pounds 13 times. He would've finished second in the three-cone drill and third in the shuttle at the combine.

Smith's performance prompted Gil Brandt, the former Dallas Cowboys vice-president of player personnel now working as the NFL Media senior analyst, to write, "Smith had a great workout, and will be a drafted player."

Smith was the second-leading receiver last season at Iowa (12-2) with 563 yards on 32 catches and three touchdowns. He was one of seven true freshmen to see action in 2012 and finished his college career with 102 receptions for 1,500 yards (14.7-yard average) and seven TDs.

The six-foot-four, 300-pound Onyemata also impressed at his pro day. Canadian university football's top lineman last year had 33 reps in the bench press, a 33-inch vertical, a nine-foot, 11-inch broad jump and a 40-yard dash time of 5.06 seconds.

Not bad considering the Nigerian-born Onyemata started playing football upon arriving at Manitoba. If drafted, he'd become the first Bison taken by an NFL team and fourth Canadian university player selected the past eight years.

Colquhoun, 23, of Windsor, Ont., started 11 games at Michigan State last year, registering a career-high 45 tackles and two interceptions.

The six-foot-three, 255-pound Corney started 11 games last season, registering 36 tackles, nine tackles for loss and two sacks. The Brockville, Ont., native has also become a social media star with videos of landing front flips in a sand pit, jumping out of a pool on to a deck and dunking a basketball standing on one foot.