Three King's student-athletes who have played football for the Western Mustangs, were selected in the Canadian Football League (CFL) Draft, held on April 29, 2025. This will be their next step in pursuing their football dreams.
Photo credit: Brandon VandeCaveye, Western Mustangs
Erik Andersen, a fourth-year Criminology student, was drafted in the 2nd round, 13th overall, by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Andersen played in 38 games for the Mustangs and earned two first-team All-Canadian selections. In 2024, he was the OUA's nominee for the J. P. Metras Trophy, given annually to the top lineman in U Sports football. He was also recognized as a Mustang Scholar-Athlete for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Keanu Yazbeck, fourth-year BMOS student and running back from Kirkland, Quebec, was drafted in the fourth round, 35th overall, by Montreal Alouettes.
Yazbeck ran for 906 yards this season for the Mustangs, including 8 touchdowns. He averaged 82.4 yards per game.
At the recent CFL Combine, a three-day program in which athletes from Canadian universities and Canadians in the NCAA are scouted by CFL general managers, coaches and scouts, Yazbeck bested all running backs with a 35.5-inch vertical leap. He also recorded a 10' 0 1/8" broad jump, the second highest within his position. Yazbeck ran a 4.67 40-yard dash and a 6.95 three-cone drill. He recorded the third-fastest shuttle in the entire combine at 4.02 seconds.
Max Von Muehldorfer, fourth-year Sociology and Criminology student and a defensive lineman from Calgary, Alberta, was drafted in the 7th round, 61st overall, by his hometown Calgary Stampeders.
Von Muehldorfer played 24 games for the Mustangs, amassing 61 tackles, including 19 this season, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and a pass deflection. He is a First Team OUA All-Star at Defensive Tackle.
At the CFL Combine, Von Muehldorfer won the bench press competition. He performed 34 reps of 225 pounds. He won the gold medal for weight lifting at the 2023 Junior Pan Am Games and is a four-time junior national champion. He holds the record for the third heaviest clean-and-jerk in Canadian history at 430 pounds.
Andersen recently attended the University of Buffalo pro day, attended by scouts from 23 National Football League (NFL) and CFL teams. He ran an unofficial 5.30-second forty-yard dash and repped 225 pounds 17 times on the bench press. He also attended the CFL Combine.
In addition to being drafted by the Roughriders, Andersen has received an invitation to the upcoming rookie mini-camp being held by the National Football League's (NFL) New York Giants. He is one of two Canadian players to be invited to showcase their talent on one of professional football's biggest stages and potentially earn a contract at the highest level of the sport.
"As part of our commitment to providing a personalized education, we are proud to support student-athletes in achieving their full potential - both in the classroom and in high-performance sport. We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Western Mustangs and the opportunity to help students thrive academically and athletically," says Joe Henry, Dean of Students.
Congratulations to our student-athletes.
