Source: Dan Ralph, CP

The whirlwind that has been Joel Reinders's fledgling football career took a stunning twist Saturday.

The hulking six-foot-eight, 320-pound Waterloo Warriors offensive lineman signed a free-agent deal with the Cleveland Browns shortly after being bypassed in the NFL draft. Pretty heady stuff for a former basketball player who only took up football at the university level two years ago.

"The first year I started playing I thought maybe I might make a CFL roster and play a couple of years," the Oakville, Ont., native said. "But never in a million years would I have imagined that I'd be going to the NFL.

"It really hasn't hit me yet."

No Canadians were selected in the seven-round draft, which was conducted over three days and concluded Saturday afternoon.

"I watched the draft on TV and going in I was hoping to be picked but my agent [Gil Scott] told me I'd probably have a better chance getting signed than drafted," Reinders said. "But after playing just two years, getting signed [by an NFL club] is awesome.

"With [Cleveland's minicamp] starting next week I'm going to have to get into that football mindset quickly but I'm going there with the intention of making that roster.