David Beard (Canadian football)


David Beard is a Canadian football offensive lineman for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He previously attended the University of Alberta where he played college football as an offensive and defensive lineman and studied kinesiology.

Early career

Beard played high school football for the Falcons at Bev Facey Community High School for three years. He saw playing time at various positions, including wide receiver, tight end, and the offensive and defensive lines. Beard also played basketball at Bev Facey. From 2011 to 2014, he played college football for the Alberta Golden Bears. For his first two seasons, he played at the defensive lineman position before being moved to the offensive line by Golden Bears head coach and former Eskimos offensive lineman Chris Morris. In his senior year, Beard was named a second-team All-Canadian and played in the CIS East-West Bowl. He also caught two passes for 31 yards and a touchdown.

Professional career

Beard was selected in the second round of the 2015 CFL Draft by the Edmonton Eskimos with the 16th overall pick. In his college career, Beard had only played 16 games as an offensive lineman, and he expected to return to the Golden Bears for a third year at the position. Despite his limited experience, he remained on the active roster after the preseason. Beard made his CFL debut in the season opener on June 27, 2015 against the Toronto Argonauts. He has played in the first five games of his rookie season at left guard.
In 2019, he was the unanimous selection for Edmonton Eskimos Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman.