First four choices are all big linemen
By Stephanie Myles,
Montreal Gazette
The Alouettes had a huge day yesterday – literally.
Head coach and general manager Jim Popp’s first four picks in the annual CFL college draft, and five of the first six, were used to select big men to replenish the offensive and defensive lines, beginning with 6-foot-5, 295-pound University of Calgary offensive-lineman Richard Yalowsky.
Yalowsky, chosen seventh overall, was followed by 6-foot-5, 285-pound offensive-tackle Darryl Conrad from the University of Manitoba in the second round.
The Als had three picks in the third round and chose 6-foot-6, 275-pound defensive-lineman Chris Van Zeyl (18th overall) from McMaster, 6-foot-1, 274-pound offensive-lineman Brian Jones from the University of Windsor (19th), and – to change things up – 6-foot, 180-pound Donovan Alexander, a defensive back (and sprinter) from the University of North Dakota.
“We had a need for the future for offensive lineman, and this year’s draft was top-heavy with offensive linemen and receivers, so it played in our favour for what we were able to draft today,” Popp said.
The first overall pick went to the Hamilton Tiger Cats, who selected 6-foot-5, 215-pound receiver Chris Bauman.
The Tigers Cats had entertained several trade offers for the top pick, but chose Canadian university football’s top receiver. Bauman had 42 catches for 923 yards and 10 touchdowns for the Regina Rams.
The Alouettes also made a legacy pick, but it wasn’t the one most expected.
They had interest in drafting team president Larry Smith’s son, Brad, a receiver with the Queens’ Golden Gaels. And Popp said he told Smith he would select his son in the later rounds, if the opportunity was there.
But Smith went to the Toronto Argonauts in the sixth round, 44th out of the 47 total picks. Two slots later, the Alouettes chose the similarly named Braden Smith, a quarterback-turned-wide-receiver with the UBC Thunderbirds.
Popp would have chosen Brad Smith in the fifth round. But the Alouettes didn’t have a pick. He said he tried to work a deal with several other teams to get one, but nothing worked out.
So the Alouettes’ shot at Brad Smith could only have come in the fourth round. With that pick, Popp selected another big man – 6-foot-6, 247-pound defensive end James Judges from the University of Buffalo.
Judges also has a storied Als pedigree; his father, Gord, played for the Als from 1968-82.
“For Brad, in some ways, it’s probably a good thing. He would have been scrutinized quite a bit,” said Popp, who spoke to him after the draft. “After he establishes himself, it would be easier for him to come home. But we would have liked to have him. As it turns out, he’s going to a team he grew up not liking.”
There were no Quebecers among the seven players selected by the Alouettes this year: they got two from B.C., two from Winnipeg, and three from Ontario.
On the local front, Concordia kicker Warren Kean became the first Stingers player since Sylvain Girard in 1999 to be chosen in the first round of the draft.
Kean, from Dundas, Ont., was picked second overall by the Edmonton Eskimos. The Eskimos’ veteran kicker, Sean Fleming, has at most a season left and should prove a good mentor.
Eskimos personnel director Danny Maciocia, a Montreal native, took Quebecers with two of his team’s remaining three picks: defensive-back Jason Nedd, from the University of Akron via south-shore St. Hubert, in the second round, and University of Laval defensive- tackle Michael Jean-Louis, who is from Granby, in the fourth round.
Montrealer Jabari Arthur, a receiver who will return to Akron this fall, was selected in the first round, fifth overall, by the Calgary Stampeders.
McGill slotback Greg Hetherington was the only player out of a Montreal university other than Kean to hear his name called. Hetherington went in the sixth round (45th overall) to Calgary, where former Redmen head coach Chuck McMann is the receivers coach.
Popp said it was a “crazy” draft, perhaps not deep in terms of sure-fire first-rounders, but filled with talented athletes who, Popp said, “will play in this league.” And it included a number of talented players whose names weren’t even called yesterday and whose rights could still be protected by interested teams in the days to come.
“It would have been a good year to have eight or nine rounds,” Popp said.
