By Duane Forde,
CFL.ca
WINNERS
In the days approaching the Draft, Hamilton Tiger-Cats general manager Marcel Desjardins likely lost sleep trying to decide whether to use the first overall pick on the player with possibly the biggest upside, Regina receiver Chris Bauman, or the player who’s most physically capable of competing right away, Toledo lineman J.P. Bekasiak. Had he known that he would own the rights to the top two players on his board before the Draft was five minutes old, he surely would have been a little better rested.
In contrast, without Hamilton or Calgary’s benefit of multiple high picks, the British Columbia Lions also have to be happy with their draft. In Adam Nicolson, Tad Crawford, and Andre Sadeghian, they picked up three players with a chance to crack the roster of the defending Grey Cup champions right away. Add to that mix outstanding redshirt linebacker prospect Josh Bean and sleeper LB Nic Edgson (according to reports, a 4.7 40-yard dash and 3.9 T-test at 220 lbs) and the Leos appear to have done a solid job of reloading for continued success.
LOOK A LITTLE DEEPER
Some will suggest that Toronto, which didn’t own a selection until Round 4, was Draft Day’s biggest loser, but it’s important to look a little deeper. In a draft that won’t produce an immediate starter on anyone’s offensive line, the Argonauts, through trades, parlayed their first three picks into a starting guard (Taylor Robertson) and an experienced O-line backup (Glen Carson). Winnipeg achieved a similar offensive line upgrade, landing quality non-import tackle Alex Gauthier in a swap involving their third overall selection. The other team that didn’t have a first round pick was Saskatchewan, who had dealt their fourth overall selection to Hamilton as part of the package to acquire QB Kerry Joseph. The moral of the story is that you can’t judge the success of a team’s draft without factoring in what they’ve accomplished by dealing picks.
DRAFT DAY GAMBLERS
On paper, the Calgary Stampeders appear to be huge Draft Day winners after coming away from the annual talent auction with arguably the two best prospects available in Michigan State tackle Mike Gyetvai and Akron receiver Jabari Arthur. However, with both players expected to garner National Football League interest following their senior seasons this fall, the possibility remains for the Stampeders to emerge with only linebacker Justin Phillips to show for their three Top 6 picks. This is particularly significant considering that the Stamps paid a steep price in starting Canadian offensive linemen Gauthier and Robertson to acquire two extra first rounders. This gamble was carefully calculated by GM Jim Barker, but it’s a risky one nonetheless.
Critics would also suggest that the Edmonton Eskimos went out on a limb in taking a kicker, Concordia’s Warren Kean, second overall. The Eskies based this one on supply and demand. Kean was, by far, the best available and perhaps only legitimate prospect at his position and the concern was that he might not still be on the board by the time Edmonton picked again in the 10th slot. Unable to trade down, they had to grab him while they could at No. 2. Hopefully, over time Kean will be able to repay the organization for their commitment to drafting him.
Finally, proving that no one is safe from second guessers, Montreal’s Jim Popp, who has done an outstanding job of constructing the Alouettes over the last 11 years is being questioned after taking a couple of offensive linemen higher than some others had them rated. Their first round draft choice, tackle Richard Yalowsky of Calgary was a tremendous CIS player but a serious knee injury combined with an engineering degree could rule football out of his future. Meanwhile, second round pick Darryl Conrad of Manitoba also played well in ’06, but was generally seen as the Bisons’ second best draft-eligible O-lineman behind Saskatchewan fifth rounder Ryan Karhut. However, in a draft where the O-line depth was suspect, risks were anticipated, and Montreal, with a deep unit to begin with, top prospect Jeff Perrett (6-foot-7, 329) recently signed, and holding the draft rights to current Green Bay Packer Josh Bourke (6-foot-7, 314), felt that they could afford to roll the dice more than most other teams.
A LOOK AHEAD
In the Canadian Football League, the depth and quality of a draft are generally determined by two factors. In any given year, more offensive linemen will be drafted than any other position. As a result, many scouts equate the overall quality of a draft with the quality of the available O-linemen. The second factor is the number and ability of draft-eligible NCAA players because these prospects are viewed by many as having apprenticed at a higher level in college. The irony in this belief is the fact that prior to Montreal’s Etienne Boulay in 2006, the last five non-imports to become finalists for Rookie of the Year came from CIS programs, suggesting that CIS products are capable of adjusting to the speed of the CFL just as quickly as non-imports from U.S. schools. Regardless, based on those two factors, next year’s draft appears to be a pretty good one. It will include no less than 10 offensive linemen from NCAA Division 1 programs, not to mention CIS studs Adam Rogers (Acadia), Jean-François Morin-Roberge (Montreal), and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain (Laval), plus a couple of 300 pounders from NCAA Division 2 schools. Top prospects at other positions should include defensive linemen Keith Shologan (Central Florida) and Dan Kennedy (Ottawa), running backs Darryl Stephenson (Windsor) and Rolly Lumbala (Idaho), linebacker Shea Emry (Eastern Washington), receivers Matt Lagace (Harvard) and Terry Firr (Manitoba), defensive backs Sammy Okpro (Concordia), Corey McNair (Western Ontario), and Dylan Barker (Saskatchewan), and perhaps the best kicking prospect in several years in Derek Schiavone (Western Ontario).
In the short term, stay tuned for the CFL’s Supplemental Draft (for players whose draft eligibility wasn’t determined in time for the regular draft). Last year, Edmonton selected Albany DE Jermaine Lee in the sixth round, while this year, former Florida A&M safety Cardan Alexander (son of former CFL receiver Ray Alexander) is hoping to be declared eligible. Teams selecting players in a given round of the Supplemental Draft forfeit their pick in the corresponding round of next year’s Canadian Draft.
Duane Forde was a CFL fullback for 12 seasons and was a member of the Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders in 1992 and 1998. He co-hosts CFL Snap on The Score.
(The opinions expressed are those of the author and not necessarily of the Canadian Football League)
