Bob Irving
CFL.ca
A month ago, Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Vice President and GM of football operations Joe Mack, told the CJOB sports show that he had received three bona fide offers for the No. 1 pick in the 2011 Canadian Football League draft, and was entertaining thoughts of trading the pick.
With the May 8th draft just a few days away, Mack’s position on trading the top selection has changed.
“I think there are still teams interested, but we have limited our choices of the top selection to two or three players, and where you would have to trade back to there’s a chance we wouldn’t get one of those players,” said Mack. “So I think it would have to be a monumental offer, which I don’t foresee, for us to trade the No. 1 pick.”
So, keeping in mind that things can change, it looks like the Blue Bombers will make the first overall selection in a CFL draft for the first time since 1975 when they chose offensive tackle Steve Scully.
The fact that Scully didn’t turn into a front line player, combined with the knowledge that drafting players in any sport is an imperfect science, hasn’t dampened Mack’s enthusiasm over the prospect of having this year’s first selection.
“I’m very excited, I think we’ve identified some very talented CFL type players, we are excited about having the chance to draft them and improve our overall depth,” he said. “You don’t like to be in the position to have the Number one pick because it means your previous season was a disappointment, but now that we do, I think it could be very exciting for us and our fans.”
Enthusiasm aside Mack is fully aware there are no guarantees that go along with having the first pick overall.
From 2001 to 2009, the Number-one selections in the CFL draft were Scott Schultz, Alexandre Gauthier, Steve Morley, Wayne Smith, Miguel Robede, Adam Braidwood, Chris Bauman, Dylan Barker and Simeon Rottier.
Those players have all played in the CFL with varying degrees of success from solid role player to bonafide starters. Other first rounders in the past decade include the likes of Kamau Peterson, Jason Clermont, Wes Lysack, Paris Jackson, Obby Khan, Andy Fantuz, Brendon Labatte, and Shea Emery, who arguably, have had as much or more success than the top selections.
Still, the best way to upgrade your Canadian content is with draft picks, and in the last 10 years, the Blue Bombers have only had one first round selection. That was Labatte, and he has become one of the best offensive linemen in the CFL.
It’s not that the Blue Bomber GM during that decade, Brendan Taman, didn’t believe in the draft. But Taman also believed that if you could acquire a proven established player, or a quarterback, for a first round pick, it was a move worth considering. Among the players Taman acquired in that fashion were all-star defensive tackle Doug Brown and quarterback Khari Jones, who is in the Blue Bomber hall of fame.
As Mack pointed out, he’s not averse to trading his number one pick, but he’ll only do so if he is overwhelmed by an offer. He is much more likely to deal his second pick in the first round, the 4th overall selection.
“The number 4 picks gives us a great deal of leverage,” said Mack. “There will be a good player there, another team may want to trade up and so if someone comes to us and offers, for example, the 7 and 12 picks we might be able to get two players that are close to being as good as the player ranked number four.”
Mack also says Blue Bomber special teams coach and draft coordinator Kyle Walters has done an excellent job of rating the draft eligible players, and like all teams, the Bombers have compiled their own list.
Offensive linemen are often popular choices in the first round. Nine of the last 24 first round picks have been O-linemen. And while the Bombers would love to add depth on their offensive line don’t expect Mack to draft a player based solely on their position.
“I really feel strongly that you should always take talent and ability first,” Mack said. “If he’s the best player, I think you should take an offensive lineman but you should always think talent and ability first, position second.”
Whether or not a talented player is headed for the CFL is also an important consideration for the Bombers.
“Taking a chance on a player with NFL potential becomes a very nuanced decision,” he said. “There are a couple of players in this draft that I think are very good NFL prospects. I think it’s too big a risk for this organization right now.
“We’ve had a limited quantity of picks in the last few years, we don’t have a lot of young, up and coming Canadian talent, so it would be very problematic to take a guy that we thought was a real NFL prospect.”
And while Mack wouldn’t be pinned down on who he will take with his first selection on May 8th, he did admit the Bombers have high regard for Rice University offensive lineman Scott Mitchell, the top-rated player by the CFL Amateur Scouting Bureau.
“Scott’s had a great career at Rice, he can play left tackle which is a very valuable position,” he said. “He’s been a hard worker, he’s versatile, he’s definitely worth considering in the top spot.”
When asked if Mitchell could be the top pick Mack said, “He sure could be.” But when asked if Mitchell might not be the first overall selection, Mack laughed and said, “Anything’s possible.”
The Bombers do have some later picks in the draft, but it’s the decisions in the first round that are going to lay the groundwork for the future of their Canadian depth.
