Dave Campbell
CFL.ca
Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman came into 2011 CFL Canadian Draft with just three picks in his holster. Needing to upgrade his offensive line and his receiving corps, Tillman fired and like the smooth marksman he is, hit his targets on draft day.
Having the second overall selection, Tillman fielded calls for the pick but chose to stand pat. Consensus was that Tillman would select Calgary Dinos slotback Anthony Parker. Instead, Rice offensive lineman Scott Mitchell’s name was called giving the green and gold the number one rated prospect as ranked by the CFL Amateur Scouting Bureau.
Mitchell was a four-year starter at left tackle for the Owls and stands at 6-foot-4, 293 pounds. He brings great versatility to the Eskimos and can play all five starting positions on the o-line. At E-Camp, Mitchell was asked to lineup at centre, and the Eskimos see a potential fit there with Aaron Fiacconi moving up the ladder in age (he’s 32).
The Eskimos started the day with two picks in the second round at 10 and 13 but shipped those picks off to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats though in exchange for the fifth overall selection and the rights to offensive lineman Zipp Duncan.
With Anthony Parker already selected by the Calgary Stampeders, the Eskimos nabbed Parker’s University of Calgary Dinos teammate Nathan Coehoorn with the fifth pick. Coehoorn is considered by many as the most pro ready among the wide-outs of the draft. The 6’2, 220lb receiver led the Dino’s with 416 receiving yards on 28 catches.
“I didn’t know until about five minutes before the fifth pick,” said Coehoorn. “It’s just pure excitement, just realizing it’s a dream coming true. It was an awesome feeling – I never had a feeling like that in my life.”
With the two picks Tillman was able to capitalize on two of the best players in the first round and in the entire draft. When he spoke with the media following the two picks, you could sense relief in his demeanor.
“A lot of people thought Scott (Mitchell) would go first overall”, explained Tillman. “We had a tough decision to make at that point because we really liked some of the receivers as well but we felt there was more depth at the receiver position so we could go with Scott at two and then a receiver would fall to us at five.”
The nuts and bolts of the deal with the Tiger-Cats were actually completed on Saturday night.
Coehoorn is expected to come into training camp and win a job right away on special teams. He could also find his way into the offence in some situations. For now though, Coehoorn will lineup and fly downfield at a million miles per hour and try to put someone on his butt.
Head coach Kavis Reed likes Coehoorn’s play away from the ball, he’s a tenacious blocker. Reed says they didn’t want players to just develop; they want their first two picks to make an impact…now!
“We absolutely, positively, based on the way our roster is right now, needed guys that could step in and be ready to play football”, Reed said. “We don’t have the luxury of waiting for guys to develop two to three years from now. We need the Canadian depth and they also are by the way pretty talented players.”
They’re also players who fit the aggressiveness the team is trying to instill. The coaching staff wants a receiving corps who plays tougher and might not have a receiver under 6-feet, and 200 pounds when the regular season begins.
After the Eskimos got their men in the first round, they continued to make more draft day moves. In an interesting twist, last year’s number one selection Brian Bulcke (6th overall) was traded to the rival Calgary Stampeders. The Stanford defensive tackle is going down the QE2 and in exchange the Eskimos acquired the Stamps 14th pick which they then used to select University of Toronto defensive back Hugo Lopez. The 6-foot-3, 196 pounder recorded 22 tackles and one interception last season for the Varsity Blues.
The Eskimos feel he could develop into a starter and will be a welcome addition to their special teams right away.
For the Esks, CFL Draft Day was all about making an impact and Tillman summed it up best.
“We think we drafted three starters today.”
Now we watch and wait. Training camp begins for the rookies on June 1st.
NOTES: The Eskimos also traded veteran fullback Graeme Bell to the Saskatchewan Roughriders for their 6th round pick (46th overall). The Eskimos selected Montreal receiver Youssy Pierre with that pick. Zipp Duncan (6-foot-5, 297pounds) played at Kentucky and was named a second team All-SEC at left tackle.
