CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — With the 2011 CIS football season now underway, the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau has published its top 15 ranking of prospects eligible for the 2012 CFL Canadian Draft.
The number one ranked player is Ben Heenan, a 6’4”, 310-pound offensive linemen from Saskatchewan.
Other top five ranked offensive linemen include: Austin Pasztor from Virginia and Kirby Fabien from the University of Calgary. Wilfrid Laurier wide receiver Shamawd Chambers and Laval linebacker Frédéric Plesius round out the top five.
Other noteworthy storylines include McGill University kicker/punter Austin Anderson and Oregon State defensive back Keynan Parker who grew up with in-house position coaches, as both their fathers had successful professional football careers.
James “Quick” Parker, father of Keynan, is a former defensive player for the Edmonton Eskimos, BC Lions and Toronto Argonauts. He won the CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 1982, 1984 and 1986, and was a six-time All-Star and four-time Grey Cup champion. While playing for the BC Lions in 1984, Parker registered 26.5 sacks in a single season, which remains a CFL record. In 2001, Parker was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
Former NFL kicker Gary Anderson, father of Austin, was the first kicker to have a perfect regular season, connecting on all 35 field goal attempts and 59 converts in his 1998 season with the Minnesota Vikings. In 2000, Anderson became the NFL’s All-Time Leading Scorer.
CLICK HERE FOR THE FULL SEPTEMBER 2011 RANKINGS
Note: All 15 players on the September 2010 list of the top 15 prospects were drafted in the 2011 Canadian CFL Draft.
