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CFL.ca Staff
#CFLDraft
TORONTO — The Alouettes had two picks in the first round and selected a pair of Calgary Dinos – LB Mike Edem (3rd overall) and RB Steven Lumbala (5th overall).
Edem’s stock skyrocketed following an impressive showing at the CFL Combine in March where he stood out in the one-on-one drills and recorded the fourth best 40-yard dash time (4.566s). The Brampton, Ontario native recorded a conference-best 53 tackles, 5 quarterback sacks, 2 fumble recoveries and 1 interception in 2012.
In the fourth round, the Als selected another Calgary product, as they selected DL Michael Klassen.
Edem’s Combine Results:
40-Yard Dash: 4.566s (4th best)
Bench Press: 17 reps
Broad Jump: 9’11.50″
Vertical Jump: 38.50″
3-Cone: 7.239s
Shuttle: 4.470s
Lumbala’s Combine Results:
40-Yard Dash: 4.788
Bench Press: 20 reps
Broad Jump: 9’0.00″
Vertical Jump: 33.50″
3-Cone: DNP (injured)
Shuttle: DNP (injured)
CFL on TSN analyst Duane Forde spoke about Edem ahead of the Draft saying, “He’s probably as much in the mix as a defensive back as he is as a linebacker. He’s bigger and just as athletic as any of the defensive backs that were at the combine. I would say that for me, he is the best defensive back prospect in this draft class.”
The thing that sold me on Mike is he’s just so athletic. I think size-wise he’ll be fine to grow into a backup SAM or WILL linebacker and you will want him to learn those spots in camp, but you also want him to learn fee safety because that may ultimately be his spot. I think athletically he showed that he’s a guy who you find a spot for him, basically. He’ll be able to play special teams and be able to contribute because he’s got good instincts and has a nose for the football – certainly athletic enough.”
“Steven Lumbala came into the 2012 season with a chance to kind of – where he would want to go with his stock – show that he could maybe be the next Canadian to be a starting running back in the CFL”, Forde said of Lumbala. “I don’t think his regular season necessarily went that way and I don’t think his combine went that way. I would’ve liked for Lumbala to run better than he did and obviously getting hurt doesn’t really help.”
