Stephane Gaudreau/Laval
CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — As player stocks rise and fall almost constantly, it’s never easy speculating the outcome of the CFL Draft.
Fans, prospects and talent evaluators alike may have been thrown for another loop this weekend, however, after a number of top prospects picked up plenty of traction down south following the 2015 NFL Draft.
While top-ranked prospect Christian Covington was the only one actually drafted (taken in the sixth round by the Houston Texans), a few signed undrafted free agent deals while others have accepted rookie mini-camp invites.
Of the top handful of prospects entering the draft, only Nic Demski and Danny Groulx haven’t received any well-publicized NFL interest.
The question is, how substantial an impact will this have on the order of players selected in the 2015 CFL Draft? Are Demski and Groulx now certain top-three picks in the draft? Which top-ranked players with NFL interest worthy of a high CFL draft pick?
Or will teams take the top talent available and hope it pays off either this season or some time down the line?
Last year’s top prospect Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was similarly drafted in the sixth round of the NFL Draft a year ago, only to fall to the third round of the CFL Draft (19th overall) as a result.
Here’s a rundown of the top CFL prospects who garnered NFL interest this week:
Christian Covington, DL, Rice
While Covington was projected by some prognosticators to go as high as the third round of the NFL Draft, he fell into the hands of the Houston Texans in the sixth round. This could actually improve Covington’s draft stock in the CFL, as sixth-round picks tend to have a lower rate of success.
Brett Boyko, OL, UNLV
Boyko was the top-ranked prospect in the CFL all year until the final rankings came out in April, but his draft stock was relatively unknown as NFL teams had expressed interest in the talented Saskatchewan native. He went undrafted in the NFL Draft but has signed a contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Tyler Varga, RB, Yale
The top-rated running back among CFL prospects, Tyler Varga went undrafted in the NFL Draft but signed as a free agent afterwards with the Indianapolis Colts. The Colts have a proven track record signing CFL talent, as Varga joins former Alouette Duron Carter in looking to make Indy’s roster this camp.
Mini-Camps on the horizon
Only Covington, Boyko and Varga are slated for NFL training camps with contract in hand, but several other top CFL prospects will get a further look down south after earning invites to rookie mini-camps. Here’s a list of players headed to NFL mini-camps:
Brandon Bridge, QB, South Alabama (Dallas Cowboys)
Alex Mateas, OL, UCONN (New York Jets)
Nic Demski, REC, Manitoba (Cleveland Browns)
Lemar Durant, REC, Simon Fraser (New York Giants)
Jacob Ruby, OL, Richmond (New York Giants)
Daryl Waud, DL, Western (New York Giants)
Sean McEwen, OL, Calgary (New York Giants)
Sukh Chungh, OL, Calgary (New York Giants)
Tevaughn Campbell, DB, Regina (New York Giants)
Byron Archambault, LB, Montreal (New York Giants)
Bridge is one of the most notable on the list, as he is the first quarterback ever listed in the Scouting Bureau’s Top 20 rankings. His CFL draft stock could potentially be on the rise after neither being drafted nor yet signing a contract.
Others, however, could be in for a more dramatic change in draft stock, as they look to earn contracts from down south in upcoming mini-camps over the next week or so, leaving their current NFL status up in the air going into the draft.
It’s your turn to debate: did last weekend’s events change the outlook of the 2015 CFL Draft?
