CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — While the first round gets all the hype, some of the draft’s biggest and brightest stars went off the board in the second.
The REDBLACKS turned some heads with the selection of Calgary receiver Jake Harty out of the gate, while the Bombers followed with Addison Richards.
Harty made 33 catches for 464 yards and three touchdowns last season with the Dinos and in addition to scoring a rushing touchdown, Harty was also a main feature of the kick return unit on special teams. His play last season earned him a spot on Team West in the CIS East-West Bowl.
Richards’ name, meanwhile, appears all over the record books at the University of Regina. Last season he recorded 55 catches (school record) for 916 yards (second-highest total in school history) in eight games. Those numbers also ranked Richards third and first in the CIS, respectively.
His 114.5 receiving yards per game led the Cougars and put Richards second in the CIS in that category.
The Argos made a big splash with their second pick of the draft, particularly on the defensive line where they added Western defensive tackle Daryl Waud. Last season, Waud recorded 14.5 defensive tackles (nine unassisted), three sacks and two pass knockdowns in nine regular season games. In three playoff games, Waud had one sack and nine total tackles.
An OUA first-team all-star and a CIS first-team football all-Canadian, Waud played in both the East-West bowl and the annual NCAA East-West Shrine Game, there notching a four-yard tackle for a loss.
Making their third pick in the draft, the Montreal Alouettes added their second defensive player in McMaster linebacker Nick Shortill. The OUA nominee for the CIS President’s Trophy recorded 62 defensive tackles last season with 4.5 sacks and an interception for the Marauders.
With the 14th overall pick, the Lions took offensive lineman Brett Boyko, the second-ranked player in the CFL Scouting Bureau Rankings. Boyko is currently under contract with the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent.
Originally a quarterback and defensive lineman in high school in Saskatoon, Boyko converted to offensive line after joining the UNLV Rebels. As a senior last season, Boyko was named to the Second-Team All-Mountain West after starting every game. He moved to left guard from left tackle midseason to help the team’s depth and allowed only one quarterback sack.
With their second pick in the second round the Bombers added some youth to their secondary, going with athletic Queen’s defensive back Brendan Morgan.
The Eskimos followed up by selecting a local talent, picking University of Alberta offensive lineman David Beard — an all-Canadian that can play offensive tackle who also once played defensive tackle.
With their first pick in the 2015 CFL Draft, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats went with a linebacker in Montreal’s Byron Archambault. One of the combine’s top performers, Archambault thrived in the shuttle and three-cone while setting an all-time linebacker record in the bench press.
Finally, the Calgary Stampeders finished off the draft’s second round with the selection of highly-touted Simon Fraser receiver Lemar Durant. Many had Durant, a lengthy and physically-dominant 230-pound receiver, going in the first round.
