BlueBombers.com
WINNIPEG — It appears Rashaun Simonise will get every opportunity to become a star in the Canadian Football League.
The sophomore receiver’s ability has never been in doubt, the only question being whether he can ever reach his ceiling as a professional football player — one that, if you ask Kyle Walters, doesn’t appear to have any bounds.
Of course, many receivers of such tantalizing talent have come and gone before Simonise was ever drafted 12th overall in 2018. Football comes with so many variables in order to be successful, from a player’s work ethic to patient coaching to the opportunity to actually get on the field and contribute.
Just this week former first round pick Danny Vandervoort was released after a single career catch. Perhaps the third overall pick in 2017 never made a case for consistent playing time, but his role in the Lions’ offence was never beyond minimal.
On Thursday night, there’s a good chance the Bombers will add more competition at receiver through the 2019 CFL Draft. A stacked group of pass-catchers has generated much of the buzz leading up to the night.
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Sometimes the opportunity just doesn’t come, but Simonise should get his chance. Regarded as one of the draft’s most intriguing prospects a year ago — he had even spent time in an NFL environment with the Cincinnati Bengals — Simonise was considered a raw athlete but a player of massive upside, one that would require long-term development.
Still, Walters took a home run swing in the second round, or in this case tossed up a Hail Mary, and liked what he saw in 2018. In his first CFL season, Simonise played all 18 games and caught four passes for 122 yards, including 53-yard reception.
If the Bombers do choose to start a third Canadian receiver in addition to Nic Demski and Drew Wolitarsky, which Walters and the team’s coaching staff will likely contemplate all throughout training camp, Simonise would push for a starting job along with Daniel Petermann, drafted in the third round last season.
“That’s something we’ve talked about,” Walters told BlueBombers.com. “The highest likelihood of where that seventh Canadian starter comes from would be [either] the offensive line, receiver or defensive tackle, so that’s why we’ll have competition in training camp and be able to figure out how the best roster sets up for us.”
Boundary wide receiver Darvin Adams has evolved into one of the CFL’s most dangerous all-around receiving threats, but the off-season departure of Weston Dressler, who remains a free agent, opens another door. The Bombers will take a long look at a handful of newcomers this training camp, a number of which participated in the team’s off-season tryout last week in Florida.
What’s certain is that starting a third Canadian receiver would put the Bombers in a unique spot in the CFL, and would be a testament to the talent and depth they’ve built at the position. It would also give the Bombers ratio flexibility elsewhere.
“We do like our receivers,” said Walters. “Nic is very versatile and fits into Paul’s offence perfectly with his skill-set, and you saw Drew last year have a breakout year. Petermann, when he got a chance to play, made plays, and of all of them, Rashaun has a high upside.
“He’s had a year in and just needs a year to grow now,” Walters continued, “but if he can come into training camp and develop like we hope he can and take that next step just from raw athleticism and height, weight, speed and all that stuff, he’s got a big upside and should be able to push to get on the field as well.”
For Simonise, this could be a wide open window to winning a starting job and taking the next step towards becoming a household name as a Canadian receiver — a title that, for now, really only belongs to Brad Sinopoli.
Of course, in professional football, windows can close fast. What does year two hold for one of the CFL’s most intriguing young talents?
– With files from BlueBombers.com
