CFL Draft Preview: BC Lions

Canadians Under Contract: 23

One Word Description of Current Canadians: Steady

Early Round Track Record: Shockingly awful. Of their 7 first round picks in the last 5 years only 2 players are still with the team (Yurichuk, Iannuzzi).

First Pick: 1^st Round 4^th Overall

Number of Picks: 5

Strengths: They are set at receiver with Gore, Foster Iannuzzi and Jackson for depth. They also have solid Canadian content at RB with Harris backed up by Foord; good depth at DB; and are set a kicker.

Potential Pipeline: OT Danny Watkins (Philadelphia Eagles)

Needs: Obviously replacing Brent Johnson will be a top priority of the Lions. The currently have just a solitary Canadian D-lineman on the roster (and he’s more of a longsnapper) which probably suggests they will be taking a couple in the draft. They also need to look ahead and find the centre that will eventually replace old man Angus Reid should he ever decide to retire and their OL depth in general is fairly thin. Look for Wally to concentrate on the trenches

Bold Prediction: BC will use a high pick on DE Tyrone Crawford despite the strong odds he ends up in the NFL.