Want a pretty amazing stat? Of the 34 Canadian
players currently under contract to the Als, all but 4 of them are either
Alouette draft picks or undrafted free agent originally signed by the Als. It
speaks volumes to their commitment to develop from within and also to their
ability to retain their national talent.
Picks: 6 picks, first selection is 2nd Overall
2015 Draft
Assessment: Als had 2 first round picks and took DB Chris
Ackie (which was a somewhat curious pick with Brouillette, Lue and Edem already
there, though he’s likely to develop into a solid player) and OL Jacob Ruby who
only dressed in 2 games but will be counted on more this season. Second rounder
Nick Shortill was a good special teamer. Fourth rounder Alex Charrette caught
my eyes a few times. For a late pick he could yet turn into a valuable one for
the Als. Of course there was also QB Brandon Bridge (4th rd pick)
who got forced into action early. He was clearly not ready to be a starter but
showed enough that he belongs in a serious QB battle. Overall a good draft by
the Als.
Potential Pipeline: OL David Foucault (Carolina), DL Tyrone Crawford (Dallas… assuming the
Als still have him on their neg list), DL Hosam Shahin (I believe out of
football),
Current Strengths:
The hallmark of the Als for many years has been
their all-Canadian OL. Despite the loss of Bourke in the offseason they still
have the depth to maintain that… if they so choose. They have a very good
stable of OL and the oldest one is Picard at 32. They have good depth at Cdn DL
with Joseph, Klassen and the newly added Vaugh Martin. The combo of Brouilette and
Ackie allow them to start another Cdn defender. Guiguere and Charette at
receiver are a nice combo.
The Als are not afraid to invest picks in guys they
have to wait for. Lately that has been paying off. Last season they added OL
Phillip Blake (2011 draft pick) and DL Jesse Joseph (2013 pick). This year they
are adding DL Vaughn Martin (2011 pick). Their depth allows them to be patient
with prospects (something not all teams can do).
Current Needs:
With Bourke gone and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain
reportedly likely to start the year on IR, the Als would be wise to keep
stocking their OL shelves. Other than that they don’t really have any glaring
needs. They have the luxury of drafting the best player available and I expect
that to include a player not likely to be in the CFL for a while (like say
Oneymata). Based on the whole Henoc Muamba fiasco I don’t see Popp targeting
any linebackers early but then again, Popp once drafted a kicker he didn’t need
in the first round so don’t rule anything out.
Prediction:
Lots of directions they could go
with the second overall pick. The safe choice would be an O-lineman and that is
what I’m guessing they will due (particularly given the uncertainly around
Brodeur-Jourdain) but I could just as easily see Popp opting for guy like Arjen
Calquhoun due to his impressive athletic abilities. As I mentioned before, Popp
likes taking flyer picks so guys like Oneymata and Mehdi Abdesmad will be on
his radar once round 3 starts.
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