CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: BC Lions

As he has done many times in his tenure with BC, Wally Buono enters the draft with 2 first rounders. This time thanks to sending a QB that had yet to play a snap to a bottom dwelling team.

Picks: 9 picks, first selection is 3^rd Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: Draft was all about building depth for the Lions. The picked up OL Charles Vaillancourt in round 1, DB Anthony Thompson in Round 2 and WR Brett Blazko in Round 3. Limited impact for all 3 year 1 but certainly provided needed depth and all could see their roles increase in year 2.

Potential Pipeline: DL Christian Covington (NFL - Houston), OL Brett Boyko (NFL - San Diego)

Current Strengths: The interior of their OL has improved over recent years with Steward, Husband and Fabien in the middle. They have Vaillancourt for depth as well as newcomer Foucault who they may choose to audition at tackle. I like David Menard along their D-line and they now have Ainsworth for depth. At receiver they have Ianuzzi and Gore (who everyone seemed to assume was going to retire but hasn’t yet). They also have a good core of unheralded Canadian role players like FB Rolly Lumbala, RB Shaq Murray-Lawrence, LBs Jason Aragki and Adrian Clarke. I was going to mention that they were solid at safety with Edem backed up by Thompson and Fraser but it sounds like Edem is on the outs and they are headed to an import safety.

Current Needs: Need to restock the defensive shelves to compensate for the losses like Bo Lokombo and Jabar Westerman. Also, I would be looking to add depth at WR as insurance for Gore. Also, if they are serious about Foucault playing tackle then more depth at OL is needed to move to 4 starting Cdn OL. If they are going import safety then they need another Canadian starter somewhere. Logically I’m guessing DL is where they would look so that certainly becomes a priority.

Prediction: The Lions are the most likely to strike a deal to trade up or down in the first round. With the benefit of 2 first round picks I could see them trading one to get more picks in round 2/3. I expect them to emerge from round 1 with 2 linemen, 1 O one D. The O-lineman may be someone like Mason Woods who they may have to wait on a bit. Second round could see them target an LB to help reinforce special teams after losing their best special teamer in Lokombo.

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Calgary Stampeders

A big key to Calgary’s success is their ability to amass draft picks and then retain and develop those players long-term. Of the 25 players they have drafted in the past 3 years 15 remain with the club. By comparison, BC has retained 10 of their 23 draft picks over the same timeframe and Saskatchewan just 4 of 22.

Picks: 9 picks, first selection is 8^th Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: With the 6^th overall pick they selected Alex Singleton who they saw as a future starter. The future turned out to be now as be played himself into the start role by mid-season. They also added depth with players like Roman Grozman and Juwan Bresacin. By comparison to other draft classes this was not the Stamps best but it was still pretty good and they certainly have sufficient depth for “pretty good” to be more than enough. The one notable thing is that it was the first year in a long time that they didn’t select someone who was NFL bound.

Potential Pipeline: OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardiff (Kansas City, though I don’t expect to ever see him up north as he just signed a huge money extension)

Current Strengths: Not a huge surprise that a team that lost 2 games last season, has solid Cdn content pretty much across the board. They are strong at OL with Wllson, Bergman, Lavertu and Federkeil (with Grozman, Lavoie and Thorn for depth). They have a solid combo at DL with Quinn Smith and Junior Turner. As previously mentioned, Singleton locks down with MLB spot (with Landry and Caron for depth). They have Jerome Messam (now backed up by Anthony Woodson). At WR Parker and Durant have them solid (with Brescacin and Kolhert for depth. Rob Cote in my opinion is one of the most undervalued Canadian players in the leagues. Paredes and Maver remain the best kicking combo in the league. They could easily start 8 Cdns.

Current Needs: Despite their depth on paper, the biggest concern is durability along the OL. Spencer Wilson was the only Cdn OL not to miss time due to injury last season. Granted, no teams seems to endure OL changes better than Calgary but still, they should be looking to add reinforcements there. They are also thin at DB. They field an all American secondary so it’s not a pressing need but they could use some new special team/depth guys there. Beyond that, as usual, the Stamps have the luxury of taking the best player available.

Prediction: 3 of the past 4 years have seen the Stamps select an OL first and I see that trend continuing. Qadr Spooner or Braden Schram are options that could be available for them at #8. In the second round I see them targeting an LB like one of the Herdmans. In the 3^rd round I see them taking a flyer on an NFL bound player as they have done in the past. Anthony Auclair and Justin Senior will be on their radar.

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Montreal Alouettes

Just like the Argonauts, the Alouettes don’t even get to benefit from their own futility as they traded away their 1^st round pick. But hey, they Vernon Adams thing is sure working out for them. Lots of work to do for Kavis Reed to do to return the Alouettes being contenders. 

Picks: 8 picks, first selection is 12^th Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: A very typical Jim Popp draft: some good, mixed with some crazy. Wisely invested the 2^nd overall pick in OL Phillippe Gagnon. Questionably used the 11^th overall pick on RB Wayne Moore (who didn’t dress for a game in 2016). Not much to show for the rest of the draft other than some players who could potentially be depth players this upcoming season.

Potential Pipeline: n/a (at one point they had DL Tyrone Crawford on their neg list but not sure if they still do… not that it matters, he ain’t coming north anytime soon).

Current Strengths:

Over the offseason, they amassed a crazy stockpile of Cdn DL (Shologan, Oramasionwu, Westerman Klassen and Joseph). Seems like overkill to me but I guess there are worse problems to have. Their O-line is a far cry from the envy of the league it used to be. The move to 2 import tackles will help. An interior of Blake, Matte, and Gagnon with Brodeur-Jourdain and Ruby (who failed epically when they played him at tackle last season) for depth is not too shabby. Jim Popp was never big on Cdn Receivers (generally opting for only a token one) but with Guigere, Charette and the newly signed Devon Bailey, they suddenly have some depth there. I see that trio providing solid special team/rotational defense play. Also, hard not to mention Daryl Townsend who is a solid special teamer. Ackie, Plesius and Boulay add to their strength on teams.

Current Needs:

Big question relates to where they will get their 7^th Cdn starter. 3 OL, 2 DL and 1 WR seem to be a given. There is some talk of making Plesius a starter at LB. Hamilton tried that a few years ago and it didn’t work so I would have my doubts. You could also do a second Cdn WR, a 3^rd Cdn DL or make Ackie a starter at safety or OLB. They need to build depth wherever they choose to find that 7^th starter.

Prediction:

Having to wait to the second round is not a great position for Kavis Reed but unfortunately he has to face the (dare I say) consequences (yes I went there) of his predecessor. I would think that they target either a LB/DB or build OL depth. Then again Reed may be crazy and just keep adding D-linemen.

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Thanks to trading a QB they didn’t want for a starting DB and a first round pick, the Bombers are benefiting from both the Argos’ idiocy and futility and have picks #1 and 6 in the draft. When you consider that this team used to have Brendan Taman as a GM (who avoided 1^st round picks like the plague) and Joe Mack (who would have been better off trading away his picks rather than using them), they’ve certainly come a long way.

Picks: 7 picks, first selection is 1^st Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: Arguably had the biggest haul from the 2016 draft class despite not having a first round pick. They used their 2 second rounders on a quality OL in Logan Couture (who adds to a very strong, young talented core they are building) and an impact player in DL Trent Corney. But the biggest win for them came when they were able to nab Taylor Loffler in the 3^rd Round who was a CFL all-star in his rookie season. It was the steal of the draft in retrospect.

Potential Pipeline: DL Andy Mulumba (Kansas City), they also have WR Stephen Alli and DL Christo Bilukidi should either ever decide to play football again.

Current Strengths: Pretty solid across the board.  They have some talented young OL (Goosen, Chung, Couture, etc…) Their oldest Cdn OL is 28. That’s an enviable position. They have the aforementioned Loffler (an all-star in his rookie campaign). Also have guys who would be starters regardless of passport like Andrew Harris and Jamal Westerman. They have good depth at most position. They have also assembled a really strong group of special teamers (something their coach holds near and dear).

Current Needs: Only two glaring needs. One is that they don’t have a Cdn back-up for Andrew Harris (who at some point will start to show some wear from his heavy workload, year in, year out). They have the ability to adjust their ratio if need be so it’s not a massive issue. The other need is a quality WR. Feoli-Guidino continues to exceed expectations but at best he is a token WR. Aside from him its been a parade of high picks who never panned out: Jade Etienne, Rory Kolhert and the Addison Richards (who is supposedly Guidino’s depth). Another strong WR would help add depth behind Guidino and allow for easier ratio adapting if Harris goes down.

Also, they probably need to look at some DL depth. Jake Thomas is alright but they could certainly do better than a Thomas/Brandon Tennant combo at DT.

Prediction: Given the luxury of picking any player they want at #1 it would seem to make the most sense to take a lineman (as a I don’t see a player outside the trenches worthy of the #1 pick). They have pretty solid OL depth for a team that starts 2 Cdn OL so that leaves DL as the logical place to go (barring a trade which I wouldn’t rule out). Eli Ankou makes the most sense to me. He helps solidify the Cdn DT spot and could push to start there. With their second pick look for them to target a receiver. I doubt Vandervoot falls that far but Nate Behar should be there for them. I could see them target an RB like Johnny Augustine in round 2.

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Hamilton Ti-Cats

Picks: 7 picks, first selection is 4^th Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: Landed a stud OL in Brandon Revenberg with the 3^rd overall pick. He will likely be a mainstay in that O-line for years. I’m not really sure why they drafted Mercer Timmis in the 2^nd round but he certainly has potential if they ever decide to use him. The pick I would keep my eye on is 3^rd rounder LB Terrell Davis. I think he will grow into a solid special teamer/rotational defender for them. Overall a pretty good result for the Cats.

Potential Pipeline: DL Brent Urban (Baltimore)

Current Strengths: They have ample starting calibre Canadians (many of whom are or have been all-stars): Butler, Laurent, Stephen, Bomben, Revenberg, Filer, Capicciotti and Watt (as least as a token Cdn WR). They have a solid core of depth/special teamers (mainly due to their recent history of drafting a ridiculous amount of LBs).

Current Needs: The Ti-cats’ issues in not finding starters but ensuring adequate depth behind them. They have just 5 Cdn OL under contract. Given that they are likely to start 2 Cdn DBs (Butler and Stephen), they don’t have near the depth there they need. Particularly when you consider that Butler is coming off major knee injury and hasn’t played in a year. Depth behind Laurent and Capicciotti is thin as well with only Atkinson and Gill (who I wouldn’t count on given that he seems to always be hurt). The other big hole is the one left by Andy Fantuz. It’s likely he returns to the Ti-Cats once he’s healthy but who knows when that will be and given his age, they need to start thinking of the future. Lastly, for the second year in a row they currently have no kicker. Bold strategy (thought it worked out alright for them last year so why not do it again?)

Prediction:  WR Danny Vandervoot at #4 just makes way too much sense. He’s by far the best WR in the draft. They need a young Cdn WR.  It’s not like picking an impact OL or a DL would be a bad pick at #4 so they can't really go wrong (well ok there are many ways to go wrong, just ask Joe Mack). But Vandervoot is the odds on favourite here. Also, given past history, expect them to take no less than 5 LBs in the draft.

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Toronto Argonauts

Toronto will have to sit out the first round as their hard earned 1^st overall pick goes to Winnipeg thanks to the infamous Drew Willy trade. I still can’t fathom how at any point (even if alcohol was involved) that ever seemed like a good trade for Jim Barker. Did Kyle Walters have some blackmail material on him? Barker's replacement Jim Popp will now be making the picks (ironically he also traded a first round pick away with his previous employer).

Picks: 6 picks, first selection is 10^th Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: Mostly a lot of depth additions like O-linemen Jamall Campbell and DJ Sackey (who really missed his calling in life as a D-lineman, best name ever!). The success/failure of this draft is really tied to the 2 receivers Barker selected: Brian Jones (1^st round) and Llevi Noel (4^th round). When he cut his entire receiver corp late last season (bold strategy), Barker was confident these 2 could step in as replacements. Count me among those skeptical about this strategy. Remains to be seen if the new regime is as high on Jones as Barker was… especially given that Popp didn’t make Cdn WRs much of a priority in Montreal.

Potential Pipeline: TE Luke Wilson (Seattle)

Current Strengths: Starts up front where Popp now has the ability to start an all Cdn O-line like he had in Montreal. Perrett and Van Zeyl at tackle. Holmes, McEwen and Deane inside. Plus a ton of depth behind them (Dyakowski, Smith, Watman, Campbell, Sakey). Of note are the young guys like Holmes and McEwen which bodes well for the future. Jermaine Gabriel is a quality safety and they have Black and Webster for depth. Anthony Coombs can be a playmaker (particularly if Ray is the QB). Hajrullahu had a bounce back season and proved to be a quality kicker (given how terrible the Argos were he had ample opportunity to prove it).

Current Needs: Their glut of OL assets leaves them free to target other areas (a luxury not shared by many teams). Defense would be the logical place for them to start. At DL they have Daryl Waud (12^th overall pick in 2015) but limited depth behind him if they want to push him as a starter (which they may choose to do for ratio reasons). They don’t really have much in terms of Cdn LBs which could impact on their special teams play. I expect Coombs to be heavily involved in the offense and so the departure of Andre Durie leaves a need for some depth at RB.

Prediction: Based on need and what’s likely to be available come the second round, the Argos are likely to take a DL with their first pick (whichever of Faith Ekakite, Junior Luke or Kwaku Boateng is still there). Keep in mind though that Jim Popp is now calling the shots so one of his early picks will be a headscratcher from that no one saw coming. My bet is a fullback. Also, because Popp has never shied away from taking players he has to wait on, I could see Popp taking a flyer on guys like Justin Senior, Anthony Auclair or Geoff Gray (depending on how NFL interest in him pans out).

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Edmonton Eskimos

Edmonton may not have a GM but presumably somebody will be making picks for them come draft day.

Picks: 8 picks, first selection is 5th Overall

2016 Draft Assessment: A very questionable draft strategy by then-GM Ed Hervey. Used his 1^st and 2^nd round picks on players bound for the NFL (Tevaughn Smith and Arjen Calquhoun) and did not have a 3^rd or 4^th rounder. That meant the first tangible selections for the team started in the 5^th round. Not a recipe for success (just ask Brendan Taman). Obviously if either NFLer ventures north this assessment could change quickly but currently the value of the 2016 is negligible.

Potential Pipeline: WR Tevaughn Smith (NFL – Indy), DB Arjen Calquhoun (NFL – Dallas), DL Stefan Charles (NFL - Detroit), OL Austin Paztor (NFL - Cleveland), K Shaun Suisham (NFL), LS LP Ladouceur (NFL - Dallas)

Current Strengths:

They have a solid interior to their O-line with O’Donnell, Rottier and Sorensen with Groulx and Beard for depth. Safety position is in good shape with starter Neil King and Andrew Lue and Dubuisson providing depth. Calvin McCarty is one of those unheralded role players that every team needs in order to be successful. Sean Whyte was the most accurate kicker in the CFL last season at 93.8% and has missed only 6 kicks over his 2 years in Edmonton (I still have no clue what Montreal was thinking when they outright cut him but lucky for the Esks I guess). They have a glut of Cdn LBs led by Cory Greenwood (who could start) and solid special teamer Blair Smith.

Current Needs:

What the Esks really need is something to show for their first selection. Of the past 5 players the Esks have used their first pick on 3 are still in the NFL, 1 is no longer part of the team, and 1 was injured for all but 1 game last season. The Esks really need to land someone who can contribute in 2017 with their first pick.

They currently have only 5 Cdn O-lineman under contract so that is likely an area to focus on (unless they think they can get through the whole season injury-free). The sudden retirement of Nate Coehoorn leaves big hole for them in terms of ratio. Last season they started 3 Cdn receivers so they will either need another Cdn receiver to start or adjust the ratio. Moving Cory Greenwood to a starter is an option (though given his health that would require a solid back-up plan). They could also move to starting 4 Cdn OL which would also require adding some depth as a back-up plan. They have just one Cdn D-lineman but I don’t see that being a concern given their intent to play an all American front 4

Prediction:

Whoever is making the picks for the Esks will be looking to distance themselves from the Hervey legacy, and that means picking a player who they can expect in training camp. Given that they aren’t overly concerned about D-lineman, that leaves O-line as the obvious place to use their first pick. A relatively safe pick like Qadr Spooner or Dariusz Bladek would fit that. If by some chance Hamilton passes on Danny Vandervoot at #4 the Esks may be inclined to forgo that strategy based on the Coehoorn departure. Round 2 will see them look to add a Receiver such as Nate Behar or Mitch Picton (provided they didn’t land one in Round 1).

CFL Draft 2017 Team Preview: Ottawa RedBlacks

We start our CFL Draft team previews with the defending champions. Obviously you don’t win the Grey Cup without solid Canadian content and the RedBlacks certainly have that. Offseason departures have given that content a hit, though they are far from being in dire straits.

Picks: 8 picks, first selection is #9

2016 Draft Assessment: Got a big win with their #7 overall pick Jason Lauzon-Seguin who started 12 games as a rookie, primarily at tackle. That alone makes the draft a success. As for the rest of the draft, mostly depth players like Mikael Charland and Randy Beardy, and players like Jamal Kett and Kyle Fraser Audit looking to make the team in year 2. Interesting play to watch is 3^rd round pick Mehdi Abdesmad who is still down south. Overall a decent draft for a team with minimal needs.

Potential Pipeline: DL Mehdi Abdesmad (NFL - Tennessee), TE Tyler Digby (lacrosse)

Current Strengths: Very good depth on both sides of the trenches. On the O-line they have guys like Gott, MacMillan, Mateas, Lauzon-Seguin and Albright. On the D-line, Evans has developed into a stud in the middle (guess Ottawa is lucky a short-sighted GM left him unprotected in the expansion draft, not that I'm still bitter about that) and they have Williams and Gascon-Nadon on the end with Marshall and Lattanzio for depth. A bit of a down year for Antoine Pruneau but he’s still starting material. Also have a solid starter in Brad Sinopoli. They could easily start 8 Canadians (and often do).

Current Needs: If they plan on maintaining 4 starting Cdn OL like they did at the end of last season than more depth is needed there (especially given the offseason departure of J’Michael Deane). Not convinced they have the depth needed to replace Pruneau if he goes down, so another playmaking DB/LB would be a good add. Also given that they gave Milo the boot (he reportedly hit the uprights on the way out), there is some uncertainty at kicker. There isn’t necessarily a starting calibre kicker in the draft but likely a late round addition to the kicking competition is in order.

Beyond that, the RedBlacks have the luxury of taking the best player available.

Prediction: I see them going defense in Round 1. I can’t see Eli Ankou still being there at #9 so for D-line possibly  Faith Ekakitie or Kwaku. I think the greater need is an LB/DB depth so most likely they end up with like Christophe Mulumba or Dondre Wright. Round 2 sees them address OL depth. The mid to late rounds will be used to add WR and LB depth as well as the previously mentioned kicker.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: CFL Draft Preview

Today I begin my annual CFL Draft coverage. I would say highly anticipated coverage but "likely anticipated by at least one person" coverage. 

What amazes me every year is the phenomenal growth in interest and coverage surrounding the draft. When I began doing this, I was almost the only person not named Duane Ford or the draftees' parents who cared or even seemed to know this event existed. Now there are more draft profiles and mock drafts than I can count (for any non-Rider fans reading this I will pause here and allow you your mandatory joke about Riders and counting... go on, I'll wait). I think it's awesome for the sport and for the CFL. I mean I'm a pretty smart dude but if the country was still relying solely on me for draft coverage it would be somewhat problematic.

So today I begin my CFL Team Preview series, where we look at the strengths, weaknesess, needs and possible draft strategy for each team. And hopefully we have some fun along the way*.

*Disclaimer: Author cannot guarantee fun.*

Monday Morning Sentimonies: Delayed

There will be no sentimonies today. I may have thought it was a good idea to gut my bathroom over the weekend and start the process of redoing it. THe wording in the previous sentence was very deliberate as I no longer think it was a good idea and I am far from being done the process.

I will return next monday when I kick off my highly anticipated... err critically acclaimed... err well my annual CFL Draft coverage.

Wish me luck.

Monday Morning Sentimonies: A New Tradition

As the Riders move from historic Taylor Field (aka old Mosaic) I have been thinking about the opportunity this inaugural season presents to start some new traditions. There are so many cool things going on in the sporting world like the All Blacks' Haka, Wisconsin's Jump Around, even stadiums where fans yell first down in unison. With our new stadium it would be super cool if we could institute a new tradition. What we need is something unique, original like Green is the Colour and the 13th Man (which were totally not just copied from other teams).

So I took it upon myself to come up with a number of suggestions on what that new tradition could be. However, anyone who knows me knows could likely surmise that what I came up with was less plausible/appropriate and more comedic/ridiculous. So they were all summarily rejected by the Riders. And so I present to you

Rider Prophet's Top 7 Reject Ideas For New Traditions

7 - Roman Candles
Fireworks after a scoring play are common practice, but what about taking it to the next level and have 30,000 fans light off Roman Candles after a TD. Obviously there are some minor legal and safety concerns to work though but just think how cool it would look.
 
6 - Release the Gophers
Instead of having one mascot gopher circle the stadium, this idea involved a trained pack of real gophers doing a lap around the field. The main concern here was the fact that this is Saskatchewan and people would try and shoot them.
 
5 - Light It Up
This one requires a bit of forward thinking. Given that weed will soon be legal in Canada (and the fact that its not like its uncommon now), we could start a tradition where a puff of smoke 30,000 people strong celebrates a score. It would certainly be popular with the players.
 
4 - Snowmobile Doing Flips
This one is really self explanatory. Give the people what they want.

3 - Left Shark
Remember the infamous left shark from the Katy Perry halftime? Put that guy in a Rider jersey and its solid gold. (I may have put this one in there purely for my own self interest)

 

2 - Take It Off
So hear me out on this one. We make it a game day tradition that if the Riders score, the cheerleaders remove an article of clothing. And to ensure we give equal opportunity here, if our opponents score, the make cheerleaders remove an article clothing. What this idea lacks in decency, morality, taste and taking into account the harsh prairie winters it more than makes up for in mass appeal.

1 - Obscure Song
People love to sing along to Sweet Caroline so a sing along is bound to be a crowd pleasure. But in order to make it unique to Saskatchewan we need to pick a song that is a bit off the beaten path (and no I'm not talking about the Last Saskatchewan Pirate). How about I Like to Move It, Thong Song or Tubthumping. As long as we are singing in unison.