Monday Morning Sentimonies: Don’t Be First

Tanking for last place to get the top draft pick is a time-honoured sports tradition. Be it hockey, basketball or even football, the short-term pain of a dreadful season can be totally worth it if it leads to a generational player joining your team. Connor Bedard, Victor Wembenyama, Joe Burrow just to name a few. 

But in keeping with its general quirkiness, the CFL does not operate like other leagues in this respect. In fact, if you look at the recent history, your odds of drafting a top end player actually go significantly up if you pick pretty much anywhere but first overall. The Riders are a perfect example. Sure we hit some home runs with the first overall pick including Scott Schultz (2001) and Ben Heenan (2012). But those are more than balanced out by our misses. And when we miss, we don’t just kinda miss. We miss the ball, send our bat flying into the stands injuring a grandma and our pants end up falling down mid swing as we trip and fall on our face. As evidence I point you to Tyson St James (2000), Shomari Williams (2010) and Josiah St John (2016). To be fair 2010 just a god awful draft year, legitimately the best player in the draft was a kicker and despite being taken at 5^th overall, in retrospect Rob Maver may have been drafted far too low relative the rest of that class. 

But this first pick futility is not just a Riders thing. I went back and looked at the 12 drafts since we took Ben Heenan. Almost half of those selected were massive wastes of picks and even those that were decent picks often not end up being the best player in that draft. First overall picks do not pan out in other leagues as well but the rate of that occurring in the CFL is staggering.

Take 2013 when the Ti-Cats selected DL Linden Gaydosh. At the time it was actually viewed as a solid pick but Gaydosh played just 12 games for the Ti-Cats and 29 overall. Apparently he was briefly on the Riders’ offseason roster in 2017 (I know a ton of obscure Rider facts but I have no recollection of that at all). 

In 2017 it was the Bombers’ turn. They took Faith Ekakitie. He lasted just 4 games in Winnipeg and was out of the league before then end of the next calendar year. Hard to blame a guy for wanting to make a speedy exit from a job in Winnipeg but the Bombers were not much ahead of if they had just passed on the pick. 

Speaking of teams that essentially passed on a pick. Hamilton selected WR Mark Chapman in 2018. His selection was the last moment his name was mentioned in relation to the CFL. At no point did he play a down or even report to camp. He made the Jordan Sisco selection by the Riders look like a stunning success by comparison. Clearly not having enough embarrassment, just 3 years later the Ti-Cats took TE Jake Burt first overall. His 40 career yards did eclipse the high bar set by Chapman for top picks. Really makes one wonder why the Ti-Cats have the longest Grey Cup drought in the CFL. 

All goes to say I am very happy the Riders aren’t picking first overall this year. We will gladly give the Stamps to honour of prolifically whiffing on a pick. And based on how their last few seasons have gone, they are well qualified to do so.