Because of the nature of the CFL Draft, it’s rare to have an all-but-guaranteed franchise player waiting to be taken in the top spot.
With the top prospects often bound for the NFL and the fact the event only includes Canadian players, it can be a bit tricky for casual fans to really dive into the draft.
But while it may not be as star-studded as other drafts, Tuesday night is a critical part of the off-season for the nine CFL teams – if a team doesn’t have solid starting Canadians and the necessary depth behind them, good luck winning many games.
History shows teams at the top have their hands full. Just take a look at the last five first picks.
2021 – TE Jake Burt (Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Boston College): Didn’t play at all last season because of a quad injury.
2020 — LB Jordan Williams (B.C. Lions, East Carolina): After missing his first season because of the pandemic, Williams was a force last year, winning the league’s rookie of the year award. But only a fluke conversation when he was close to signing with the Ottawa Redblacks as an American let him know he was even eligible for the draft.
2019 – OL Shane Richards (Toronto Argonauts, Oklahoma State): Has developed into a starter on the Argos’ O-line.
2018 – WR Mark Chapman (Hamilton, Central Michigan): Never came to terms with the Ticats. Flirted with defunct Alliance of American Football and is now out of the sport.
2017 – DL Faith Ekakitie (Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Iowa): Was released after one season with Winnipeg. Played with the Montreal Alouettes for one season and then retired.
The Edmonton Elks owned the top pick in this year’s draft, but Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette reported Tuesday that the Alouettes were close to a deal for the No. 1 pick.
Here are some storylines for this year’s draft.
THE FIRST PICK
The CFL’s Scouting Bureau’s top two prospects – Alabama receiver John Metchie III (Houston Texans) and Penn State linebacker Jesse Luketa (Arizona Cardinals) – went in the second and seventh round of the NFL Draft, respectively, this past weekend.
Traditionally, NFL draft picks aren’t picked near the top of the CFL Draft – because they may never show up.
It doesn’t take very long in pro sports for people to sour on you,” Elks GM/coach Chris Jones said before reports of the trade emerged. “To sit there and think you’re going to draft a guy especially early that’s going to spend a couple of years in the NFL that’s kind of tough to say. We’ve made a lot of phone calls and things of that nature to try to figure out who’s going to get a shot and who’s not.”
Like the Elks, the Alouettes are in desperate need of a winning season. They haven’t won a playoff game since 2014.
With that in mind, former Syracuse linebacker Tyrell Richards seems like a solid bet to go No. 1 – he was ranked third by the CFL Scouting Bureau. The native of Brampton, Ont., did not play last year after entering the transfer portal.
“I haven’t got to spend a ton of time with him but he’s got everything you look for in a player,” Jones said. “He’s going to be able to be a ratio guy. He should be an immediate four-teamer for you. With those things being mentioned, he’s certainly a solid option.”
TWIN TALK
Two sets of twins are rated highly – University of Calgary receivers Tyson and Jalen Philpot and University of Waterloo quarterback Tre Ford and defensive back Tyrell Ford.
The Philpot boys are the sons of former Lions star running back Cory Philpot.
Could the Lions (with the third overall pick, along with No. 12) pull a Brian Burke (a la the Sedin twins with the Canucks) and make a move to draft both twins.
“Never say never,” Lions co-GM Neil McEvoy said.
As for the Fords, 3DownNation has reported Tre is going to New York Giants rookie mini camp, while Tyrell has invitations to mini camps for the Pittsburgh Steelers and New York Jets.
While Canadian quarterbacks have had a tough time grabbing a foothold in the CFL, Tre Ford, the top player in Canadian university football in 2021, is No. 4 on the Scouting Bureau list.
“I went and saw him in Buffalo (at a pro day) also and quite honestly he was the best player at Buffalo. He and his brother were the two best players in that entire pro day. They were better than all the Americans that were there in my opinion,” Jones said.
The Lions are set to give a big shot to a young Canadian quarterback this year with Oakville, Ont., product Nathan Rourke No. 1 on their depth chart after the retirement of Michael Reilly.
BURKE’S FIRST PICK
New Ottawa GM Shawn Burke, a former Ticats executive, gets to make his first pick as the top man for a team at No. 2.
Burke, who was busy in free agency after two horrid years for the Redblacks, could look several ways, Tim Baines of Ottawa Postmedia reported Monday.
Baines says Coastal Carolina defensive back Enock Makonzo, the Philpot twins, Western defensive lineman Deointe Knight and a couple of offensive linemen are on Burke’s list.
TRADING PLACES
The Elks grabbed the No. 8 overall pick after a trade with Hamilton on Monday.
The Ticats got offensive lineman Kyle Saxelid, linebacker Grant McDonald and the second overall pick in the 2022 CFL Global Draft (being held earlier Tuesday) for the Nos. 8 and 28 picks in the CFL Draft and the No. 9 selection in the Global Draft.
The Argonauts also are in position to make some moves as they own the No. 6 pick as well as the first pick of the second round – No. 10 following the trade of quarterback Nick Arbuckle to Edmonton.
The two-time defending Grey Cup champion Blue Bombers have the 74th and final pick in the draft.
CFL Draft Preview: Nailing the first overall pick isn’t easy
Source: Healthy Lifestyle
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