Argo Draft Days Past an d Present

[jerrym]

Anthony Coombs recalls his 2014 draft day below. He thought the Argos would be the last team that might draft him.

The #Argos traded up to nab @acoombs1 in the 2014 #CFLDraft.

He reflects on his Draft Day and the process leading up to it. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/f1XmjWWT0m

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) May 5, 2017

[jerrym]

Brian Jones recalls his 2016 Draft Day in the video below.

A year after being selected fourth overall by the #Argos, Brian Jones reflects on his #CFLDraft Day. 🎥 pic.twitter.com/vdUM8I4gMj

— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) May 6, 2017

[jerrym]

GM Jim Popp discusses today's draf below. His comments on draft day trades may be especially relevant in view of the Sun's reporting are looking at possible trading up.

“This is my 26th year in the league, so this is my 24th as a GM in the draft,” Popp said earlier this week. ...
From the outside, that process seems like a very difficult one to navigate. The CFL draft is unique, of course, in that teams are only selecting players that are eligible to play under the national status. In other sports, fans and scouts alike can look to the best of the college or amateur ranks, or around the world and make safe assumptions on who the top picks will be. The scope is more specific in the CFL, the prospects often not easily accessible on TV. Scouting needs to be invested in and active.
“I don’t know if I can compare it. I think all the drafts are different to be honest,” Popp said.
“We still start out, the NFL draft is open to everybody. When we start our draft, you’re sometimes between 800 and 1000 kids that you start out with and you narrow it down. (The CFL will) draft 71 of them this year.” ...

Trades can come out of nowhere, Popp said, but it’s about being prepared and making adjustments.
“I’ve been (in drafts) where the morning of the draft a trade occurs, or you get a call within 10 minutes of your first pick and it changes the course of things,” he said.
“It becomes chaotic, yes. That being said, we’ve already gone through our draft list, we’ve fine-tooth-combed it and we continue to do that all the way up to our pick.”
Both GMs and their staffs rank their top-71 players and adjust their lists as the draft progresses.
“You’ve got to be prepared and you’ve got to have a plan,” Popp said. “My theory is to always take the best player up to a certain point and then sometimes you’ll take by need, or a combination of that.”

http://www.argonauts.ca/2017/05/05/o...team-says-gms/

[jerrym]

Here's a review of the Argo's 2013 draft.

Toronto Argonauts

Round	Pick	Position	Player Name	College	Grade
1	8	OL	Matt Sewell	McMaster	2
2	17	DB	Jermaine Gabriel	Bishop’s	4
3	22	WR	Natey Adjei	Buffalo	2
6	52	OL	Michael Di Domenico	Tarleton State	0
7	60	LB	Paul Spencer	Concordia	0

Sewell served as a reserve offensive lineman for the Argos for two seasons (2014-2015) after returning to McMaster for his final year of CIS eligibility in 2013. Traded to Saskatchewan prior to the 2016 season, Sewell announced his retirement after refusing to report to the green and white.
Gabriel has developed into a starting-caliber safety in Toronto, recording 135 tackles, five sacks, three forced fumbles, and one interception in 60 career games. His 34 career starts lead all defensive backs of the 2013 CFL draft class.
Adjei recorded eleven receptions and one touchdown over 35 games with Toronto during his two seasons with the club. The Buffalo product recorded six receptions and five special teams tackles this past year with Edmonton. He will be back with the Esks in 2017.
Both Di Domenico and Spencer were released by the Argos in June of 2013.

http://3downnation.com/2017/05/07/gr...013-cfl-draft/

[jerrym]

Below is a review of the 2011 Argo draft - one of the better ones for the Argos yielding starter Tyler Holmes, along with several backups.

Toronto Argonauts

Round	Pick	Position	Player Name	College	Grade
1	7	OL	Tyler Holmes	Tulsa	5
3	18	WR	Djems Kouame	Montreal	1
3	22	DL	Alexander Robinson	Western	2
4	28	WR	Jedd Gardner	Guelph	1
5	35	DL	Gregory Alexandre	Montreal	0
5	38	WR	Julian Feoli-Gudino	Laval	0
6	43	OL	Michael Knill	Wilfred Laurier	0

The Argonauts were forced to wait on Holmes for two seasons while he played out his senior season at Tulsa before spending the 2013 season with the Minnesota Vikings. Despite the wait, Holmes has developed into a dominant CFL left guard. Holmes is the best offensive lineman to come out of the 2011 draft and, as a pending free agent, is going to get a boatload of cash this February. Look for him to sign with his hometown RedBlacks.
Converting to fullback in his first training camp, Robinson has registered 18 receptions for 195 yards and 3 touchdowns to go along with 25 special teams tackles in his four seasons with the Argonauts. He won’t make headlines, but Robinson the type of solid national contributor every CFL teams needs.
Gardner (2011) and Kouame (2011-2012) spent one and two seasons with the Argonauts, respectively, though neither receiver registered a statistic.
Alexandre (2011) and Feoli-Gudino (2012-2013) were in and out of the line-up in their time with Toronto. Modest contributors with the club, Alexandre and Feoli-Gudino went on to have success with other CFL clubs in 2014. Alexandre had five sacks in Chris Jones’ defensive scheme with the Eskimos, while Feoli-Gudino made 24 receptions for 210 yards and 2 touchdowns in Winnipeg. Drafting two players who can contribute in the fifth round of the CFL draft is great – just not when the contributions are made while wearing enemy colors.
Knill, who smashed the CFL combine record with an unbelievable 47 bench press reps, was cut in the Argos’ 2011 training camp. He has not signed a CFL contract since.

http://3downnation.com/2014/12/14/re...011-cfl-draft/

[jerrym]

Saskatchewan Huskies draft prospect Evan Johnson discusses how he feels as draft time approaches.

Evan Johnson with @HuskieAthletics speaking about @CFL draft tonight @JDunk12 has him going 9th to @REDBLACKS #yxe @CKOMNews pic.twitter.com/njmLZbY5Ku

— JT Marshall (@jtmarshallCKOM) May 7, 2017

[jerrym]

Talk is that both Montreal and Toronto are discussing moving up in the draft by trading with the teams with two draft picks - BC and Winnipeg.

[gilthethrill]

So that's how you pronounce his last name.

[jerrym]

Bomber's Ekakitie could have been a good building block on the rebuilding Argos.

[jerrym]

Cameron Judge was the player I most hoped the Argos would take based on test numbers and his college play but I knew the odds of getting him were very slim. I suspect that Popp might not have drafted him anyway, given Popp's proclivities.

[jerrym]

Only one OL (#1 Faith Ekakitie) taken in the first five choices, meaning there is a good chance the Argos may have some top OL to pick from.

[jerrym]

After Lions take DL Junior Luke seventh, there is still only one OL taken, reflecting the depth at other positions, but leaving Popp with the possibility of going for his stereotypical OL more likely.

[jerrym]

Two top ten ranked OL, Geoff Gray and Evan Johnson, go to Bombers and Ottawa just before Argos pick, possibly changing their orientation on the tenth pick.

[jerrym]

Argos get the biggest OL in the draft, Mason Woods. I did not expect him to be available tenth. I'm happy.

[jerrym]

Marshall Ferguson's draft analysis of Mason Wood who he ranked fifth overall.

MASON WOODS OL | IDAHO

I’ve been tough in evaluating Mason Woods during and since the CFL combine in Regina. Woods has the frame to be a tackle but didn’t show the natural movement to own that chance quickly. When kicked inside to guard, where he spent much of his time at Idaho, Woods played tall and relied on his reach more than lower body fundamentals and it showed while being uprooted like the tallest tree in your yard during a vicious rain storm. When Matt O’Donnell came out of Queen’s I would have likely said the same things. When Justin Sorenson became a centre many questioned having height like that inside. Edmonton seems like a natural fit for another tall, skilled offensive lineman in search of a home. I wouldn’t be shocked to see Woods fall outside of the first round after his combine adventure but game tape is more important than anything else and Woods only needs one team to love his tape. I wonder if that team is Edmonton.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/03/mock-2-...r-jump-charts/

[dmont]

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Weird selection in the third round. Evan Foster, DL/LB. Marshall Ferguson had him as a 7th rounder. Yikes!

Evan Foster
DL | Manitoba

The 2017 CFL draft’s mighty mouse finds a fit on the same field he starred for the Manitoba Bisons with. Foster took defensive line and linebacker reps at the combine and could influence special teams quickly.

[jerrym]

Argos take DL Evan Foster withe their third round draft choice. Marshall Ferguson ranked him 50th overall.

Evan Foster is a tornado. I have no clue what he could become as a positional player but he is a day one special teams starter and locker room hero.

http://www.cfl.ca/2017/04/03/mock-2-...r-jump-charts/

[OV Argo]

Ferguson was out to lunch with a lot of his draft thinking.

I had Foster rated as about the best DE this draft - under-sized a bit but super strong & athletic - D play-maker and CanWest all-star.

Him, Onyeka and Woodson are IMO 3 very good picks for the Argo D that has need of new talent.

[dmont]

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Hoping that we can snag Johnny Augustine in the 7th round. Some similarities to Coombs, who needs a backup now that Durie has retired.

[dmont]

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Hoping that we can snag Johnny Augustine in the 7th round. Some similarities to Coombs, who needs a backup now that Durie has retired.

Rats! Took a LB instead. Maybe Augustine in the 8th round.....?