2018 CFL draft

[jerrym]

QB Noah Picton did very well at the Combine. The Argos, Bombers and Tiger Cats interviewed him However, with two strikes against him, being Canadian and 5'9", is anyone going to give him a real chance?

[j-ski]

I doubt anyone will sign him. I would hate the Bomber's to sign him and do the same as they did to Jordan Yantz. Signed him, but didn't even allow him to play a quarter of pre-season before they cut him. Disgusting thing to do from a Canadian GM and Canadian Head Coach.

[OV Argo]

I doubt anyone will sign him. I would hate the Bomber's to sign him and do the same as they did to Jordan Yantz. Signed him, but didn't even allow him to play a quarter of pre-season before they cut him. Disgusting thing to do from a Canadian GM and Canadian Head Coach.

Yep; and sorry AV here - but O'Shea (one of my all-time fave CFL players) & Walters are nothing but CFL GOBs on this file. I guess they could change my mind by giving a shot to Picton - we shall see. Picton gets zero real CFL shot is my guess; the Als would rather trot out that stiff Shiltz for another chance; and the RedBlacks or Esks have basically zip at even 2nd string QB for TC.

And Picton getting some sort of draft time talk (and concerns about his 5-9. 180 stature make sense), but Laval QB Hugo Richard getting ZERO mention for this CFL draft is laughable to disturbing. Richard has a very similar resume to Picton in that they entered CIS ball at the same time and both are rarities in having been starters from rookie on in at QB; both have close to all-time best CIS pass completion %s; but while Picton is quite under-sized, Richard is 6-2, 220 range, he has shown better running /scrambling QB ability in college ball, and has garnered much more playing time in play-offs (Conference finals, National Semis and the Vanier (he won a Vanier) against tougher competition. But Richard does not even rate an invite to the CFL Combine ??? - gee what a shocker / what's the GOB excuse there? (maybe he has a Frenchy accent that concerns some GOBs with their southern drawls ? ;o))

[AngeloV]

Yep; and sorry AV here - but O'Shea (one of my all-time fave CFL players) & Walters are nothing but CFL GOBs on this file.

Yeah, OK.

[OV Argo]

Yeah, OK.

And of course you know all the Bombers QBs competing for 2nd thru 4th string and future starter there (let's call Durant a one year emergency stop-gap) in TC and realize Walters & O'Shea should have zero interest in either of Picton or Richard to compete in TC - cause they are inferior, not worthy of looking at QBs.

[Flutie]

Yep; and sorry AV here - but O'Shea (one of my all-time fave CFL players) & Walters are nothing but CFL GOBs on this file. I guess they could change my mind by giving a shot to Picton - we shall see. Picton gets zero real CFL shot is my guess; the Als would rather trot out that stiff Shiltz for another chance; and the RedBlacks or Esks have basically zip at even 2nd string QB for TC.

And Picton getting some sort of draft time talk (and concerns about his 5-9. 180 stature make sense), but Laval QB Hugo Richard getting ZERO mention for this CFL draft is laughable to disturbing. Richard has a very similar resume to Picton in that they entered CIS ball at the same time and both are rarities in having been starters from rookie on in at QB; both have close to all-time best CIS pass completion %s; but while Picton is quite under-sized, Richard is 6-2, 220 range, he has shown better running /scrambling QB ability in college ball, and has garnered much more playing time in play-offs (Conference finals, National Semis and the Vanier (he won a Vanier) against tougher competition. But Richard does not even rate an invite to the CFL Combine ??? - gee what a shocker / what's the GOB excuse there? (maybe he has a Frenchy accent that concerns some GOBs with their southern drawls ? ;o))

Picton has a lot of good stats but we have seen many QBs come out of the CIS with impressive passing completions stats too. They have been given chances to play but they just aren't good enough.
The problem is that Picton is not only undersized but he has never thrown against ex-NCAA or NFL defenses.
How would he do being chased down by a Sol Eliman, Butler or a Simoni Lawrence? How would he react in the pocket going against the big guys?
How about throwing into coverage where the defenders are ex-NFL and ex-NCAA and faster and better coached than any CIS defender?
A Brandon Bridge has been there and payed his dues by playing in the NCAA . A QB in the NCAA is a full time job and they play 5 more games than a CIS team and the defenses or faster, bigger stronger. The best high school QBs like Bridge are scouted and signed to a NCAA school.
Sinopoli was given a chance as a QB but he was better a receiver. Buckley has been around for a couple of years but I can see him being cut this year. Kyle Quinlan was in the Als camp a couple of years ago after putting up great stats in the CIS but he wasn't good enough.
Every year the CFL brings in ex-CIS QBs to camps so it's not like they don't get a chance.

Sorry but I don't think a CIS QB even with impressive stats is going to make it.

[OV Argo]

Picton has a lot of good stats but we have seen many QBs come out of the CIS with impressive passing completions stats too. They have been given chances to play but they just aren't good enough.
The problem is that Picton is not only undersized but he has never thrown against ex-NCAA or NFL defenses.
How would he do being chased down by a Sol Eliman, Butler or a Simoni Lawrence? How would he react in the pocket going against the big guys?
How about throwing into coverage where the defenders are ex-NFL and ex-NCAA and faster and better coached than any CIS defender?
A Brandon Bridge has been there and payed his dues by playing in the NCAA . A QB in the NCAA is a full time job and they play 5 more games than a CIS team and the defenses or faster, bigger stronger. The best high school QBs like Bridge are scouted and signed to a NCAA school.
Sinopoli was given a chance as a QB but he was better a receiver. Buckley has been around for a couple of years but I can see him being cut this year. Kyle Quinlan was in the Als camp a couple of years ago after putting up great stats in the CIS but he wasn't good enough.
Every year the CFL brings in ex-CIS QBs to camps so it's not like they don't get a chance.

Sorry but I don't think a CIS QB even with impressive stats is going to make it.

Can you name for us - all the top Canadian/CIS QBs who have been given a CFL "chance" - in the past 10 years or so - and showed they weren't "good enough" via CFL TC competition and exhibition game playing time ? Who are all these guys who have bombed in CFL "chances"?

Guys like you are great at citing generalisations and cliches about how Canadian/CIS players are so inferior, but how about some real evidence? Go down the list of all top CIS QBs from the past 10 years or so - all-stars, top stat passers, Hec Crichton winners, Vanier Cup Championship winners - and produce evidence that they got a CFL "chance" but showed they weren't able to cut it by poor TC play or weak ex. game performance.

Surely a big football fan like yourself can name all these Canadian QBs - you saw them play in CIS ball and also were at or else heard about their CFL TC experiences to just know they aren't "good enough". Quinlan - "segregated" from other Als QBs at TC instead of in the mix for reps, plus who they conveiently "forgot" to invite to a TC camp in the States in his supposed try-out there, is one good example - for sure - so obvious. Let's hear about all the others ?

Then maybe go down the list of current CFL teams QB depth charts - some teams with glaring need for QB competition at TC - for even 2nd thru 4th string jobs (Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal maybe) and tell us all about how their QB depth charts are stocked with superb young QB prospects, so that Picton or Richard for example, are not even worth looking at.

Sorry, but I don't think you have the slightest clue there; but you could change my mind with lots of evidence; otherwise - thanks for coming out on this one.

[Wobbler]

According to the draft tracker, the conditional pick we owe Montreal this year is only a 6th rounder. Considering how will Green played for us, I thought it might be a lot higher.

[jerrym]

Uncertainty over Combine times has arisen due to differences in technology.

Over the last while, both the CFL and NFL have increasingly used laser technology at the combine to register 40 times, producing what’s known as a “laser time.” But that method cannot be used at every free agent tryout which means hand times are the main point of reference for pro evaluators. Long-time scouts have watched and timed thousands of prospects with their own hands and young men in the evaluation game use the same technique.
Looking at the numbers provides an example of why scouts feel wary about banking on laser times. ...

McMaster receiver Daniel Petermann was anointed as the fastest player at the national event with a 4.54 laser-recorded 40-yard time. However, Peterman clocked 4.57 on both attempts at the 40 according to the hand time and his other laser time was 4.63. Compare those results to Mark Chapman’s 4.57 hand time – exactly the same as Petermann’s – and the laser was 4.69. As for Guzylak-Messam he put down 4.51 and 4.59 hand times to go along with 4.60 and 4.68 lasers.
Conventional wisdom normally discounts one- to two-tenths from a laser time to match it up to the hand equivalent but even by those standards, the CFL’s recent combine results are inconsistent. Surface matters too. The turf at the RBC Convention Centre in the Manitoba Capital was slippery, having just been laid down for the combine, and athletes were “running into the grain,” further muddling times. It should be said all prospects had the same conditions so the times are relative when contrasting the difference in speed between the prospects who were there.
But that’s cold comfort for the high-end Canadian players with hopes of getting an NFL opportunity of some sort where tenths of a second can be game-changers, especially at the skill positions.
That’s why prospects are becoming increasingly careful about controlling the conditions for their workouts. Highly ranked offensive linemen David Knevel, Ryan Hunter and Trey Rutherford didn’t attend the combine and elected to perform at their NCAA pro days. ...

In both pro leagues on either side of the border, baseline athletic standards must be met to even be considered by a team using a pick or signing a player to an undrafted free agent deal.

http://3downnation.com/2018/04/06/ti...mbine-results/

[jerrym]

Here's Marshall Ferguson's Mock Draft 2.0:

http://ticats.ca/mock-draft-2-0-changing-of-the-guards/

[doubleblue]

Here's Marshall Ferguson's Mock Draft 2.0:

http://ticats.ca/mock-draft-2-0-changing-of-the-guards/

I could live with most of Ferguson's picks if it became a reality for the Argos. Godber, Onyeka, Knevel (probably a 2019 guy) and Howell. Not bad.

In the 5th round I would rather have LB J.G. Poulin out of Western. Should be a good special team guy IMO.

RB Stone could be a nice back up if he can play special teams.

Don't know much about the 8th rounder DB Idowu from Windsor.

The only thing we can be sure about is that Popp will pick someone that will be a head shaker.

[jerrym]

I could live with most of Ferguson's picks if it became a reality for the Argos. Godber, Onyeka, Knevel (probably a 2019 guy) and Howell. Not bad.

In the 5th round I would rather have LB J.G. Poulin out of Western. Should be a good special team guy IMO.

RB Stone could be a nice back up if he can play special teams.

Don't know much about the 8th rounder DB Idowu from Windsor.

The only thing we can be sure about is that Popp will pick someone that will be a head shaker.

If we got Goober, Onyeka and Knevel out of the draft or their rough equivalents talent and position wise I'd be very happy. However, drafting ninth I don't think we'll be that lucky.

[OV Argo]

I could live with most of Ferguson's picks if it became a reality for the Argos. Godber, Onyeka, Knevel (probably a 2019 guy) and Howell. Not bad.

In the 5th round I would rather have LB J.G. Poulin out of Western. Should be a good special team guy IMO.

RB Stone could be a nice back up if he can play special tea

Don't know much about the 8th rounder DB Idowu from Windsor.

The only thing we can be sure about is that Popp will pick someone that will be a head shaker.

Godber will most likely be already taken by #9, IMO.

Ferguson sees the Argos taking another NI DE when they drafted one last year (Foster) who got zero playing time at the position ? (while meanwhile a much later drafted DE in Boateng emerged as a very good DE in opportunity with the Esks). Both Onyeka & Foster were very good CIS DEs, but Foster has a far superior set of athletic testing #s.

Howell is one of those guys who emerged as a prospect at the Combine and the special teams only thinking there; I think the Argos can get a better and more accomplished player with that pick; but maybe Howell is another Kevin Eiben ?


Ferguson is again good for lots of laughs with some of his comments there. And he has some top rated prospects( Banner, Justin Buren, Alex Taylor, Justin Lawrence) falling to very late in the draft in favor of some way less accomplished players; but it is the CFL draft and head shaker as doubleblue says is often a feature of that event.

[doubleblue]

Godber will most likely be already taken by #9, IMO.

Ferguson sees the Argos taking another NI DE when they drafted one last year (Foster) who got zero playing time at the position ? (while meanwhile a much later drafted DE in Boateng emerged as a very good DE in opportunity with the Esks). Both Onyeka & Foster were very good CIS DEs, but Foster has a far superior set of athletic testing #s.

Howell is one of those guys who emerged as a prospect at the Combine and the special teams only thinking there; I think the Argos can get a better and more accomplished player with that pick; but maybe Howell is another Kevin Eiben ?


Ferguson is again good for lots of laughs with some of his comments there. And he has some top rated prospects( Banner, Justin Buren, Alex Taylor, Justin Lawrence) falling to very late in the draft in favor of some way less accomplished players; but it is the CFL draft and head shaker as doubleblue says is often a feature of that event.

Foster got some playing time in at least one game last year. Played some at right DE. He has a good quick burst off the line but he never got close to the opposing QB. Too small (a short 5' 11 and under 230) to play DE at the CFL level. I expect Popp was looking at him for special teams and that may well turn out to be his fort. Onyeka is listed at 6'3 240 which is more of a starting point for a CFL DE. Saw him play live once and he has some possibilities IMO. But then Walker and Waud were highly rated and they're both gone now.

[OV Argo]

Have to disagree - again - on Foster being written-off as "too small" to play DE in the CFL; he may be under-sized, but so have some all-time CFL greats (like Quick Parker or Joe Montford) - who were there because of a combo of quicks, athleticism, strength and nose for the ball, rather than relying on just being big. Foster has put up some outstanding testing #s for a DE at Combine, and he was a play-making DE for the Bisons. I'm not writing him off, and would like to see him get a shot (must have missed that game he played in last year?). And BTW - former BC Lion and now Esk - Alex Bazzie is listed at 6-1, 228 and has got lots of CFL DE playing time in 2 stints with BC (showed a bit of pass rush skill but basically not that good or consistent IMO) - Foster is as big or bigger; and might be better; but Bazzie has the better passport to get to play DE with GOBs.

[jerrym]

Here's a video profile on LB Nelkas Kwemo from Queens.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/04/09/prospe...-nelkas-kwemo/

[jerrym]

Justin Dunk discusses five players whose performance at the National Combine has raised their profile to possible first round draft choices: OL Arnaud Gendron-Dumouchel, DB Godfrey Onyeka, DB/LB Jackson Bennett, DB Isaiah Guzylak-Messam, and DB Jordan Beaulieu.

The DBs probably improved their draft position, but it is more likely that none, or at most one, of them will be chosen in the first round as CFL teams rarely use first round draft choices on DBs. Last year the first DB was in the third round (#20 overall). In 2016, the first DB drafted was a second rounder (#12 overall). In 2015, however, Chris Ackie was drafted #4 overall by the Als, the only DB chosen in the first round that year.

http://3downnation.com/2018/04/11/fi...e-cfl-combine/

[jerrym]

Here are the final CFL Scouting Bureau rankings with OL Ryan Hunter (Bowling Green), WR Mark Chapman (Central Michigan), and OL Dakoda Shepley (UBC) occupying the top 3 of 20 spots.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/04/12/hunter...reau-rankings/

[jerrym]

Based on recent history, the chances of the #1 overall CFL Scouting Bureau draft choice even being chosen in the first round is extremely low due to the likelihood he will end up in the NFL instead.

It’s been seven years, and six straight drafts, since the top-ranked prospect in the Bureau’s final rankings has been a CFL first round pick. Rice offensive lineman Scott Mitchell was ranked number one that year and ended up going second overall to the Edmonton Eskimos; Mitchell finished his active career with the Argos in 2016.
Since then, though, its been a different story for top ranked prospects, as illustrated below:

YEAR	PLAYER	POS.	SCHOOL	DRAFTED
2012	Tyrone Crawford	DE	Boise State	Not drafted
2013	Boseko Lokombo	LB	Oregon	BC (3rd round)
2014	Laurent Duvernay-Tardif	OL	McGill	Calgary (3rd round)
2015	Christian Covington	DL	Rice	BC (4th round)
2016	David Onyemata	DT	Manitoba	Saskatchewan (4th round)
2017	Justin Senior	OL	Mississippi State	Edmonton (5th round)

If you’ve been following the CFL Draft over the last number of years, none of this is news to you. But if you’re wondering why all of these top-ranked guys fell so dramatically in the draft, the answer is simple: they all had significant interest from NFL teams, too.
Of the six top-ranked players above, only Lokombo went undrafted in the NFL and, thus, is the only player with any CFL experience; he’s now a member of the San Francisco 49ers. In the five other cases, though, the players were taken in the NFL Draft and have been cutting their teeth south of the border ever since.
This trend goes beyond the number one-ranked prospects, too. Take 2017 for instance: UCLA defensive lineman Eli Ankou was ranked second and fell to Ottawa in the third round. Similarly, Laval tight end Antony Auclair was the seventh ranked player and wound up going in the fourth round to Riders. Neither Ankou nor Auclair were taken in the NFL Draft but were instead signed as free agents immediately following.
It all combines to make the CFL Draft one of the most interesting showcases in professional sports. Teams have a lot of different factors to weigh before making their picks. Is it worth it to use a high pick on a guy who might end up on an NFL roster? Or is it better to play it safe? It really can work both ways.
The Eskimos used a 2016 second round pick on Michigan State DB Arjen Colquhoun, which seemed risky at the time. Well, after Colquhoun spent a year with the Dallas Cowboys, he signed on with Edmonton and is now a starter at corner. On talent alone, Colquhoun was a first round pick, and the Esks were able to get him with a second round pick, which worked out nicely.

https://www.cfl.ca/2018/04/16/steinb...g-game-begins/

[OV Argo]

Based on recent history, the chances of the #1 overall CFL Scouting Bureau draft choice even being chosen in the first round is extremely low due to the likelihood he will end up in the NFL instead.



https://www.cfl.ca/2018/04/16/steinb...g-game-begins/

Except that this year - none of those top rated CFL draft prospects is anywhere close to a highly rated NFL draft prospect at their position. NCAA guys like Knevel, Hunter or Godber might get a post NFL draft FA signing opportunity, but even that is not certain. All will be revealed there before CFL draft anyways.