CFL Draft Needs a Makeover

While there was lots of discussion on the analytical side of the draft picks, there were as many, if not more, stories on the drafted players and what they did in the community or what their families did to get them to this moment.

It might be trendy to dismiss players as privileged types, but when you hear about one running back whose family lived in a car because they couldn’t afford to live elsewhere, it makes you think about why so many still play the game as a means to better themselves and their families.

I am sure there are as many similar stories among the Canadian draftees, and if Randy Ambrosie was serious about promoting Canadian stories and interest, there would be more than enough stories about athletes trying to realize their dreams and the work that goes with it.

The CFL moved its draft to after the NFL to avoid potential uncertainty about draftees for the CFL draft being picked by NFL teams and not being available until after Labour Day. This year’s NFL draft saw no obvious Canadians getting drafted although there are a few players who could claim Canadian citizenship due to their parents.

So with that being said, the CBA talks have resumed following the players taking a strike vote and ending up with 97 per cent in favor. The talks have resumed so if the players decide to walk out, expect some labor action to start when camps are expected to start May 18.

One of the issues may be the number of starting Canadians in a line-up. With the CFL pushing its CFL 2.0, the league has already held a draft of Mexican and European players and the question will arise if you add these players onto the roster, do you expand the roster or cut the number of Canadians or Americans?

It seems likely the number of starting Canadians will be reduced from 7 to five, which makes selling this draft an interesting experiment in public relations in selling the CFL as an opportunity for Canadians to play professionally when the number of job opportunities is being cut. The CFL will like to counter that Canadian players can go overseas to Mexico and Europe, but those countries play by American rules, so other than the token Canadian learning a new game, it’s hard to see how Canadians will see a benefit from this.

There is also April 30 when rosters need to be reduced to 75 players. The uncertainty of what will come in the CBA means teams have no idea what the salary cap limit will be or what the ratio numbers will be for Canadian, American, European or Mexican players. The impact of free agency this year comes into play with teams that spent quite a bit on quarterbacks etc, now they have to make cuts of players who either make too much in relation to their age or position or in the case of BC with releasing Solomon Elimimian, who sits on the CFLPA negotiation committee.

Elimimian is currently being looked at by the Riders, Toronto and Hamilton. Those three teams seem to have the available cap space and I recall in 2014 during a Pros and Joes Tour of Taylor Field, then GM Brendan Taman asked which single player we would trade for. I suggested Elimimian because of his range and ability and while five years have passed and Elimimian is coming off a hand injury, if the Riders can fit him into the salary cap, he could be a valuable addition.

Jeff Knox Jr. has also approached the Riders and either addition would be worthwhile but unless you know the salary cap and consider the Riders may need to salt money away in case Jordan Williams-Lambert and Sam Eguavoen come back from their NFL tryouts. Add to this the potential free agents and players on the Rider negotiation list who come available and it would be foolish for a team to spend up to the salary cap and not have anything in reserve for potential returning players.

For example, former draft pick Elie Bouka has signed a one year contract with the team. Bouka had been drafted by the Riders, went to try out in the States, got injured, came back, played four games, then tried his luck in the NFL again but got injured again and came back to the Riders.

The one year contract works for both the player and the Riders. Bouka’s injury history, and based on his build, I would suspect lower body injuries are probably the issue, means it would be foolish to invest big money on someone whose place on the team is more likely to be in the cold tub than on the field. If Bouka hasn’t figured out how to avoid injury, the Riders only invested a year.

For Bouka, if he has a good year with the Riders, he can re-sign or try his luck elsewhere after this season. If he stays healthy and has some good game footage, another NFL shot is not out of the question.

This may explain why Jon Ryan has not announced where he will be signing after a couple of tryouts with the Riders, Toronto, and a mystery third team. With no media presence for Ryan’s tryout in Toronto, it is difficult to determine from the outside if he managed to give the Riders what they were looking for punting wise or not.

Ryan has over 10 years experience in the NFL and after the NFL draft, it is not out of the realm of possibility that Ryan could get a call from a team south of the border looking for kicking help and paying better than what the Riders could do. If Ryan was looking to show he was still interested in punting a year after being released by Seattle and Buffalo, then the free agent tryouts were a good marketing effort on his part.

Rider try-out camps continue this week south of the border in Georgia and Maryland and wind up next weekend in California. The Riders this week announced the signing of defensive lineman Chester Graves, the top ranked junior college prospect for 2019 south of the border, and defensive back Stephen Roberts who was in the Philadelphia Eagles organization.

The repercussions from the NFL won’t settle for a bit but keep an eye on Trace McSorley, former quarterback at Penn State and also on the Riders negotiation list. McSorley was drafted in the sixth round by the Baltimore Ravens who it seems want to use McSorley as an interesting option in a variety of positions. What makes this intriguing is McSorley wants to play as a quarterback and not be shuffled off to another position.

If the Ravens don’t have McSorley as the third string quarterback and try to use him as a receiver or another position, then McSorley may consider his options and consider the Riders if they want him to play as a quarterback.

In the meantime, the draft is coming up on Thursday and among the interesting things is Winnipeg looking to trade away either the fourth or fifth overall draft picks they are currently holding. Maybe Winnipeg is looking to trade down because this draft might be considered to be a deep one, but the again maybe Winnipeg is somewhere near the end of their salary cap and can’t afford to pay what not just one, but two first round draft picks may be getting paid.

So with that being said, the draft may unravel in a fashion like this – Toronto has the first pick overall and is in an interesting position with Ricky Ray still being unsigned, yet the Argos also have James Franklin and Brandon Bridge and apparently Noah Picton. Whoever the Argos quarterback may be, they definitely need to be protected and while a part of me thinks that Argo head coach Cory Chamblin may load up on Mathieu Betts, a defensive lineman, another part thinks that Chamblin will listen to Jacques Chapdelaine, the offensive coordinator and upgrade Toronto’s offensive line which was, let the clichés run wild, truly offensive last year and pick offensive lineman Zach Wilkinson.

Hamilton by comparison gets to spend the draft pick they picked off of Montreal when they scammed Montreal into taking John Manziel as their lord and savior. Hamilton as compared to say Ottawa or the tire fire that is Montreal is in pretty good shape heading into 2019 and with a good Canadian defensive line being their strength, can then add to that by taking Betts who would benefit from a rotational set up where he can learn to play the position and how to be effective like Ted Laurent.

Edmonton is in a somewhat similar position to Hamilton, having drafted some good Canadian defensive linemen last year and will be looking to supplement them this year. Whatever the Canadian ratio turns out to be, it doesn’t ignore that if you have a Canadian starter, you should have a Canadian back-up who can step in and do the job. So Edmonton will be looking to build a Canadian pool at strength at defensive line by adding Robert Smith in the draft.

Winnipeg with the fourth and fifth picks will be interesting because while Winnipeg would like to trade the picks for assets, Winnipeg as a club is pretty set for the season. Winnipeg will try to address the receiver position because they are a bit light on Canadians and take Justin McGinnis at receiver at the number four spot.

Winnipeg has also lost some Canadian talent on the offensive line and so they will likely take offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais at spot number 5 and perhaps hope he can step in and start for them. Winnipeg with a mostly veteran team has the luxury of drafting for whatever they feel is necessary, as long as the players are there who are ready to step up. However, if Winnipeg can take one or both draft picks and turn them into either players who can contribute right away from other teams or even more draft picks, Winnipeg can build enough assets to weather whatever injuries they may endure for the rest of the season.

Most observers feel the Riders will be looking to build up their Canadian receiving content and the signing of offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley helps to address one glaring weakness on the offensive line. While the Rider line last season had a rough start, then seemed to find their stride in the middle of the season, injuries and lack of performance on the offensive line cost the Riders quarterback Zach Collaros before the western semi-final and knocked Brandon Bridge out on the game’s last drive.

So while many observers have pencilled in Justin McGinnis at receiver as a draft pick, Winnipeg is in no mood to give the Riders any help in the selection process. So look to the Riders to pick receiver Hergy Mayala to help bolster a relatively young and thin receiving corps.

Ottawa just got strip mined of their starting quarterback, leading receiver and an offensive lineman or two and finally lost their defensive coordinator to greener horizons. Ottawa is test driving Jon Jennings this season and one thing they will need to do is get some stability on their offensive line. Say hello then to Steve Richards, an offensive lineman who marks the start of Ottawa’s rebuild on the fly.

Finally there is Calgary. Calgary lost some players, probably overpaid for Bo Levi Mitchell, and is caught wondering if they have lost ground to teams like BC and Edmonton. For Calgary, this season is the ultimate test of whether John Hufnagel can identify and bring in talent to consistently compete for the Grey Cup. Calgary will likely go with a receiver and Kaion Julien-Grant of St. Francis Xavier seems to be the likeliest suspect.

The situation in Montreal does bear watching as it is not entirely clear if the team is up for sale, being sold or if the Wetenhalls are continuing to operate the team. What is clear is Montreal has floundered perhaps even more so under the reign of Kavis Reed. The only remaining position for Reed is now of owner, and Reed is in the position of trying to prove he can get out of a delusional mess of his own making or go off and take over the Edmonton Eskimos as CEO.

The uncertainty makes the team less than attractive to fans that should enjoy the atmosphere at McGill Stadium if what was on the field was not so much of a clown show. Commissioner Randy Ambrosie has been criticized for his CFL 2.0 approach when it does nothing to address the problem of selling tickets in the larger cities in the country.

However, local owners with a passion for the team and the sport and willing to try new things would be the best to rekindle the sport. But that is just me, what happens in Montreal stays in Montreal.

by Greg Urbanoski

CFL Draft Needs a Makeover

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