CFL Drafts of the past

With just over a week to go until the CFL Canadian College Draft, the eight teams around the league are finalizing their draft boards and preparing for the draft itself after months of scouting and evaluating. The video highlights and testing numbers have been looked at, the interviews conducted, and the teams will now be putting together their lists of what they need and who fits into what they’re looking for.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders hold the first overall pick, and the consensus is that they’ll likely select offensive lineman Ben Heenan with the selection. With the retirement of offensive guard Gene Makowsky in the off-season, the Riders might find a good replacement in Heenan. Another positive for the Riders here is that Heenan played his university football in the province, with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies.

The CFL draft is unique wherein anyone in the draft can make an impact, whether they be a first-round pick or a sixth-round pick. As readers might remember from my column “Ode to the Sleepers and Stinkers” from March, I love a good sleeper pick as well as a good bust, and the CFL draft is always full of them.

Here are lists, going backwards in time, of the best sleeper picks in CFL draft history, followed by some of the biggest draft busts, as well as some of the surprise picks in the last fifteen years of the draft.

Sleepers

What is a sleeper? A sleeper here shall be defined as a player taken in one of the last two rounds of the draft, who earned a regular spot on a roster or made a significant impact with the team who drafted him, or a team he was traded to. Others could be added to this list, but they were released from the team who drafted them, therefore nullifying their status as a sleeper (ex: Mathieu Bertrand).

Luc Brodeur-Jourdain, OL, 6^th round, 48^th pick overall by Montreal in 2008

Brodeur-Jourdain, a prospect from Laval, was 2008’s “Mr. Irrelevant,” the nickname provided to the last person chosen in a draft. He has since proven to be anything but irrelevant, stepping in at centre and filling the void left when longtime Alouette centre Bryan Chiu retired the day before training camp began in 2010. LBJ helped the Alouettes to a Grey Cup victory in his first year as the starter, and has become the anchor in arguably the league’s best offensive line, who produced the league’s leading rusher in Brandon Whitaker in 2011.

Chris Getzlaf, WR, 5^th round, 33^rd pick overall by Hamilton in 2007

The University of Regina receiver has seen his production increase steadily over his four-year career, since arriving in Saskatchewan in an August 2007 trade. Getzlaf helped the Riders to back-to-back Western Division championships, and in 2011 earned his first career 1,000-yard receiving season while also being named his team’s Most Outstanding Canadian. Getzlaf formed ¼ of the Riders’ “Canadian Air Force” with Rob Bagg, Andy Fantuz, and Jason Clermont, but with Fantuz now a Tiger-Cat and Clermont retired, Getzlaf should once again see his production increase in 2012.

Bryan Crawford, RB, 5^th round, 44^th pick overall by Toronto in 2005

While his offensive numbers are nothing spectacular, Crawford’s value was found on special teams, where he played seven seasons for the Argonauts. He was one of the mainstays on an Argo team which has seen massive personnel turnover over the past four or five years, and is one of the reasons why the Argos special teams have been so successful along with the emergence of Chad Owens over the past two seasons. Crawford retired this off-season, but his value to the Argonauts’ franchise is not one to be frowned upon.

Dave Stala, WR, 6^th round, 50^th pick overall by Montreal in 2003

Stala spent six years among a myriad of star receivers in Montreal before signing with Hamilton, where he has spent the last three seasons. During his time in Montreal, Stala played in three Grey Cups, and accumulated 1,037 yards in his third season, while in Hamilton he has become a fan favourite not just for his production on the field, but for his creative touchdown celebrations as well (His hackey sack celebration might be one of the best of all time). In 2010, Stala was the East Division nominee for Most Oustanding Canadian, and led the Ticats in receiving last season. With Andy Fantuz’s signing in the off-season, he will play a more complementary role, but one he will no doubt embrace.

Chris Hardy, DB, 6^th round, 47^th pick overall by Edmonton in 1997

Hardy, like Crawford, was a player who was able to find a niche on special teams in the CFL. A quarterback with University of Manitoba in college, Hardy made the switch to free safety, where he played limited time, but showed his true versatility on special teams. During six-year stints with each Edmonton and Toronto, Hardy played time on the coverage teams, as well as displayed his skill at punting and placekicking at various points in his career. Hardy was a team captain in the later years of his career with the Argonauts, and was an important cog on their special teams wheel while providing veteran leadership in the locker room.

Busts

It should be noted that this list of “busts” does not include draft picks who pursued an NFL career instead, but rather a group who tried the CFL route and became busts. Also, busts have to be someone who had some pre-draft buzz around them, or someone who people might remember. Even the most hardcore CFL fan can look at the first two rounds of the 2005 draft and go “Huh?” at many of the names.

Saleem Borhot, DB, 2^nd round, 12^th pick overall by Edmonton in 2010

This was a pick that surprised many who felt that Borhot’s lack of strength and size would see him at the best being a later-round pick or free agency pickup. Borhot didn’t last too long in Edmonton, as he was put on the injured reserve before the season ended, and had been the recipient of a few highlight-reel hits delivered by the ball carriers in five appearances.

Dylan Barker, DB, 1^st round, 1^st pick overall by Hamilton in 2008

Barker being on this list is in no way a reflection on Barker’s talent level. He was very deserving of the #1-selection, but just ran into too many injury troubles, including a broken leg which ended his rookie season before it started, and a back injury which caused him to miss the entire 2011 season. While he never amounted to being the hard-hitting safety which the Ticats drafted him to be, he did set a record with 37 special teams tackles in 2009. However, the back injury forced him into retirement this January, meaning Barker’s short career puts him on this list.

Chris Bauman, WR, 1^st round, 1^st pick overall by Hamilton in 2007

Is Hamilton cursed with drafting busts? Or is Bauman cursed with being a bust? Bauman, a 6-foot-4 receiver, showed flashes of his potential during four seasons with Hamilton, but only accumulated a total of 1,511 yards for the Ticats before signing a very lucrative contract with Edmonton last off-season. Bauman continued to underachieve, however, with only 11 catches in only seven games as an Eskimo. Bauman has since moved on to his third team, after being signed by Calgary post-release from Edmonton, meaning that not only was Bauman the bust of the draft in 2007, but also the bust of the free agency class in 2011.

Adam Braidwood, DL, 1^st round, 1^st pick overall by Edmonton in 2006

Braidwood would be named the Eskimos’ rookie of the year in 2006, but things quickly went downhill after that. He played only three more years of CFL football before being let go by Edmonton for a variety of reasons. Mixed Martial Arts became a more interesting career to Braidwood, while he also wound up in severe legal troubles after being charged with aggravated assault and forcible confinement, along with several firearm offences. While, like Bauman, showing flashes of his potential, it was the off-field distractions which led Braidwood to being named a bust.

Dave Miller-Johnston, K, 1^st round, 2^nd pick overall by Toronto in 1998

Miller-Johnston is the highest kicker ever selected in the CFL draft, but the Concordia product never attempted a kick in the CFL. How bad is it? Tie Domi has more attempted kicks in the CFL than Miller-Johnston. Also, if you try Googling “Dave Miller-Johnston CFL,” Google says “Did you mean: Dave Miller-Johnson CFL?” Yeah, pretty easy to say this guy was a bust.

Surprise Picks

The surprise picks are players who leapt onto the draft radar essentially at the draft, or who were taken perhaps unexpectedly high.

Akwasi Antwi, LB, 4^th round, 26^th pick overall by Calgary in 2011

Antwi wasn’t on many teams’ radars because a lot of teams might not have known he was draft-eligible. Even Antwi himself didn’t even know he was draft eligible, nor did a lot of people at Mount Allison, who were all pleasantly surprised when Antwi’s name was called at the ’11 draft. After only three years in the CIS, Antwi played in all eighteen games for the Stampeders, mainly on special teams, but Calgary’s draft board was likely the only one he was on due to defensive coordinator Chris Jones’s connections out east.

Marco Brouillette, LB, 3^rd round, 23^rd pick overall by Montreal in 2010

A quarterback at Universite de Montreal, Brouillette was on some people’s draft boards, but not as high as 23^rd overall. The Alouettes snapped him up early because of his freak athletic ability, and versatility on the field. Moved to the defensive side of the ball, Brouillette showed his versatility in an injury-decimated Montreal defence in 2011, appearing at all three linebacker spots as well as halfback and free safety. He also scored his first CFL touchdown on an electrifying fake punt, where he showed off his speed and running ability which made him a successful CIS quarterback and put him on the draft radar to begin with.

Samuel Giguere, WR, 1^st round, 8^th pick overall by Hamilton in 2008

Giguere was on the NFL scene by the time the 2008 CFL draft rolled around, but much like Vaughn Martin (drafted 39^th overall by Montreal in 2011), it was expected that Giguere would fall down to the later rounds because of his NFL potential. Hamilton was quick on the draw however, snatching him up with the hopes that his NFL career wouldn’t work out. Well, unfortunately for Hamilton, it did somewhat work out, and the Sherbrook graduate is still south of the border. Just because he hasn’t yet had a CFL career doesn’t mean he won’t, but it does mean he is one of the surprise picks.

Warren Kean, K, 1^st round, 2^nd pick overall by Edmonton in 2007

With Sean Fleming still the Eskimos’ number one guy (although ironically he would retire after the 2007 season), some found it strange that Edmonton would pick a kicker so high. With little demand for kickers at the time, and only one other kicker drafted (35^th overall), Kean going 2^nd overall surprised some around the league. Consider this too: current CFL regulars JP Bekasiak, Justin Phillips and Jabari Arthur were all first-round selections that year as well, as the 4^th, 5^th, and 6^th selections. With Derek Schiavone, Grant Shaw and Burke Dales now Eskimos, Kean’s career was short-lived, although he did sign short-term contracts with Calgary and Saskatchewan over the past couple of seasons. Miller-Johnston is still the biggest bust at kicker, but Kean being selected so early is still one of the all-time surprises.

Philippe Girard, DB, 1^st round, 5^th pick overall by Edmonton in 1998

The second Mount Allison player in this category, Girard is a surprise pick not only because of where he was drafted, but where he played on the field. Girard, an All-Canadian at defensive halfback, played the majority of his CFL career as a defensive end; an abrupt change for sure. Drafted ahead of future superstars Ben Cahoon and Scott Flory, Girard was likely on the draft radars of many teams, but perhaps not as high as 5^th overall; in an NCAA-heavy first three rounds, the focus was clearly south of the border and certainly not on Atlantic Canada. Girard remains the highest-drafted player out of Mount Allison, and was the highest-drafted player out of the AUS until 2003.

Best Draft team-by-team

Keeping in mind that this is only taking into consideration the last fifteen years, here are the best draft years each team has had in that time.

BC Lions: 2010: Shawn Gore (WR), Hamid Mahmoudi (DB), Akeem Foster (WR), Cauchy Muamba (DB)

Calgary Stampeders: 2005: Miguel Robede (DL), Godfrey Ellis (OL), John Comiskey (OL), Brett Ralph (WR)

Edmonton Eskimos: 2008: Greg Wojt (OL), Tim St-Pierre (LB/FB/LS), Justin Cooper (DL)

Saskatchewan Roughriders: 2006: Andy Fantuz (WR), Luca Congi (K)

Winnipeg Blue Bombers: 2008: Brendon Labette (OL), Aaron Hargreaves (WR), Don Oramasionwu (DL), Pierre-Luc Labbe (LB/LS)

Hamilton Tiger-Cats: 2003: Julian Radlein (FB), Kevin Scott (LS), Agustin Barrenechea (LB/FB)

Toronto Argonauts: 2008: Mike Bradwell (WR), Mark Dewit (OL), Tyler Scott (WR), Matt Black (DB)

Montreal Alouettes: 2008: Shea Emry (LB), Andrew Woodruff (OL), Paul Woldu (DB), Luc Brodeur-Jourdain (OL)

The 2012 CFL Draft will take place Thursday, May 3^rd in Toronto and will be broadcast on TSN. It is an exciting time for college players around Canada, and is the first sign that training camps are right around the corner. Who will be the next Marco Brouillette, Dava Stala, and Dave Miller-Johnston? Only time will tell, but be sure to tune in to TSN next Thursday to start finding out!

The Best of the Rest

The CFL Free Agency is now long forgotten; nearly two months after it opened, the focus of the League has shifted to the upcoming CFL Canadian College Draft, which will take place May 2. But this year it has been interesting to watch as several outstanding veteran players have still yet to be signed, and with the draft upcoming, the question is: How many of these great free agents will remain unsigned when training camps open at the beginning of June?

I by no means am will attempt to predict who will and who won’t be signed, but here are the ten best free agents still on the market, in no particular order.

Avon Cobourne, RB

Last team: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Why he became a free agent: Hamilton signed former CFL Rookie of the Year Martell Mallett. His potential, young age and high salary meant the Tiger-Cats had to show Cobourne the door.

Why he should be signed: At 33 years of age, Cobourne still has some game left in him, as is evident by the 961 rushing yards he posted in 2011, along with 459 receiving yards. He is only one season removed from being a back-to-back Grey Cup Champion, and his leadership ability complements his talents on the field.

Why nobody has signed him: First and foremost, his age. 33 is old for a football player, especially a running back, and the type of salary which Cobourne would ask for might be too much for a cap-conscious group of general managers

Who could use him: Saskatchewan, Edmonton

Wes Cates, RB

Last team: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Why he became a free agent: Became an unrestricted free agent when his contract expired

Why he should be signed: Like Cobourne, he’s still got game. He wasn’t able to show it as much last year, but he can still provide a team with a solid powerback option.

Why nobody has signed him: Again like Cobourne, his age. That and his speed isn’t quite what it used to be.

Who could use him: Edmonton

Fred Reid, RB

Last team: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Why he became a free agent: The emergence of Chris Garrett in the Bomber backfield while Reid was sidelined with an season-ending knee injury provided the Blue Bombers with a younger, cheaper option at running back.

Why he should be signed: He is definitely the fastest running back available, and the shiftiest.

Why nobody has signed him: His injury may have deprived him of some of that speed and shiftiness, and it is becoming an unfortunate trend that fewer teams are willing to take a chance on someone coming back from a major injury.

Who could use him: Edmonton

Joffrey Reynolds, RB

Last team: Calgary Stampeders

Why he became a free agent: Jon Cornish exploded onto the CFL scene, starting out the season splitting carries with Reynolds before taking over completely. Reynolds became especially expendable when LaMarcus Coker also emerged as a legitimate CFL threat.

Why he should be signed: Reynolds is one of the league’s best at reading the line and finding the hole.

Why nobody has signed him: His age, put together with the fact that he doesn’t have flashy speed or the ability to power through linebackers.

Who could use him: Saskatchewan

Mark Estelle, DB

Last team: Montreal Alouettes

Why he became a free agent: Became an unrestricted free agent when his contract expired.

Why he should be signed: Estelle over the past few seasons has been one of the premier shutdown corners. He doesn’t put up great statistics in terms of interceptions and tackles, but that’s because teams don’t throw to his side.

Why nobody has signed him: Estelle is a grizzled veteran; maybe too grizzled for some teams, who are going for faster, stronger corners as opposed to straight up cover men.

Who could use him: Montreal, Saskatchewan, Edmonton

Stevie Baggs, DE

Last team: Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Why he became a free agent: Hamilton asked Baggs if he’d be willing to take a pay cut, Baggs said he wasn’t, and he got released.

Why he should be signed: The man is dominant. Easily one of the best ends in the league during his time in Saskatchewan and was just as good with Hamilton over the past season and a half.

Why nobody has signed him: Baggs was one of the highest-paid defensive players in the CFL in Hamilton. Other teams might echo Hamilton’s views and not want to pay him that much money.

Who could use him: Montreal, Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Calgary

Anwar Stewart, DL

Last team: Montreal Alouettes

Why he became a free agent: Montreal released him in February.

Why he should be signed: Stewart might just be one of the best defensive players over the age of 35 in the game of football. His work ethic is second to none, his desire to play allows him to play either end or tackle, and his leadership qualities are unrivalled by any other defensive lineman currently in the CFL.

Why nobody has signed him: He’s 36 years old, and teams might choose to look at that with some skepticism when talking about someone who isn’t a quarterback or kicker, which is unfortunate.

Who could use him: Montreal, Winnipeg, Calgary

Eric Wilson, DT

Last team: Montreal Alouettes

Why he became a free agent: Like Stewart, was released by Montreal.

Why he should be signed: Wilson has been the most underrated defensive lineman in the league for the past three or four seasons. Playing defensive tackle means taking a lot of abuse and double teams, and Wilson not only takes those on, he embraces them. Wilson has also been recognized as a great teammate, and was a huge part of the Als’ defence which helped win back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.

Why nobody has signed him: He is 34 years old, and teams are looking for massive young players to plug up the middle. At 6’4 300lbs, Wilson might not be big enough for what some GMs are looking for.

Who could use him: Winnipeg, Toronto, Calgary

Barrin Simpson, LB

Last team: Saskatchewan Roughriders

Why he became a free agent: Became an unrestricted free agent when his contract expired

Why he should be signed: Simpson has long been hailed as one of the best leaders in the CFL. His uncanny ability to read the play has been the strong point of his career by far, and throughout his career he has delivered some bone-jarring hits. Last season he finished 15^th in league tackles with 67.

Why nobody has signed him: Simpson, at 35, is also getting up there in years, and it seems as though most teams around the league are set at middle linebacker, with established starters ready to go, or will draft a linebacker in May.

Who could use him: Edmonton

Rob Murphy, OL

Last team: Toronto Argonauts

Why he became a free agent: Became an unrestricted free agent when his contract expired

Why he should be signed: Murphy is one mean guy to go up against. Playing right tackle, or really any spot on the O-Line, requires some meanness, and Murphy has enough of that for an entire O-Line. The 2006 and 2007 Most Outstanding Lineman has seen his play decline since arriving in Toronto, but some people might not look at that as a coincidence. A change of scenery could be beneficial to the man voted as the league’s dirtiest player by the players.

Why nobody has signed him: You guessed it, age. 35-year-old Murphy might have a tough time competing against the speedy young ends the league is bringing in. He also might have an issue cracking a lineup on rosters which seem fairly deep at tackle, and a draft which boasts some strong tackle prospects. Teams might be hesitant to take on the type of money a player like Murphy would ask for.

Who could use him: Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Hamilton

An interesting trend which is developing league-wide is the hesitant nature teams are showing towards players in their 30s, choosing instead for more inexperienced options or building through the draft. 

Also, unique to this season, but most teams at this point in the off-season have fairly complete rosters, albeit with a couple of glaring examples (See: Winnipeg receivers, Edmonton running backs), and as anyone who has been to a CFL training camp can attest to, a crowded camp is a no-fun camp.

All that being said, it will be very interesting to see how everything plays out with these and with other remaining free agents, especially after the seven rounds of the draft unfold on May 2.

*Author’s Note: Many apologies for the lack of blog over the past two weeks; as a student, school is still a priority (unfortunately), but rest assured readers have not been forgotten.