CFL Draft 2015, Nic Demski, Pick #6 in Round 1

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WestCoastJoe
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OV - 54:40 wrote:Lions maybe looking for some safety competition for TC ?

Seems to me - 3 very good safety prospect types this coming draft:

Chris Ackie (Laurier) - CIS all-star D-half; good size (6, 210), physical, athletic with some explosive Combine test #s; could maybe get converted to OLB as well as safety in the CFL

Anthony Coady (Montreal) - 3 straight years a unanimous Q conference all-star safety - pretty decent test #s; experienced, instinctual, natural safety

Kwame Adjei (Mount Allsion) - CIS all-star S; another good size (6, 210) S with some good Combine test #s and lots of experience at the position


IMO - all 3 of these guys could easlily challenge for the BC safety job up against the likes of Rabukwamba (more a corner who hasn't shown much IMO in his CFL playing time) or Parker (another cornerback type with very limited S playing experience)
Thanks for the info, OV. Yes, it seems to me we could use some competition from Nationals for the Safety spot with the Lions.

Is J.R. LaRose done with the CFL? Or will another team pick him up? IMO he tried hard, but lacked closing and coverage speed, and did not react well to the ball.
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OV - 54:40
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WestCoastJoe wrote:
OV - 54:40 wrote:Lions maybe looking for some safety competition for TC ?

Seems to me - 3 very good safety prospect types this coming draft:

Chris Ackie (Laurier) - CIS all-star D-half; good size (6, 210), physical, athletic with some explosive Combine test #s; could maybe get converted to OLB as well as safety in the CFL

Anthony Coady (Montreal) - 3 straight years a unanimous Q conference all-star safety - pretty decent test #s; experienced, instinctual, natural safety

Kwame Adjei (Mount Allsion) - CIS all-star S; another good size (6, 210) S with some good Combine test #s and lots of experience at the position


IMO - all 3 of these guys could easlily challenge for the BC safety job up against the likes of Rabukwamba (more a corner who hasn't shown much IMO in his CFL playing time) or Parker (another cornerback type with very limited S playing experience)
Thanks for the info, OV. Yes, it seems to me we could use some competition from Nationals for the Safety spot with the Lions.

Is J.R. LaRose done with the CFL? Or will another team pick him up? IMO he tried hard, but lacked closing and coverage speed, and did not react well to the ball.
I'm not sure if McGarva is in the mix as well to compete at safety - he could be a good one perhaps; but again - the 3 guys i mentioned might all be an upgrade - revealed thru TC competition. I believe Ackie will go fairly early this draft - so the Lions might have to use a 1st rounder to get him; the other 2 guys might be around still in the mid rounds ?
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.cfl.ca/article/cfl-teams-agr ... 2015-draft
CFL teams agree that depth defines 2015 Draft

Posted: April 04, 2015 10:00 AM

CFL.ca Staff
With files from BCLions.com and Argonauts.ca

If CFL talent evaluators agree on one thing, it’s that the depth of talent available in the May 12 CFL Draft is stronger than usual.

BC Lions General Manager Wally Buono echoed the sentiment after the 2015 CFL Combine, where several records were broken and the results were even better than expected.

Just talking to our staff and hearing the overall buzz in the scouting community, everyone's pretty excited.


- Chris Rossetti


“I think when you look at the combine, I don’t want to get into specific guys but each group was deep and was very skillful,” Buono told BCLions.com.

Buono said he usually gets on the plane after the combine and writes down the first two rounds to see if he can get through them. This year, he continued, he easily got through the first four.

“That shows you the depth of the draft and the quality of the CIS,” he said. “There were good quality players at each position.”

The Toronto Argonauts agree on the quality of depth.

“We’ve seen a lot of great players,” Chris Rossetti, Argos Director of Player Personnel, told Argonauts.ca during the combine. “It’s one of the deeper drafts we’ve seen in the last few years – a lot of athletic kids.”

“Just talking to our staff and hearing the overall buzz in the scouting community, everyone’s pretty excited.”

The Argos pick two spots ahead of the Lions at third overall, and will undoubtedly set aside their top three prospects in hopes of getting the best player available. Outside of that, a focus of equal importance for them will be finding quality players later on in the draft.

Rossetti said that’s how you fill the bottom of your CFL roster.

“We had success in the last couple of years,” explained Rossetti. “Last year we had guys in the fourth and fifth rounds that made our football team and we’re very happy with them.”

Justin Dunk's testing takeaways
Five combine results worth noting
Who took the spotlight on Sunday?

“You always want to find that guy that can come in and contribute in the later rounds, and good teams are the ones that can do that,” he continued. “That’s a big thing for us.”

“We’re excited to find some good ones in this year’s draft.”

The Lions, meanwhile, enter the draft with the goal of finding at least one National starter. No one will dispute that Canadian content is the key to success in this league, and while the Lions have some remaining established veterans, they’re always looking to bolster their young national content.

“We developed a goal, we have objectives,” explained Buono. “Our goal is to try to find an eighth National starter.”

“Our objective is to get bigger, faster, stronger – typical stuff. To bring in better players that can give us all depth. These are things that if you keep your eye on the objectives, then you don’t get distracted.”

Buono added that flexibility is the end goal of building on Canadian talent. The Lions pick fifth overall in the upcoming draft.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

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WestCoastJoe
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“I think when you look at the combine, I don’t want to get into specific guys but each group was deep and was very skillful,” Buono told BCLions.com.
:thup:
The Lions, meanwhile, enter the draft with the goal of finding at least one National starter. No one will dispute that Canadian content is the key to success in this league, and while the Lions have some remaining established veterans, they’re always looking to bolster their young national content.
That is how I see it. Easier to stock the International side of the roster. And faster. More time needed to build the National side. More skill in drafting and evaluating. IMO ...
“We developed a goal, we have objectives,” explained Buono. “Our goal is to try to find an eighth National starter.”

“Our objective is to get bigger, faster, stronger – typical stuff. To bring in better players that can give us all depth. These are things that if you keep your eye on the objectives, then you don’t get distracted.”
Seven Ns are required to start. If you can start 8, you improve your flexibility.

Time to get some Nationals that can play Safety at the highest level.

Need to build some depth behind Andrew Harris. We have taken him for granted IMO, in terms of his durability. If he is not 100% or near that, we have to look at Internationals carrying the ball at RB. IMO ... This brings in ratio considerations, et cetera.

Need to build depth in the D Line with Nationals. Start Westerman. Backup Menard. That is about it on our roster, it seems to me.

Need to settle down the Nationals on the O Line. Hopefully the change in coaching will help.

IMO our flexibility with the Nationals is not at the top of the league, or even near that.

All of this, of course, is just IMO ...
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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http://www.cfl.ca/article/stock-assessm ... -ol-and-dl
Stock Assessment: Dunk analyzes the OL and DL

Posted: April 07, 2015 02:02 PM

Justin Dunk

Inevitably stocks rise and fall based on what happens when CFL scouts, general managers and coaches get an up-close look at many of the top draft eligible prospects.

Now that the dust has settled from a full gauntlet of CFL Combines across the country, let’s examine which players took advantage of the opportunity to perform in front of CFL talent evaluators and conversely those that may have disappointed.

Top tier prospects like Laval offensive lineman Danny Groulx and Western defensive lineman Daryl Waud cemented their status as elite players at their respective positions. So our focus will be on athletes that pushed their stock up and also the young men that saw it fall along the lines.

Offensive Linemen

Campbell Allison, OL, Eastern Michigan

Height: 6’5”
Weight: 339 pounds
Stock: Down

Flat out, Allison came to the National CFL Combine looking very out of shape. Poor results in the testing portion of the event followed by a subpar showing in the one-on-one session caused his stock to fall.


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Justin Dunk
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James Bodanis, OL, Michigan State

Height: 6’4”
Weight: 293 pounds
Stock: Up

Bodanis proved to be the most athletic offensive line prospect that came to the combine. And despite not getting many game reps at Michigan State, he did not look out of place with the other top players at his position when the pads were on.

Sukh Chungh, OL, Calgary

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 300 pounds
Stock: Up

A flight issue caused Chungh to arrive later than originally scheduled to the combine, but once there he performed well. He is a tenacious competitor and that stood out during a dominant one-on-one period.

Sean McEwen, OL, Calgary

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 303 pounds
Stock: Up

Throughout the combine McEwen reaffirmed the polished type of big man prospect teams believed him to be. Without a doubt he has the ability to play right away for a CFL franchise.

Jacob Ruby, OL, Richmond

Height: 6’6”
Weight: 312 pounds
Stock: Up

The London, Ont. native is a smooth moving offensive lineman who carries his weight well. Ruby’s sweet feet were on display in the one-on-ones.

Defensive Linemen

Jean-Samuel Blanc, DL, Montreal

Height: 6’
Weight: 237 pounds
Stock: Down

With the Carabins, Blanc was a productive player, so his film is strong. But at the combine he did not show the type of explosion expected from a player who tied the CIS sack record (12.5) in 2012.

Rory Connop, DL, Western

Height: 6’4”
Weight: 288 pounds
Stock: Up

Once the pads were put on, Connop seemed to get more comfortable. He was stout at the point of attack and displayed some pass rush ability.







Related Links



Combine Analysis: Who took the spotlight?
Tevaughn Campbell breaks electronic 40
View Combine Results


Maxx Forde, DL, Idaho

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 262 pounds
Stock: Up

A strong testing showing, where Forde ranked first or second among all defensive linemen at the National CFL Combine in each event except on the bench press, boosted his stock. And he followed that up with a solid performance in the one-on-ones.

Ricky Osei-Kusi, DL, Western

Height: 6’1”
Weight: 234 pounds
Stock: Up

Osei-Kusi proved he has the speed and burst to potentially become a situational pass rusher in the CFL. Being fleet-footed at his size also means he will be able to contribute on special teams.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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http://www.cfl.ca/article/stock-assessm ... rec-and-rb
Stock Assessment: Dunk analyzes REC and RB

Posted: April 14, 2015 09:00 AM

Updated: April 14, 2015 12:07 PM

Justin Dunk

Inevitably stocks rise and fall based on what happens when CFL scouts, general managers and coaches get an up-close look at many of the top draft eligible prospects.

Now that the dust has settled from a full gauntlet of CFL Combines across the country, let’s examine which players took advantage of the opportunity to perform in front of CFL talent evaluators and conversely those that may have disappointed.

The 2015 CFL Draft class has some high-end skill position players on offence. Lemar Durant proved over the course of the National CFL combine that he is the receiver with the highest potential eligible for the draft. Durant’s combination of size and speed is rare. There were other athletes that pushed their stock up and also young men that saw it fall on the offensive side of the football.


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Justin Dunk

Justin Dunk
CFL.ca Combine Insider

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Running Backs

Dillon Campbell, RB, Laurier

Height: 5’8”
Weight: 194 pounds
Stock: Up

The 2014 CIS rushing champion came and proved that he’s strong (22 bench reps) and fast (4.57 40) enough to be a playmaker with the ball in his hands, if given a legitimate chance at the CFL level.

Jefferson Court, RB, Utah State

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 238 pounds
Stock: Down

Many scouts were curious to see Court, but he did not put up the test results you would expect from a player trained at an NCAA school.

William Langlais, RB, Sherbrooke

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 226 pounds
Stock: Up

Langlais earned his way from Montreal to the National CFL Combine and continued to impress in Toronto. The fullback prospect ran quickly for his size and he looked good in pass protection and catching the football.

Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, RB, UNLV

Height: 5’8”
Weight: 192 pounds
Stock: Up

Despite an injured groin that was wrapped up, Murray-Lawrence still ran a 4.41 40-yard time and participated in all the football drills. He proved he has the ability to be explosive as a running back in the pros.

Receivers

Nic Demski, REC, Manitoba

Height: 5’11”
Weight: 204 pounds
Stock: Up

Demski proved why he’s been tabbed the most ‘pro-ready’ receiver at the combine. He ran fast and was quick in the agility testing events. In the one-on-ones he displayed strong route running ability while getting in and out of breaks smoothly without losing speed.

Phillip Enchill, REC, Montreal

Height: 6’1”
Weight: 200 pounds
Stock: Down

A disappointing 4.77 40-yard time – slowest among all receivers at the National Combine – caused Enchill’s stock to drop. And he didn’t stand out when facing the top cover men in the country.







Related Links



Dunk's Stock Assessment: OL and DL
Dunk's Stock Assessment: LB and DB
View Combine Results


Jake Harty, REC, Calgary

Height: 6’2”
Weight: 207 pounds
Stock: Up

Harty’s athleticism was a question mark, but he quelled those concerns with better than expected testing results across the board. His ability to shake open consistently was impressive, too.

Andrew Johnson, REC, Fort Lewis

Height: 6’
Weight: 195 pounds
Stock: Down

Johnson had solid results in the athletic tests, but he dropped some balls and didn’t create separation consistently. More was expected from him coming into the event.

Addison Richards, REC, Regina

Height: 6’3”
Weight: 212 pounds
Stock: Down

Richards wasn’t able to keep up with Durant and Demski at the combine and now he’s clearly behind those two top receiving prospects, if he didn’t fall even further down the board. And he reportedly didn’t interview very well.

Melvin Abankwah, REC, Saint Mary’s

Height: 5’8”
Weight: 186 pounds
Stock: Up

Each combine it seems like one athlete rises to the occasion and puts on a spectacular show when the pads are strapped up, Abankwah was that player this year. The lightning quick playmaker was open on every route he ran. It was an electric performance from Abankwah.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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WestCoastJoe
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http://www.cfl.ca/video/index/id/109271/autostart/true

Daryl Waud.

Supposedly his draft stock dropped a bit. As a fan, I would still be happy if we got him in the draft. I fully expect he can play effectively in the CFL.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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Rammer
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WestCoastJoe wrote:http://www.cfl.ca/video/index/id/109271/autostart/true

Daryl Waud.

Supposedly his draft stock dropped a bit. As a fan, I would still be happy if we got him in the draft. I fully expect he can play effectively in the CFL.
Joe likes his DL guys. :)

He seems to have the right attitude for the job, enjoys the trenches. :beer:
Entertainment value = an all time low
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WestCoastJoe
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Rammer wrote:
WestCoastJoe wrote:http://www.cfl.ca/video/index/id/109271/autostart/true

Daryl Waud.

Supposedly his draft stock dropped a bit. As a fan, I would still be happy if we got him in the draft. I fully expect he can play effectively in the CFL.
Joe likes his DL guys. :)

He seems to have the right attitude for the job, enjoys the trenches. :beer:
Ha ha. Goin' with the conventional wisdom. --> Build the CFL team through the draft, especially the OL and DL.

Who do you like in this draft, Rammer? Or what position should we draft for? Beaucoup de talent available this time around, it seems.
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
Childress
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We've been working hard over at the CFLHorsemen.ca to provide draft content for the CFL's die hard fans.

We have two mock drafts, a list of draft eligible players with highlights and stats, a team-by-team analysis of Canadian content, and much more.

Come check us out and let me know what you think!

http://www.cflhorsemen.ca/2015-cfl-draft.html

My Lions analysis has them looking for d and 0 linemen.
TheLionKing
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TORONTO – The Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau today published its final edition of the top 20 ranked prospects eligible for the 2015 CFL Canadian Draft.

In the third and final installment of the CFL Scouting Bureau for the 2015 draft class, Christian Covington claimed top spot after announcing to forego his senior year of college in early January, making himself eligible for both NFL and CFL Drafts.

After finishing first in the fall and winter edition of the CFL Scouting Bureau, UNLV offensive lineman Brett Boyko finished second on the top prospect list. Rounding out the top-five are University of Connecticut offensive lineman Alex Mateas, Yale running back Tyler Varga, and in the fifth slot, Laval offensive lineman, Danny Groulx.

Mississauga, Ont. native Brandon Bridge, who played for the University of South Alabama last season, becomes the first quarterback ever to make the Scouting Bureau list. The CFL introduced the list for the first time in September, 2008.

BY THE NUMBERS

The ranking includes six offensive linemen, four receivers, three defensive linemen, two defensive backs, linebackers, running backs and a quarterback.

Calgary has three prospects represented on the list, the most by any school. Regina, UNLV and Wilfrid Laurier are the only other schools to have multiple prospects on the list.

In the final edition of the scouting bureau, Covington, Lemar Durant, Tevaughn Campbell, Shaquille Murray-Lawrence and Brandon Bridge climbed into the top-20 list. However, Dillon Guy, Karl Lavoie, Brandon Tennant, Adam Konar and Ettore Lattanzio dropped from the spring edition after being listed in the winter edition.

The province of Ontario is represented with ten hometown prospects. Following Ontario is B.C. with three, Alberta, Quebec, and Saskatchewan with two and Manitoba with one.

All 15 ranked players on last spring’s CFL Scouting Bureau list were selected in the 2014 CFL Draft, including all nine first round selections.

FULL RANKINGS

Final Scouting Bureau Ranking

Rank Name Position School
1 (--)
Christian Covington DL Rice
2 (1)
Brett Boyko OL UNLV
3 (2)
Alex Mateas OL UCONN
4 (4)
Tyler Varga RB Yale
5 (8)
Danny Groulx OL Laval
6 (7)
Sukh Chungh OL Calgary
7 (3)
Daryl Waud DL Western
8 (--)
Lemar Durant REC Simon Fraser
9 (5)
Nic Demski REC Manitoba
10 (6)
Sean McEwen OL Calgary
11 (12)
Chris Ackie DB Wilfrid Laurier
12 (9)
Addison Richards RED Regina
13 (10)
Jacob Ruby OL Richmond
14 (17)
Byron Archambault LB Montreal
15 (--)
Tevaughn Campbell DB Regina
16 (--)
Shaquille Murray-Lawrence RB UNLV
17 (18)
Ese Mrabure-Ajufo DL Wilfrid Laurier
18 (19)
Jake Harty REC Calgary
19 (--)
Brandon Bridge QB South Alabama
20 (11)
Nick Shortill LB McMaster

Please note: The ranking in the parenthesis is the player’s ranking position from the last CFL Scouting Bureau published in December, 2014.

The 2015 CFL Draft will take place on May 12, 2015 with the Ottawa REDBLACKS owning the first overall selection. You can watch the opening two rounds of the draft on TSN and RDS2 beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET with subsequent rounds being streamed live online at TSN.ca.

For the Fall rankings click here and for the Winter rankings click here.

The CFL’s Scouting Bureau is comprised of CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.
TheLionKing
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Christian Covington drafted by the Texans

http://www.tsn.ca/texans-select-canadia ... n-1.273437
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B.C.FAN
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TheLionKing wrote:Christian Covington drafted by the Texans

http://www.tsn.ca/texans-select-canadia ... n-1.273437
The CFL draft will again be a crapshoot. Unconfirmed reports have Brett Boyko (UNLV) signing with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent, while Lemar Durant (SFU), Daryl Waud (Western), Tevaughn Campbell (Regina), Alex Mateas (UConn), Sukh Chungh (Calgary), Sean McEwen (Calgary), Maxx Forde (Idaho) and Byron Archambault (Montreal) have all accepted minicamp invites from NFL teams, making them riskier picks in the CFL draft. There could be more signings or minicamp invites in the coming days. Want the best players? Risk losing them to the NFL.
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A few more CFL prospects have landed NFL auditions: Brandon Bridge (South Alabama) has reportedly signed as a free agent with Dallas and Tyler Varga (Yale) has signed with Indianapolis. Jacob Ruby (Richmond) is invited to New York Giants minicamp. Including those previously named, the Giants have invited seven of the CFL Scouting Bureau's top 20 prospects to minicamp.
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WestCoastJoe
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This intensified NFL interest in Canadian players is a nuisance in some obvious ways. But it does indicate a rising level of depth and talent, ultimately benefiting the CFL.

The gambling aspect favours those CFL teams that have the depth to allow some speculative picks, rewarding effective personnel management. It sure makes it tough on those teams that do not have depth on the N roster.

I would be happy, as a fan, if the Lions acquired the rights to Tyler Varga. But is it worth the gamble on his availability? What are his odds of sticking in the NFL?
John Madden's Team Policies: Be on time. Pay attention. Play like hell on game day.

Jimmy Johnson's Game Keys: Protect the ball. Make plays.

Walter Payton's Advice to Kids: Play hard. Play fair. Have fun.
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