CFL Draft Thread for May 6, 2013 ... Picks & Comments

[WestCoastJoe]

IF - the Lions are serious / commited to playing NIs (at least some) at RB, they should think of drafting Levesque (Laval) - a super explosive bowling ball of a RB - broke so many big gainers in CIS ball; i believe he will still be around at #14 and possibly even late in the draft where the Lions currently hold #s 37 & 38; Harris and Foord are a couple of pretty good backs IMO, but more small. shifty types and Lumbala is there for fullback; Lapointe is more of a pure power running tailback.

He looks like a good one, OV.

Interesting how many NI running backs are getting a chance now in the CFL. And not missing a beat.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.cfl.ca/video/index/id/23079

Justin Cipicciotti

Very athletic.

The latest from Duane Forde ...

http://www.cfl.ca/article/stock-assessm ... -prospects

Justin Capicciotti
Defensive Line
6’ 3” 245 pounds
Simon Fraser

Forde: “Maybe the number one overall guy, out of all the positions, in terms of his stock rising would be Justin Capicciotti. A guy playing at Simon Fraser, a Division II [NCAA] school, people knew that he had put up pretty good numbers there and been a productive player.

“But until they got to see him close up, didn’t realize how good an athlete this guy was and realize what his role and versatility might be as a CFL player.

“To see that not only could he be a defensive line depth guy, but I think a legitimate rotation guy, and a guy in terms of body type and athletic ability who can also contribute on special teams.”

Jabar Westerman
Defensive Line
6’ 2” 285 pounds
Eastern Michigan

Forde: “I would say that Jabar Westerman probably surprised people a little bit once he got on the field, in terms of his quickness and athleticism. I think people look at Jabar as a wide-body that you don’t necessarily expect the kind of lateral movement that he showed, both in the agility drill and also when he got to one-on-ones.”

[TheLionKing]

Certainly appeared to be very athletic. If he hopes to be a regular on the defensive line, he would need to add at least 20 lbs.

[WestCoastJoe]

My mock draft:

#1 Sask OL Ben Heenan
#2 Edmonton OL Austin Pasztor
#3 Hamilton DE Ameet Pall
#4 BC DE Tyrone Crawford
#5 Calgary OL Kirby Fabien
#6 Edmonton Wr Shamawd Chambers
#7 BC DE Arnuad Gascon-Nadon or Kristo Bilkudi

Wally adores taking guys who he likes who probably are heading South

After never seeing Rob Meier, Oshiomoghu Atogwe, Danny Watkins, nor Brett Romberg, I think Wally is leary of wasting picks on guys with NFL possibilities. Meier and Romberg were pre-Wally I do believe.

Here is one way to look at it, jk. Almost the same as your list,except for Crawford.

1 Roughriders ... Ben Heenan, OL

2 Eskimos ... Austin Pasztor, OL

3 TiCats ... Shamawd Chambers, WR

4 Lions ... Ameet Pall, DE

5 Stampeders ... Kirby Fabien, OL

6 Eskimos ... Frederic Plesius, LB

7 Lions ... Christo Bilukidi, DL or Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, DE, or Hasan Hazime, DL
.......
If we get any two of the above DLinemen, then I would not mind seeing Wally take a flyer on Crawford in a later round.

[OV - 54:40]

IF - the Lions are serious / commited to playing NIs (at least some) at RB, they should think of drafting Levesque (Laval) - a super explosive bowling ball of a RB - broke so many big gainers in CIS ball; i believe he will still be around at #14 and possibly even late in the draft where the Lions currently hold #s 37 & 38; Harris and Foord are a couple of pretty good backs IMO, but more small. shifty types and Lumbala is there for fullback; Lapointe is more of a pure power running tailback.

He looks like a good one, OV.

Interesting how many NI running backs are getting a chance now in the CFL. And not missing a beat.

That hi-light package is just from his rookie season at Laval i believe. Too bad he didn't participate in many tests at the Combine last weekend (only the bench i think) - wonder why and wonder what his 40 time is like? I think he will be a mid to late round CFL type pick - even with a slight trend to play some NI tailbacks, doesn't mean all the top NI backs are automatically going to be looked at closely in the CFL now; most of them will still come in wayyyyyy down a CFL TC depth chart, and probably have to be able to play tough on STs to make a roster (not sure Levesque has that kind of make-up to be a ST demon, but maybe).

[joe kapp22]

My mock draft:

#1 Sask OL Ben Heenan
#2 Edmonton OL Austin Pasztor
#3 Hamilton DE Ameet Pall
#4 BC DE Tyrone Crawford
#5 Calgary OL Kirby Fabien
#6 Edmonton Wr Shamawd Chambers
#7 BC DE Arnuad Gascon-Nadon or Kristo Bilkudi

Wally adores taking guys who he likes who probably are heading South

After never seeing Rob Meier, Oshiomoghu Atogwe, Danny Watkins, nor Brett Romberg, I think Wally is leary of wasting picks on guys with NFL possibilities. Meier and Romberg were pre-Wally I do believe.

Here is one way to look at it, jk. Almost the same as your list,except for Crawford.

1 Roughriders ... Ben Heenan, OL

2 Eskimos ... Austin Pasztor, OL

3 TiCats ... Shamawd Chambers, WR

4 Lions ... Ameet Pall, DE

5 Stampeders ... Kirby Fabien, OL

6 Eskimos ... Frederic Plesius, LB

7 Lions ... Christo Bilukidi, DL or Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, DE, or Hasan Hazime, DL
.......
If we get any two of the above DLinemen, then I would not mind seeing Wally take a flyer on Crawford in a later round.

Chambers is a ticats type of player, just don't see him going that high as he is to raw a player

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.cfl.ca/article/stock-assessm ... -prospects

Duane Forde on the receivers in the draft ...

Stock assessment of receiver prospects

March 08, 2012 Justin Dunk

In the final part of our stock up or stock down game with Duane Forde of TSN, we focus on the receivers, a position which some CFL scouts believe has the most depth when assessing the 2012 draft.

“Yeah [the class is deep], they’re big and fairly strong. Size-wise it’s probably one of the better draft classes [of receivers],” Calgary Stampeders offensive coordinator, Dave Dickenson said. “Certainly there is a nice polished look among them.”

“The Canadian receiver has really taken a big step forward in the last five to ten years. There are a lot of good receivers out there.”

Some of the top pass catching prospects improved their stock at E-Camp, while others dropped. There were also some relatively unknown pass targets that put themselves on the radar.

Shamawd Chambers impressed at E-Camp and proved to be "the best receiver prospect," according to Duane Forde.

Shamawd Chambers
Receiver
6’ 3” 219 pounds
Wilfrid Laurier

Forde: “Some scouts came into E-Camp with a question of who really is the top receiver. Is it Shamawd Chambers? Is it Ismael Bamba? Is it Simon Charbonneau-Campeau?

“I think that Shamawd Chambers proved that he is the best receiver prospect at this point. In terms of his testing, I think he showed that. And in terms of what he did in the [football] drills and one-on-ones, I think he showed that as well.

“I think he is the top guy. It wouldn’t shock anybody to see Shamawd Chambers gone within the first two or three picks of this draft.”

Johnny Aprile
Receiver
6’ 2” 208 pounds
Queen’s

Forde: “I certainly don’t think he hurt himself. I think he’s a guy that showed that physically, he is very much a prospect in the Canadian Football League. He’s a guy who made a ton of plays.

“The comparison that I’ve made with him is to Jade Etienne last year. Aprile was a guy who, going into the 2011 CIS season, wasn’t necessarily on the radar. People kind of knew he was there, but he was just another receiver.

“But a guy who over the course of the year, you’re watching the highlights on Saturday night and he just seemed to show up making a big play every week. I think he earned his way in among the top prospects because of that, and is going to get some consideration.

“You look at him and he’s a big strong physical guy that was one of the things that surprised me a little bit. I didn’t expect him to be as impressive physically as he was, but he’s a guy who’s physically mature and a guy who may be able to help you on special teams [right away] because of that.”

Ismael Bamba
Receiver
6’1” 195 pounds
Sherbrooke

Forde: “I would say Ismael Bamba is primarily a speed guy, and he showed that. His athleticism lived up to its advanced billing. He ran very well – particularly using his speed on his routes against the defensive backs.”

There were high expectations for Simon Charbonneau-Campeau coming into E-Camp, but the combine format did not play to his strengths.

Simon Charbonneau-Campeau
Receiver
6’4” 195 pounds
Sherbrooke

Forde: “Simon Charbonneau-Campeau is a guy from whom I wanted to see a little more. I’ve watched him over the course of the last couple CIS seasons and have been very impressed.

“I kind of saw him as a guy who wasn’t necessarily going to wow you with his testing, but was probably going to be faster than people thought – which happens a lot of times with taller receivers – I think he definitely did that.

“I think sometimes he had a little bit of trouble getting off the jam, showing that upper body strength is something that he’s going to need to work on, and I think he’d probably say the same.

“I wanted to see his ability to get open and fight for the football a little bit more, in the sense of what we got used to seeing from him in CIS football. I didn’t see that as much from him at E-Camp.

“I know sometimes it can depend on opportunity and what routes happen to get called in limited repetitions. But, I found myself wanting to see more from him because I believe he’s capable of more than what he showed.”

Bogdan Raic
Receiver
6’ 2” 218 pounds
Ottawa

Forde: “Certainly one guy that stepped up and really helped his stock was Bogdan Raic from the University of Ottawa. You talk about a guy flying under the radar. Coming in he was probably one of those guys that a lot of teams kind of knew about and were intrigued about from being a productive receiver with good size.

“I suspect that he ran better than a lot of people expected him too, and was more impressive in the one-on-ones than people expected him to be.

“Coming in not knowing a ton about him, I think he was a guy who established himself very much as a legitimate prospect. I think Raic is a guy that really helped himself.”

Jordan Brescacin
Receiver
6’ 4” 195 pounds
Windsor

Forde: “The OUA guys represented very well. Jordan I thought was terrific, particularly in the one-on-ones, even though he didn’t run a blazing 40 time.

“Sometimes you have to remember when a receiver is 6’4”, he doesn’t have to run a 4.40 40 to get to the same football’s that a five-foot-nine guy does just because of his height and reach. He’s going to be able to catch the ball at a higher point, so he doesn’t necessarily have to run as far to get that football.

“He showed in the one-on-ones why he’s been such a productive receiver in university football.”

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.cfl.ca/article/stock-assessm ... -prospects

Duane Forde on the defensive prospects ...

With the 2012 Evaluation camp in the books, we caught up with one of TSN’s Canadian Football League analysts, Duane Forde – a self-proclaimed draft nerd – to play a game of stock up or stock down, based on what took place at the league’s annual scouting combine.

Relatively unknown before entering the weekend, Simon Fraser DL Justin Capicciotti turned heads all throughout the weekend.

Justin Capicciotti
Defensive Line
6’ 3” 245 pounds
Simon Fraser

Forde: “Maybe the number one overall guy, out of all the positions, in terms of his stock rising would be Justin Capicciotti. A guy playing at Simon Fraser, a Division II [NCAA] school, people knew that he had put up pretty good numbers there and been a productive player.

“But until they got to see him close up, didn’t realize how good an athlete this guy was and realize what his role and versatility might be as a CFL player.

“To see that not only could he be a defensive line depth guy, but I think a legitimate rotation guy, and a guy in terms of body type and athletic ability who can also contribute on special teams.”

Arnaud Gascon-Nadon
Defensive Line
6’ 3” 250 pounds
Laval

Forde: “I would say that the thing that may hurt his stock out of all of this [him leaving the combine early with an injury] is the perception of the possible involvement of his agent in terms of how all of this went down.

“His agent Jonathan Hardaway is a guy who has had a relationship that is more adversarial than friendly with a lot of CFL management over the course of last couple of years.

“For what went on with Gascon-Nadon to go on, and for that to be associated with his agent, all of a sudden the radar goes up. I heard at least one CFL front office person suggest, ‘that who these kids hire as agents is going to start affecting their draft position,’ because it’s not worth dealing with it.”

Jabar Westerman
Defensive Line
6’ 2” 285 pounds
Eastern Michigan

Forde: “I would say that Jabar Westerman probably surprised people a little bit once he got on the field, in terms of his quickness and athleticism. I think people look at Jabar as a wide-body that you don’t necessarily expect the kind of lateral movement that he showed, both in the agility drill and also when he got to one-on-ones.”

Frederic Plesius
Linebacker
6’ 1” 240 pounds
Laval

Forde: “The big question that comes with him, in a lot of ways people wonder, is he a linebacker or is he a defensive end? I would probably label him within the linebacker group because his stock was so high, as a little bit of a stock down guy.

“When you look at him at 240-plus pounds, that’s not your typical CFL linebacker and you think you might be able to create some sort of mismatches with him in terms of that athletic ability if you move him up onto the defensive line.

“I think it helps him as a linebacker that he is as athletic as he is. You look at things like the 40-yard dash and things like the agility test and so on, to see that at that size he can move very well.

“But, I think there were times in the one-on-ones where his quickness didn’t necessarily show as much as you would have liked it to. And those are the things that make you wonder if maybe defensive line is a better position for him.”

Jonathan Beaulieu-Richard
Linebacker
6’ 1” 215 pounds
Montreal

Forde: “He was terrific. I thought he had a great weekend. His testing was as expected, he’s a good athletic player.

“That’s the sort of thing that tends to hold back a lot of CIS linebackers from being CFL linebackers. Sometimes they’re just not athletic enough. They can get by on being good athletes and being smart in CIS football, but the game is just that much faster at the pro level that they can’t play that position in the CFL.

“You know at the very least this guy is going to be a very good special teams player and I think a guy who can contribute at linebacker.”

Rene Stephan
Linebacker
6’ 1” 220 pounds
Harding

Forde: “He came in probably as a little bit of an unknown to a lot of the scouts here. I think a lot of these guys didn’t even realize that he was actually at a free agent combine at the CIS East West Bowl last May.

“At the time he was working on trying to get his non-import status, people didn’t realize that this was a Canadian guy or that this was a guy who was going to be eligible for the 2012 draft.

“He’s a guy who’s been out of football for a couple of years, but you never would’ve guessed it. He came in very well prepared physically. You talk about that athleticism being important at the linebacker position, he’s a guy that delivered that in spades and made it impossible for people to overlook him.”

Dylan Hollohan

Defensive Back
5’ 10” 183 pounds
St. Francis Xavier

Forde: “Absolutely at the defensive back position you need the guys who are eye-popping athletes and who demonstrate that quickness. In the case of a guy like Dylan Hollohan I think it was important that he jumped as well as he did, particularly in the vertical.

“In the CFL you’ve got a trend towards bigger receivers and Hollohan is a five-foot-ten defensive back – he had to show that he could get up and fight for balls with those [big receivers]. I think he demonstrated that.

“It’s that athletic ability that is a step up in the CFL, especially at the defensive back position, where you need real athletes.”

Bryce McCall
Defensive Back
6’ 0” 200 pounds
Saskatchewan

Forde: “Tremendous player: very smart and hard working. In terms of what he was asked to do at the University of Saskatchewan, essentially an old-school cover three free safety – great football sense, great physical player, a guy who has a great feel for the game and nose for the football.

“But not a guy who because of what he’s been asked to do in the past, you would expect to excel at E-Camp where it’s about physical testing and then one-on-one cover skills. I think it was a little bit outside his comfort zone.

“I think you could argue, in terms of the rankings that his stock went down. At the same time, I think his stock might have been artificially high as well.

“In the case of McCall, it’s not even a case of a guy not meeting expectations, but just a combine setting like E-Camp not playing to his strengths. If the expectations were based on the rankings, I think the expectations might have been too high.

“It always depends what you’re looking for in a player, and sometimes you might be looking for something different than what a combine shows.”

[Shelion]

Is ths years Draft on May 3rd?

[WestCoastJoe]

Is ths years Draft on May 3rd?

Yes.

[Shelion]

Is ths years Draft on May 3rd?

Yes.

Thanks.

[joe kapp22]

I'm really glad the draft is rolling around, sort of perks up the offseason.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/duane_forde/?id=392133

Duane Forde's countdown begins ...

Today marks the beginning of my 30-day countdown to the 2012 CFL Draft. I'll be posting an article on TSN.ca every day between now and the draft to help you to be fully prepared.

I'll use the first day of the countdown to provide a very brief overview of the draft and to outline what you can expect to find in this space between now and Draft Day.

While recent years have seen the CFL Draft become as much of a Mother's Day tradition as flowers and breakfast in bed, the 2012 version moves back to its previous weekday afternoon time slot.

The event takes place on Thursday, May 3 at 3pm et/Noon pt. and as always, you can follow all of the selections and transactions live on TSN and TSN.ca.

The draft order for the first two rounds is as follows:

Round 1
1. Saskatchewan
2. Edmonton (pick acquired from Toronto in the Ricky Ray trade)
3. Hamilton
4. British Columbia (pick acquired from Montreal in the Sean Whyte trade)
5. Calgary
6. Edmonton
(Winnipeg forfeited its first round pick in exchange for the selection of Kito Poblah in the 2011 Supplemental Draft)
7. British Columbia

Round 2
8. Winnipeg (pick acquired from Saskatchewan in the Odell Willis trade)
9. Toronto
10. Hamilton
11. Montreal
12. Calgary
(Edmonton forfeited its second round pick in exchange for the selection of Ted Laurent in the 2011 Supplemental Draft)
13. Winnipeg
14. British Columbia

In terms of depth, draft classes tend to alternate between "strong" and "weak". There's no real explanation for this pattern but it has existed for close to a decade now, with the even numbered years clearly being deeper. Although the Class of 2012 appears unlikely to match the 2006 or 2008 crops, it is comparable to 2010.

At this point, I would rate the defensive line as the most impressive position group.

However, as usual, much will depend on the level of National Football League interest attracted by some of the top prospects in the class. While it's a foregone conclusion that Boise State defensive end Tyrone Crawford will be in the NFL next season, the status of players like Austin Pasztor, Christo Bilukidi, and Ameet Pall, to name a few, is less certain. They're part of a group of up to eight or nine draft eligible individuals who could find themselves in NFL training camps this summer.

Below is the upcoming series of articles and the dates on which they will be posted:

April 4: Meet The Prospects - Offence
April 5: Meet The Prospects - Defence
April 6: Draft Factors – What Influences A Prospect's Draft Position?
April 7: Your Questions Answered (ask your draft related questions via Twitter - @DuaneFordeTSN - I'll answer the "best" ones in Saturday's article)
April 8: Draft Rules I'd Like To See
April 9: The Future of Canadian QBs
April 10: Canadian Crisis – Part 1
April 11: Canadian Crisis – Part 2
April 12: Canadian Crisis – Part 3
April 13: Future Watch – Class of 2016
April 14: Future Watch – Class of 2015
April 15: Future Watch – Class of 2014
April 16: Future Watch – Class of 2013
April 17: Saskatchewan Roughriders Draft Profile
April 18: Toronto Argonauts Draft Profile
April 19: Hamlton Tiger-Cats Draft Profile
April 20: Montreal Alouettes Draft Profile
April 21: Calgary Stampeders Draft Profile
April 22: Edmonton Eskimos Draft Profile
April 23: Winnipeg Blue Bombers Draft Profile
April 24: B.C. Lions Draft Profile
April 25: Quarterback & Kicker Rankings
April 26: Running Back Rankings
April 27: Defensive Back Rankings
April 28: Receiver Rankings
April 29: Linebacker Rankings
April 30: Defensive Line Rankings
May 1: Offensive Line Rankings
May 2: Forde's 2012 Draft Board

In addition to the featured item, each day's article will include a Draft Notebook to keep you in the loop regarding any draft related developments and rumours.

You may have noticed that I'm not doing a mock draft. I get asked about this every year and the simplest explanation of why I don't do them is as follows:

In a league of only eight teams, a mock draft done by a person having (or perceived to have) a certain level of inside knowledge would influence the actual draft. It has nothing to do with me, specifically, being the person doing it. It's just the nature of the league and the flow of information. It would be completely different in a thirty-team league, where dozens of people provide in-depth draft coverage and analysis.

That's all for today. Tomorrow I'll provide a brief introduction to a number of prospects on the offensive side of the ball.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=392219

"Meet The Prospects"

The goal of the "Meet The Prospects" series is to familiarize readers with some of the more prominent prospects in the Class of 2012. These articles are, by no means, a complete prospect listing, nor are they rankings...those will come later.

Also, with that in mind, the term "Potential Sleepers" is used in this series to describe players who could sneak into the earlier rounds of the draft, as opposed to the traditional reference to a lesser known or lower ranked prospect.

Offensive Line

Cream of the Crop: There's no question that the two best offensive linemen in the class are four-year starters Austin Pasztor (Virginia), a Second Team All-American in 2011, and Ben Heenan (Saskatchewan), who participated in the East-West Shrine game in Florida in January.

Best of the Rest: With Pasztor, Heenan, and Kirby Fabien (Calgary) sitting out the E-Camp one-on-ones, there was an opportunity for other O-Linemen to really step up and boost their stock. Frankly, another four-year starter, Matt Norman (Western) was the only one who did. Next in line is a group that includes 6'7", 330 lb. Tyson Pencer (Washington State), Carson Rockhill (Calgary), and Jason Medeiros (McMaster).

Burning Question: Where does Fabien fit into the mix? If the CFL drafted players after their second year, instead of after their fourth year, Fabien would've been a lock to go in the top five in 2010. The concern is that injuries seem to have hampered his development since then.

Potential Sleepers: Mike Filer (Mount Allison) was an all-conference guard for the Mounties but may be undersized to play there at the next level. Nonetheless, he's a good athlete, who projects as a solid CFL centre. South of the border, redshirt junior Billy Peach (Jacksonville) became a solid starting tackle for the Dolphins after battling injuries earlier in his NCAA career.

Receivers

Cream of the Crop: Powerful Shamawd Chambers (Wilfrid Laurier) confirmed his status as the top receiver prospect with a strong, if unspectacular, E-Camp performance. The other elite prospect in this group is tight end Luke Willson (Rice)...but nobody talks about him, as the redshirt junior is expected to explore NFL and/or pro baseball opportunities when he completes his eligibility.

Best of the Rest: Ismael Bamba (Sherbrooke) is a dynamic athlete and Simon Charbonneau-Campeau (Sherbrooke) has been the nation's most prolific receiver over the last two years. Both were expected to push Chambers at E-Camp but neither really distinguished himself. In fact, no offensive player boosted his stock more at E-Camp than Bogdan Raic (Ottawa), a big body who runs and catches well.

Burning Question: Who will be the second receiver off the board? Aside from the aforementioned Bamba, Charbonneau-Campeau, and Raic, keep an eye on Johnny Aprile (Queen's). Like Jade Etienne last year, he's a player who's stock skyrocketed during the season, as he seemed to show up in a SportsCentre highlight every week.

Potential Sleepers: Although Jawann Westerman (Rutgers) isn't as well known as his much bigger, football-playing siblings, Jamaal and Jabar, he has proven to be one of the most impressive athletes available. That, combined with very limited playing time in college, could translate to "untapped potential". Meanwhile, Mathieu Bouvette (Laval) could slide past some people after a knee injury cut short his season and kept him out of the pre-draft combines. Still, the 225 lbs. receiver ranked second behind only Chambers in most of the CIS East-West Bowl testing last spring.

Running Backs

Cream of the Crop: Injuries and a logjam in the Mustangs backfield have hurt Nathan Riva's (Western) production but there's no doubt that he ranks among the elite athletes in the Class of 2012.

Best of the Rest: In 2011, Ryan Granberg (Queen's) led the CIS in rushing yards per game by a wide margin, and his E-Camp numbers suggest he's just a hair behind Riva physically.

Burning Question: What position will Riva play in the CFL? In him, teams see an athlete whom they want to get on the field. Many suggest that the best way to do that would be by moving him to slotback or free safety.

Potential Sleepers: Don't overlook the fullbacks, as there is a league wide need for players at my favourite position. This should help the stock of versatile Patrick Lavoie (Laval) and possibly Brett Haenni (Acadia).

Quarterbacks

Cream of the Crop: Kyle Quinlan (McMaster) didn't have a stellar E-Camp but showed in the 2011 Vanier Cup that he possesses mobility, toughness, intelligence, and, of course, the arm strength to make all the required throws.

Best of the Rest: Kyle Graves (Acadia) and Billy Greene (British Columbia) are both good athletes with solid arm strength, and they were among the best players at any position in the CIS last season.

Burning Question: Is there a place for Greene in the CFL? CIS followers know that the 2011 Hec Crighton winner has a skill set that makes him "Tebow North"...can you say "wildcat"? The catch is that, in order to get the opportunity, he'd likely first have to make a roster at another position.

Potential Sleepers: Like Greene, Donnie Marshall's (Western) running ability is a big part of his game, however, he doesn't have the size or arm strength of his UBC counterpart.

Tomorrow, I'll take a look at the defence.

[WestCoastJoe]

http://www.tsn.ca/blogs/duane_forde/?id=392356

The goal of the "Meet The Prospects" series is to familiarize readers with some of the more prominent prospects in the Class of 2012. These articles are, by no means, a complete prospect listing, nor are they rankings...those will come later.

Also, with that in mind, the term "Potential Sleepers" is used in this series to describe players who could sneak into the earlier rounds of the draft, as opposed to the traditional reference to a lesser known or lower ranked prospect.

Defensive Line

Cream of the Crop: Defensive end Tyrone Crawford (Boise State) is NFL-bound, while tackle Christo Bilukidi (Georgia State) is generating serious interest down south as well. End Ameet Pall (Wofford) is also pursuing his NFL options after a stellar NCAA (FCS) career and, assuming that his non-import status will eventually be granted, Bo Adebayo (Western Kentucky) belongs on this list, too.

Best of the Rest: Hasan Hazime (Akron) has good film and a strong résumé but his immediate future is cloudy. He redshirted in 2011 following an early season ACL tear but has since graduated and reportedly left the Zips football program. His rehab is ahead of schedule so, assuming he makes a complete recovery, his draft status will ultimately depend on whether he decides to turn pro this year or play out his eligibility at another school. Defensive end Justin Capicciotti (Simon Fraser) followed up his productive college career by turning in a great E-Camp performance.

Burning Questions: How many of the top prospects will wind up in NFL camps? Simply put, as the top prospects' odds of sticking in the NFL increase, their CFL Draft stock decreases…which opens the door for the next tier of prospects to move up on Draft Day.

Potential Sleepers: The depth at this position is the only reason that tackles Jake Thomas (Acadia), Jabar Westerman (Eastern Michigan), and redshirt junior Michael Atkinson (Boise State), as well as end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon (Laval) aren't listed in one of the previous categories. Thomas, Westerman, and Atkinson all possess uncommon athleticism for players their size. As for Gascon-Nadon, the two-time Metras Trophy winner as the top CIS lineman, his stock may have taken a hit when his hamstring injury and subsequent refusal to participate in testing led to a premature departure from E-Camp. Nonetheless, he remains a very worthy prospect.

Linebackers

Cream of the Crop: Fredric Plésius (Laval) didn't have his best season for the Rouge et Or but he remains a rare physical talent and the headliner in a deep class of linebackers. South of the border, the film on redshirt junior Hervé Tonye-Tonye (Northern Colorado) is limited because he sat out the 2011 season after transferring from Alcorn State. Nonetheless, he's an impressive physical specimen, who was a highly productive performer at Alcorn.

Best of the Rest: With a number of talented linebackers jockeying for draft position, Rene Stephan (Harding) and Sam Hurl (Calgary) emerged as two of the great revelations of E-Camp weekend. The key with Stephan is his upside, as he is a gifted athlete but has been out of football for two years. Despite his absence from the game, he didn't look out of place among the top draft eligible prospects. Hurl was a much more proven commodity on the field but the combine setting also allowed him to establish that he's more athletic than some might have thought.

Burning Question: Is Plésius best suited to play linebacker or defensive end? The same debate surrounded eventual #1 overall pick Shomari Williams in 2010. Plésius had no issues in coverage at the CIS level but some are concerned that, at 245 lbs., he may be challenged to do it in the CFL. That question mark, along with his size and power, make him a candidate to move to end, where he was slotted as a freshman at Baylor in '08.

Potential Sleepers: Jonathan Beaulieu-Richard (Montreal) may prove to be a steal for a team that is willing to wait an extra year for him, as he has already committed to return to UdeM this fall to complete his pharmacy degree. Filipe Fonseca da Silva (Sherbrooke) and Wilkerson DeSouza (Toronto) also stand out, as both rank in the Top 5 in the country in total tackles over the last two seasons.

Defensive Backs

Cream of the Crop: A strong argument could be made that Courtney Stephen (Northern Illinois) was the best defensive back in the CIS before he transferred away from Wilfrid Laurier after his sophomore year. He suffered a knee injury last season but should be 100% by the fall, when he'll complete his eligibility at NIU.

Best of the Rest: E-Camp testing revealed that Keenan MacDougall (Saskatchewan) and Dylan Hollohan (St. Francis Xavier) are athletic freaks…but each is accompanied by a unique concern. MacDougall missed the entire 2011 season with a knee/quadriceps injury and then tweaked a hamstring at E-Camp, prompting many to wonder about his health and durability. Hollohan is undersized and not overly physical, which creates matchup concerns against bigger receivers.

Burning Question: How good a football player is Keenan MacDougall? The Huskies star played three full seasons before sitting out last year but the lack of 2011 film and the E-Camp injury that limited his participation in one-on-ones have left scouts without much in the way of a current evaluation of his skills.

Potential Sleepers: There's no doubt that safety Bryce McCall (Saskatchewan) is limited athletically, which makes a combine environment less than ideal for him to showcase his strengths. However, there aren't many players in the draft with a stronger work ethic or better football sense.

Specialists

Cream of the Crop: The reality is that, unlike 2010 and 2011, there won't be any specialists generating early round buzz.

Best of the Rest: None of the top guys are considered triple threats (punts, field goals, and kickoffs) but punter Brett Cameron (North Dakota) is likely the best prospect. Among the placekickers, keep an eye on Derek Williams (Savannah State), Austin Anderson (McGill), and William Dion (Sherbrooke). Linebacker Aaron Crawford (Saint Mary's) is a top flight long snapper.

Burning Questions: Will any kickers from the Class of 2012 be able to find CFL employment this season? It's only an eight-team league and kicker is a position that is associated with career longevity. So many young non-import kickers (Rob Maver, Christopher Milo, Justin Palardy, Grant Shaw, Hugh O'Neill, Rene Paredes, Josh Maveety) have entered the league over the last two years that it might have reached a saturation point.

Potential Sleepers: Kickers Anthony Alix (St. Francis Xavier) and Taylor Wandler (Regina) are both still refining their consistency but likely have the strongest legs in the class.