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

[Rids]

I may have taken Rene Peredes over Rob Maver too.


DH

Paredes was an undrafted free agent when Winnipeg signed him.

[WestCoastJoe]

It seems to me our needs in this draft are more on defence (some discussion later). However, if it was possible to get him in let's say the 3rd round (his stock seems to have slipped a bit), I would be happy if we got Steven Lumbala.

It seems obvious that Andrew Harris could use a quality backup NI running back. Not sure that Stu Foord provides that, although he is a gamer.

Steven Lumbala
Running Back
5’10” 216 pounds
Calgary

Forde: “Steven Lumbala came into the 2012 season with a chance to kind of – where he would want to go with his stock – show that he could maybe be the next Canadian to be a starting running back in the CFL. I don’t think his regular season necessarily went that way and I don’t think his combine went way. I would’ve liked for Lumbala to run better than he did and obviously getting hurt doesn’t really help.”

“For Steven there is a ton of very good game film over the course of four years, but as I’ve said my concern is that his game film from his first three years might actually be better than his game film from his fourth and draft year. You have to question whether that was injuries or whether part of that was for the first three years he was sharing the backfield with guys like Matt Walter and at one point it was him, Walter and Anthony Woodson all in the same backfield. You question whether he’s not in his best position as an every down back. But he’s a guy based on what you’ve seen over that whole four-year picture, I think he’s a guy you have to take a long hard look at. Overall I think he’s still the number one guy in the running back group.”

Big brother Rolly is great on STs. He is a very good blocker. He can catch the swing pass, and is oftentimes ignored by the defence. However, IMO, Rolly does not have the instincts of an effective running back. He does not have the ability to make people miss. And he doesn't even have exceptional leg drive IMO, so he is not really a threat to run over people despite his size (Joe Smith, underrated IMO, did have exceptional leg drive, and could make people miss, and he could even run over people). These are hardly knocks on Rolly, as he is primarily a blocking back.

It seems his brother may have some of those physical attributes of a true running back. He has excellent size for a CFL running back. If his stock has slipped a bit, we may be able to get him after the first two rounds.

[WestCoastJoe]

I would be happy if we drafted another receiver in the later rounds. Maybe one of these guys will still be available.

Depth with the NI receiver roster is always key for us. I would not expect one of these guys to take anything away from our guys, but one of them could fit on our PR. IMO ...

Seydou Junior Haidara
Receiver
6’0” 206 pounds
Laval

Forde: “The guy I liked best of the receivers, and this is just a personal taste thing, in terms of what I liked, is Haidara. I like that he is a big body, he is
physical and he runs pretty well for his size. He was a really highly recruited guy coming out of high school. I looked back to an article I wrote when this draft class was all freshmen and he was a guy that I had regarded really highly. He’s turned into a really good player. He went through a period, as some receivers do, with dropped balls, but I liked what he became in his senior year.”

Alex Anthony
Receiver
6’1” 207 pounds
Wilfrid Laurier

Forde: “I’m an Alex Anthony fan. I always liked him as a player and I liked seeing him again. Anthony is a guy who has been fairly high on my radar since coming out of high school. Anthony was talked about as a guy who had a possibility of going south and ended up at Laurier. He kind of got derailed by an injury in his third year, but I thought watching him, looking specifically at his 40 times at the East West Bowl last year and at the combine this year, to me he’s healthy again. He’s a pretty smooth receiver and a guy who can make some big plays given the opportunity.”

Yannick Morin Plante
Receiver
6’0” 189 pounds
Laval

Forde: “We knew he was a burner and that’s what separates him from the rest of the receiver group. He showed his strength by doing well on the bench, so he’s not just a skinny fast guy. Morin Plante’s stock went up a little bit because he proved to be one of the fastest guys at the combine, he has good size and has been a productive player.”

Stephen Adekolu
Receiver
6’3” 196 pounds
Bishop’s

Forde: “One of my disappointments of the weekend, I thought it was very unfortunate, that Stephen Adekolu got hurt. There are no real first round locks among the receivers this year, where in past years we’ve had that. I find it very wide open among the receivers.”

“I look at Adekolu and the thing he reminded me of a little bit at my combine this year was Spencer Watt. A guy who was at my combine in 2010 that no one could cover and all of a sudden Spencer Watt was a third round pick. I saw a lot of that with Stephen Adekolu where he was the guy that nobody could cover. I thought here’s a guy who runs pretty well, is strong, big and I would’ve liked to have seen him go up against the same competition as the other receivers on Sunday of the combine.”

[WestCoastJoe]

If Edem is available in the 2nd round, I would be happy if we could get him. See if he can convert to safety. Or even play backup LB, as a tweener. Could be very good on STs.

He might go 1st round however.

Mike Edem
Linebacker/ Defensive Back
6’0” 205 pounds
Calgary

Forde: “He’s probably as much in the mix as a defensive back as he is as a linebacker. He’s bigger and just as athletic as any of the defensive backs that were at the combine. I would say that for me, he is the best defensive back prospect in this draft class.”

“My concern with him coming into the combine and being a highly regarded prospect is, okay, he’s a great CIS player but what’s his position as a pro and does he have a spot in the CFL.”

“The thing that sold me on Mike is he’s just so athletic. I think size-wise he’ll be fine to grow into a backup SAM or WILL linebacker and you will want him to learn those spots in camp, but you also want him to learn fee safety because that may ultimately be his spot. I think athletically he showed that he’s a guy who you find a spot for him, basically. He’ll be able to play special teams and be able to contribute because he’s got good instincts and has a nose for the football - certainly athletic enough.”

“The way a lot of CFL defences are I could see him backing up at SAM. I don’t know as a young Canadian guy you want to have him spending his days matched up on the number three receiver all game. A guy like Nik Lewis would be his worst nightmare. I think Edem is a guy that as his career goes on and he gets his feet wet in the CFL he can maybe get you through a game playing one of the outside linebacker spots if you need him too. It depends on the scheme, you may have certain packages where he can play a little bit for you on defence, but absolutely I think he’s a guy who can turn out to be a handful on special teams.”

[WestCoastJoe]

D Line.

IMO our biggest need in this draft.

We rely greatly on Jabar Westerman. We did not have backup for him last year, as an NI D Lineman.

Steven Doege has put on 20 pounds, which should bring him up to about 250. Plenty big enough for rush end in the CFL. He is a physical phenom. I am thinking he may be able to play some this year, and play effectively.

Nevertheless, IMO our 1st round pick should be D Line. This is especially so as the quality and quantity is there.

Gaydosh, Charles, Mulumba, and D'Aguilar are seemingly out of reach.

I like Elie Ngoyi. Very strong. Very athletic. We might be able to get him in the 2nd round, or maybe even the 3rd.

Elie Ngoyi
Defensive Line
6’0” 258 pounds
Bishop’s

Forde: “To me he’s a guy who is probably a defensive end rather than a defensive tackle. I know he took reps at both positions at the combine, but I’m not sure if he’s not better off a little bit lighter and playing strictly as an end. Rather than trying to play inside, although I know as a Canadian guy you always want to have as much versatility as you can.”

“He’s a tough and athletic guy. On the athleticism scale he’s not quite D’Aguilar and as an inside guy, obviously he’s not in the same class as Gaydosh and Charles, but he’s a guy who I would say is in the mix. A guy who can play a little bit for you on special teams should he have the opportunity to make a roster. He’s going to be challenged in terms of his versatility to play on the inside. He might want to play a little bit lighter and concentrate on being a defensive end and special teams guy.”

[WestCoastJoe]

He could easily fill out a bit. Could be available in a later round.

Michael Klassen
Defensive Line
6’4” 267 pounds
Calgary

Forde: “He’s a guy who I think has some upside because I think he can play heavier than his current weight. Sometimes you don’t want to get too sucked in by testing results by how athletic a guy is when he’s lighter than the rest of his group. I think that’s what happened with Klassen.”

“Certainly a guy with some upside because I think he’s got a frame where he could play heavier than he was and be an inside guy. He’s another guy who came from off the radar and put himself in the mix. Klassen could play some special teams at his current weight, but could be more of a factor on the defensive line rotation being a bit heavier. He was kind of light for a defensive tackle, but the fact is he was still third among the group on the bench press and that was with him having done another combine earlier in the week. Looking at that I would say he was another guy who had an impressive combine showing.”

[WestCoastJoe]

Ranked as high as 7 ... If the Lions like him ...

91 Jesse Joseph

Class: RS Senior

Hometown:
Laval, Que.

High School:
Vanier Prep.

Height / Weight:
6-3 / 262

Position:
Defensive End

Birthdate:
09/02/1988

Veteran member of the Husky defense who has 32 career starts over the past three seasons.

2011: A key member of the Husky defensive line who was hampered by an injury last season ... missed the first three games of the season after starting 25 of UConn's 26 games in 2009 and `10 ... returned for the fourth game of 2011 and then started the final seven ... had a season-high five tackles against both Buffalo (Sept. 24) and Louisville (Nov. 19) ... had four tackles in three other games ... his career high in tackles remained eight vs. North Carolina (Sept. 12, 2009).

2010: Explosive defensive end who missed his first career game against Rutgers (Oct. 8)...Was ranked tied for 26th in the country in sacks and fourth in the BIG EAST...Played in the first 18 games of his Husky career since he was a true freshman...Led the team with 12.00 tackles for a loss with 8.5 sacks...Had three tackles for a loss and two sacks against Vanderbilt (Oct. 2)...Made four tackles with a sack in key win over Cincinnati (Nov. 27).

2009: Started all 13 games in 2009 for the Huskies at the defensive end spot...was a starter in his first collegiate game vs. Ohio (Sept. 5), becoming the first true freshman to start for UConn since 2004 and the first on defense in UConn's FBS history...had 38 tackles on the season with five for a loss and 2.5 sacks...had a career-high seven tackles against both North Carolina (Sept. 12) and in win vs. USF (Dec. 5)...also had five tackles vs. Rutgers (Oct. 31) and in the Papajohns.com Bowl game vs. South Carolina (Jan. 2), where he also forced a fumble.

High School: Was team captain and all-league pick ... Invited to 2007 Team Quebec camp ... Team was 2006 and `07 Bol d' Or Trophy champions, which goes to the winner of the Canadian Prep Triple-A football league champions ... From same prep school and hometown as current Husky Moe Petrus ... Graduated from Northeast Philadelphia High School in 2006.

Personal Profile: Jesse Owens Joseph ... Born on September 2, 1988 ... A sociology major.

JESSE JOSEPH'S CAREER HIGHS
Most Tackles, game: 8, vs. North Carolina, 9/12/09
Most TFL, game: 3, vs. Vanderbilt, 10/2/10
Most Sacks, game: 2, vs. Vanderbilt, 10/2/10

[OV - 54:40]

Joseph would be a good pick at DE IMO; and re Klassen - though listed as a DT and maybe a bit "light" there - the guy had a very good set of E-Camp testing #s; especially very quick - could maybe make a good CFL DE ? Ngoyi sounds like a good prospect too = lots of good D-Line prospects this draft, even outside of the top 4 or so (Gaydosh & Charles at DT; Mulumba, D'Aguilar at DE).

Edem would be a great pick - possible starter at S; maybe OLB potential/depth; good special teamer right away perhaps.

Also - IMO - a number of pretty decent receiver prospects and some should be available mid to late rounds.


Pretty good draft crop year IMO.

[WestCoastJoe]

Brent Urban

Hometown:
Mississauga, Ontario
High School:
Lorne Park Secondary

Height / Weight:
6-7 / 280

AT VIRGINIA
2012 - One of 11 Cavaliers to start all 12 games ... finished the season with 20 tackles ... made first collegiate start against Richmond ... made three stops against Penn State ... made three tackles and made first career sack at NC State ... made second career sack against North Carolina ... made a career-high five tackles and returned a fumble 16 yards for a touchdown ... became the first Cavalier to return a fumble for a touchdown since Chris Cook at Miami in 2007. 2011 - Appeared in all 13 of Virginia's games ... made 15 tackles, including 2.5 tackles for a loss of three yards ... had a career-high six stops against Virginia Tech ... had three tackles at North Carolina ... had two tackles against Duke ... also made stops against Southern Miss and Idaho ... made two solo tackles against Auburn in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. 2010 - Appeared in three of Virginia's 12 games ... slowed early in the season by injury ... made collegiate debut against North Carolina ... saw time in 13 plays on defense and one on special teams ... also appeared at Boston College and at Virginia Tech. 2009 - Did not appear in any games in 2009 ... redshirted.

HIGH SCHOOL AND PERSONAL
Tall lineman with a long wing span for coach John Musselman at Lorne Park Secondary School ... 2 stars by Rivals and Scout ... listed as the No. 59 defensive end by ESPN and No. 104 by Scout ... two-time Toronto Star All-Star ... had 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks and eight pass break-ups as a junior ... played left wing on the best junior hockey team in North America ... also plays basketball.

[WestCoastJoe]

Connor Williams

Hometown:
Kanata, Ontario, Canada

High School:
Holy Trinity

Height / Weight:
6-3 / 278

Position:
DE

Birthdate:
09/05/1991

HONORS: Honorable Mention All-WAC (2012); Academic All-WAC (2010, 2011).

2012 (JR): Started all 13 games... Earned honorable mention all-WAC honors after ranking first on the team, fifth in the conference and tied for 91st in the nation with 6.0 sacks (0.46 pg)... Also ranked fourth on the team and 19th in the WAC with 7.0 tackles for loss (0.54 pg)... Finished the year with 32 tackles (15-solo, 17-assists) to rank third on the team among defensive linemen... Also had two quarterback hurries during the season and forced a fumble against Idaho (11/24)... Tied his career-high with five tackles against BYU (10/5) and recorded a career-high two sacks at San Jose State (10/13) as USU set a single-game school record with 13 sacks in the contest.... Also had one sack against Toledo (12/15) in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl... Other games were he recorded a sack were against Southern Utah (8/30), Colorado State (9/22) and UTSA (10/27).

2011 (SO): Played in all 13 games, starting one... Recorded 28 tackles (14-solo, 14-assists), including three for loss, to go along with two sacks... Top game was at Hawai`i (11/5) with five stops, while adding four against Nevada (11/26)... Registered sacks in the Weber State (9/10) and Wyoming (10/8) games... Also registered one quarterback hurry against Louisiana Tech (10/22)... Earned academic all-WAC honors.

2010 (FR): Appeared in two games... Made two tackles (1-solo, 1-assist)... Earned academic all-WAC honors.

HIGH SCHOOL: Was a two-time first-team all-region honoree at Holy Trinity (Ontario) High School... Also participated in the all-Canada Gridiron Ottawa May Showcase, as well as playing in the Athletes in Action East/West Bowl, where he was the only junior selected, and then again as a senior... Was Holy Trinity's defensive MVP his sophomore, junior and senior seasons, as well as team captain all three years... As a junior, helped the Tornadoes win the National Capital Secondary School Athletic Association Tier 2 football championship... Also played for the Kanata Knights and the Myers Riders of the Ontario Varsity Football League, where he set a league record for single-season tackle assists with 80 as a junior... As a senior, he had 80 total tackles (35-solo, 45-assists) with 10 total sacks (5-solo, 5-assists) along with two forced fumbles and one interception... Was also the Riders' team MVP as a senior and was a two-time team captain.

PERSONAL: Born Sept. 5 1991... Son of Debra and Tim Williams... Majoring in sociology.

CAREER HIGHS - Tackles: 5, twice; Sacks: 2, at San Jose St. (10/13/12); TFL: 2, at San Jose St. (10/13/12).

[WestCoastJoe]

Joseph would be a good pick at DE IMO; and re Klassen - though listed as a DT and maybe a bit "light" there - the guy had a very good set of E-Camp testing #s; especially very quick - could maybe make a good CFL DE ? Ngoyi sounds like a good prospect too = lots of good D-Line prospects this draft, even outside of the top 4 or so (Gaydosh & Charles at DT; Mulumba, D'Aguilar at DE).

Edem would be a great pick - possible starter at S; maybe OLB potential/depth; good special teamer right away perhaps.

Also - IMO - a number of pretty decent receiver prospects and some should be available mid to late rounds.


Pretty good draft crop year IMO.

I don't recall ever seeing so many good prospects, especially for the D Line. Some might go to the NFL however. But in the long run, that just means the pool of talent is growing = great for the CFL.

[Hambone]

Pretty good draft crop year IMO.

Don't you say that every year Mike?

[OV - 54:40]

Pretty good draft crop year IMO.

Don't you say that every year Mike?

No, not really; but there have been some decent to good crops lately, and I belive this year's is the best in quite some time (2006 was IMO about the best of all-time); maybe I'm taking more notice now - especially compared to my much younger days as a CFL fan; follow CIS ball more than ever before, and also keen on tracking the many Canadians who get a chance at fine US college ball training - the internet info age thing kinda helps.

Cheers Hambone (did Eskinator tell you I talked to him via cellphone on last GC day - Arrrrgoooos!?); go Lions!

[TheLionKing]

Interesting that 2 tackles were picked #1 & 2 in the NFL draft. Teams were loading up on offensive and defensive linemen.

[Hambone]

Interesting that 2 tackles were picked #1 & 2 in the NFL draft. Teams were loading up on offensive and defensive linemen.

And no running backs drafted in the first round for the first time in eons. It's a sign of how US football has evolved. NFL football is now a passing oriented game with running back by committee for all but a couple of teams. College football has followed along. Largely gone are the days when big Div 1 programs relied on the wishbone offence and QB option for their offence. With less reliance on running games I think there has become more importance placed on top quality pass blocking tackles and DL who can pressure QBs.