2023/2024 CFL (Non Bombers) Off Season News

[Tracker]

On 2024-04-19 at 11:22 PM, JCon said:

No, I think that's just an evergreen statement. 

Fir sure? There are people pining to know. Perhaps you could spruce up your comment a bit, wooden you?

[JuranBoldenRules]

Here's a cut at a 2 round mock draft.  Taking realistic projection on guys who are going to be in NFL.

1. Edmonton- Curtis Dublanko LB

2. Ottawa- Dumoulin-Duguay OL 

3. Sask- Kevin Mital Receiver

4. Calgary- Tyson Hergott DE

5. Toronto- Kevens Clercius Receiver

6. BC- Luke Brubacher DE

7. Hamilton- Michael Chris-Ike RB

8. Winnipeg- George Una OL

9. Montreal- Benjamin Labrosse DB

10. Edmonton- Gabe Wallace OL

11. Ottawa- Geoffrey Cantin-Arku LB

12. Sask- Daniel Okpoko DL

13. Calgary- Nick Mardner Receiver

14. Calgary- Kyle Hergel OL

15. BC- Christy Nkanu OL

16. Hamilton- Owen Mueller OL

17. Winnipeg- Melique Straker LB 

18. Edmonton- D'Sean Mimbs Receiver

19. BC- Theo Benedet OL

20. Winnipeg- Jared Chisari RB

[camper_2]

My take for the Bombers:

8. Okpoke

17. Mueller

20. Duncan-Busby

28. Hladiuk

37 Berta

40. Muembi

46. D-Line (Tackle)

55. D.B. (Teams)

64. D-Line (Edge/Teams)

73. L.B. (Teams)

 

[wbbfan]

4 hours ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Here's a cut at a 2 round mock draft.  Taking realistic projection on guys who are going to be in NFL.

1. Edmonton- Curtis Dublanko LB

2. Ottawa- Dumoulin-Duguay OL 

3. Sask- Kevin Mital Receiver

4. Calgary- Tyson Hergott DE

5. Toronto- Kevens Clercius Receiver

6. BC- Luke Brubacher DE

7. Hamilton- Michael Chris-Ike RB

8. Winnipeg- George Una OL

9. Montreal- Benjamin Labrosse DB

10. Edmonton- Gabe Wallace OL

11. Ottawa- Geoffrey Cantin-Arku LB

12. Sask- Daniel Okpoko DL

13. Calgary- Nick Mardner Receiver

14. Calgary- Kyle Hergel OL

15. BC- Christy Nkanu OL

16. Hamilton- Owen Mueller OL

17. Winnipeg- Melique Straker LB 

18. Edmonton- D'Sean Mimbs Receiver

19. BC- Theo Benedet OL

20. Winnipeg- Jared Chisari RB

I think the run on online will Happen earlier, but this is easily the best of the mock drafts I’ve seen. 

[SpeedFlex27]

On 2024-04-23 at 1:23 PM, Bigblue204 said:

It's been said already, but it really is a shame that Brady got robbed of the MOP award. The League could have had a guy who at least appears to be a proud Canadian, playing for his home team and literally rescues puppies, as the face of the league....instead they have a Chad...

Who can't even vote.

21 hours ago, Tracker said:

Fir sure? There are people pining to know. Perhaps you could spruce up your comment a bit, wooden you?

Clever.....

[Bigblue204]

15 hours ago, wbbfan said:

I think the run on online will Happen earlier, but this is easily the best of the mock drafts I’ve seen. 

Agreed. With Bandy retiring I think ssk goes OL with their 1st.

[JuranBoldenRules]

49 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Agreed. With Bandy retiring I think ssk goes OL with their 1st.

Problem is there's like one guy who is ready to play who will likely be in CFL camp in May, Dumoulin-Duguay.  Una is a maybe.  Nkanu I think will not be much of a pro, decent feet, very weak hands.  Wallace too is another medium floor, very low ceiling type.  Doesn't really have CFL OL skills in terms of movement.

Most teams will want guys who can play pretty quick.  And there's not really a Dayton Black type in this draft who is raw but with huge upside.  Maybe like a Bosse or Mueller.  But lower upside.

[wbbfan]

17 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Agreed. With Bandy retiring I think ssk goes OL with their 1st.

Yeah, SSk is where it seems like it should happen. The cfl draft is the most ridiculous to predict though.  Imo, all the none play off teams need to be drafting around OL. As backwards as it seems, I don't think those teams can afford to go BPA. But stupid stuff happens every single year. 

For us, we need an OL with our first 3 picks imo. And ideally a DL, unless we stock up on global DL. And mainly we need guys with the potential to start, not high floor low ceiling picks. Though 1 heavy utility guy some where in this draft would be great. I think Big boards are far more useful than mock drafts in the CFL. 

 

Heres a few guys I'd be happy if we targeted on draft day. (not in order, and just linemen.)

DL, Samuel Obiang. I don't think he has star potential by any means. He's a canadian, Jerome Haywood with drew desjarlais level nastiness. We've suffered not having a true nose since stove left. Having a canadian who can rotate with Cam lawson and immediate gap cancel as a nose tackle would be huge. If he stays on the right side of edgy nasty play he can have a long career as a very useful role player on D. He could also contribute on teams in goal line packages and such. Guys a got that dog mentality. Kail Dava, More of a jake thomas guy, played FCS football and has that fifo attitude with a high motor. Justin Sambu, a swing for the fences type pick. Guy was a beast with Maine then struggled with bigger programs to find a place. If he had stayed at Maine and played similarly he would be a first round pick. His combine was also not great. But in the mid draft the value he would offer is rare to find. I'm not sure about his head space and motor. Hes a sharp contrast from the first two, but the talent is undeniable. Daniel okpoko reminds me a bit of Kongbo. He's a reliable guy who will play with in the system, not as athletic as kongbo, could play some inside out like we do with our DTs, giving him great potential as an early rotational DL. With the length of time he played in a d1 school, I don't see him having star potential. But I could see him starting some and rotating heavily making key contributions on the DL. Brubacher and Hergott are the gems of the draft. All the athleticism and size you could want with good hands on brubacher and hergott is soo polished and such a mos type guy, but one the fans wouldn't  hate for once. I'd be surprised if we end up with either, but not disappointed. 

 Hergel is like Eli. Insanely good and should be NFL bound to stay. Worth a risk, especially if hes signed instead of drafted. Any team getting him is damn lucky. Duguay, Una, and wallace are the guys likely to be in the league this year. Duguay I think has the potential to break the mold and play more RT. Length is a great tool, but one of those things teams can get too wrapped up in. His athleticism, build, speed and footwork are excellent. Oh, and he has army experience! swoon mos swoon! Una does a lot well but needs polish. Wallace isn't a mountain mover, he is the mountain. Played a lot of RT, and could be polished into one long term here imo. I don't think he's too big, but if he is dropping 20 lbs with his frame shouldn't be too hard. I do worry more about really tall guards though. I like length and height out on the edge and stocky guys inside when it comes to the line. I think Manu has too much size and athleticism not to stick in the nfl for a long while. And benedet teams will work with to try and pack on a bunch of weight, which is worrisome for a possible cfl career a couple years down the road. I wouldn't fixate on his weight at all, he had the same amount of reps at manu who is 60 lbs heavier with ease. For hidden value, Daniel Shin has similar knocks to Kola, if any thing kola is worse in those areas like athleticism and length. Shin is a rare football mind with a big time motor. he's a bit undersized, but could be a super sub versatility guy and 6th ol. Might fall out of the draft all together. Patrick Lavoie is one of those guys who is good at most every thing on the field but smallish tweener size and lack of strength or great athletic ability holds back. But thats the type of guy I'd want to gamble on. The huge athletic OL in the draft have all kicked around for a long time, I cant imagine them just figuring it out and turning it on at the highest level. Jaxon morkin is the type of guy thats great to have in camp and practice just to keep things from being too friendly. If we can coach his technique up he could be a player too. Ryan berta as a guard project offers nice value too. Again a guy that can be situationally useful in heavy sets, a ground mover who needs a lot of coaching in pass pro. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

36 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Problem is there's like one guy who is ready to play who will likely be in CFL camp in May, Dumoulin-Duguay.  Una is a maybe.  Nkanu I think will not be much of a pro, decent feet, very weak hands.  Wallace too is another medium floor, very low ceiling type.  Doesn't really have CFL OL skills in terms of movement.

Most teams will want guys who can play pretty quick.  And there's not really a Dayton Black type in this draft who is raw but with huge upside.  Maybe like a Bosse or Mueller.  But lower upside.

The brain drain on the OL should be very strong this year for sure. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

A lot of those DL have no explosion which is going to severely limit their ability to compete in the CFL.

Sambu and Obiang showed very poorly at the combine...and the competition level was not strong with OL there.

One guy I can see getting a bit of a bump in Onyeka from Carleton.  I think most teams will see him as an interior guy.  He played end in U Sports but is kind of that Wiggan type body.  He'll add 20-25 lbs.

Omanuwa from Laurier had a good combine.  See him being one of the first interior guys off the board.  Hubert from Mac too.  He's another guy who played more edge in U Sports but will be an interior guy in CFL.

Of course Sambu being a NCAA guy will have some bias behind where he lands.  I don't see him being a CFLer at all.  The guys that come into the combine in such poor condition is a huge red flag.

[Bigblue204]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Problem is there's like one guy who is ready to play who will likely be in CFL camp in May, Dumoulin-Duguay.  Una is a maybe.  Nkanu I think will not be much of a pro, decent feet, very weak hands.  Wallace too is another medium floor, very low ceiling type.  Doesn't really have CFL OL skills in terms of movement.

Most teams will want guys who can play pretty quick.  And there's not really a Dayton Black type in this draft who is raw but with huge upside.  Maybe like a Bosse or Mueller.  But lower upside.

I don't think SSK is looking for a starting OL, they need depth and someone who can potentially start next year.

[wbbfan]

11 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

A lot of those DL have no explosion which is going to severely limit their ability to compete in the CFL.

Sambu and Obiang showed very poorly at the combine...and the competition level was not strong with OL there.

One guy I can see getting a bit of a bump in Onyeka from Carleton.  I think most teams will see him as an interior guy.  He played end in U Sports but is kind of that Wiggan type body.  He'll add 20-25 lbs.

Omanuwa from Laurier had a good combine.  See him being one of the first interior guys off the board.  Hubert from Mac too.  He's another guy who played more edge in U Sports but will be an interior guy in CFL.

Of course Sambu being a NCAA guy will have some bias behind where he lands.  I don't see him being a CFLer at all.  The guys that come into the combine in such poor condition is a huge red flag.

They aren't going to be guys who create pressure or collapse pockets regularly. More Thomas level role guys. However, I think we can make use of a good role guy.

One on ones aren't a be all and end all. We see guys dominate each year on one side or another, and amount to nothing. Meanwhile a couple guys they dominated turn into pros. The level of competition, and amount of late seniors with out much pro potential skew things a lot. Imo, the one on ones value is only in evaluating a guys technique and projectability in a vacuum. That said it isn't a class where guys out side of the nfl looks plus maybe 1 guy will have starter potential. 

Onyeka is an interesting project, if the right team gets him and develops him the sky is the limit. At 6'1 249 I don't think he will bump inside for more than an odd package thing. 

Athletically a lot of combine performances were not up to snuff. The draft heavily splits into polished, high motor guys with questionable measurables, and guys with high end measurables and questionable motors/skill sets. No matter the measurables, linemen with out motor/nastiness on either side won't stick here.  

[BigBlue]

So Canadians projected to go highly in the current NFL draft include:

Penn State tight end Theo Johnson, a native of Windsor, Ont., could be the first Canadian selected in the 2024 NFL draft. 

Isaiah Adams, offensive line, Illinois ... likely to end up as a guard in the pros due to his strength and compact build.

Tanner McLachlan, tight end, Arizona ... not the best blocker, but his receiving talent alone could get his name called early 

Anim Dankwah, offensive tackle, Howard... measuring 6-foot-8 and 353 pounds... much assembly will be required with his footwork and lateral efficiency at the pro level

Massive University of British Columbia offensive lineman Giovanni Manu could also be a late-round pick

https://www.cbc.ca/sports/the-buzzer-newsletter-2024-nfl-draft-preview-canadians-1.7185282 

[SpeedFlex27]

5 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

Agreed. With Bandy retiring I think ssk goes OL with their 1st.

Surprised Bandy retired. He only got the stating center gig when the greatest football player in the world retired after the 2022 season. 

[wbbfan]

11 minutes ago, SpeedFlex27 said:

Surprised Bandy retired. He only got the stating center gig when the greatest football player in the world retired after the 2022 season. 

In the past it seemed like OL blossomed late, and played till the wheels fell off. Now, especially with Canadians, they seem to start and leave much earlier than before. With the change of body/athletic types along the OL we've seen guys prioritize walking away with a great degree of health and quality of living than ever before. I feel like out side of that we see solid to fringe players walk away despite having roles they could fill for a long time a good bit as well. Some times because they seemingly realize they can't be more or because they realize the amount of grind that is required to attain little on maintain a high level of play is much more than they expected. 

[bigg jay]

First Canadian has been taken in the NFL draft this year.  Isaiah Adam goes in the 3rd round to the Cardinals.

[Mark F]

https://www.reddit.com/r/CFL/s/4uRsDXnPCY

 

Riders camp footage

Edited April 27 by Mark F

[bigg jay]

14 hours ago, bigg jay said:

First Canadian has been taken in the NFL draft this year.  Isaiah Adam goes in the 3rd round to the Cardinals.

Theo Johnson goes in the 4th to the Giants.

[wbbfan]

I think we will see a lot of udfa deals this year for Canadian prospects. 

[bigg jay]

54 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

I think we will see a lot of udfa deals this year for Canadian prospects. 

Might be more draft picks than udfa this year.  Manu just went in the 4th to Detroit (who moved up to get him) and he was not expected to go that early.  Most people had him as a late round pick.

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, bigg jay said:

Might be more draft picks than udfa this year.  Manu just went in the 4th to Detroit (who moved up to get him) and he was not expected to go that early.  Most people had him as a late round pick.

That’s pretty wild but he’s a gooder

[bigg jay]

Argos lose Stiggers to the Jets in the 5th.

Tanner McLaughlin to the Bengals in the 6th.

 

[wbbfan]

3 hours ago, bigg jay said:

Argos lose Stiggers to the Jets in the 5th.

Tanner McLaughlin to the Bengals in the 6th.

 

Stiggers is good for the league imo. Should increase the flow of blue chip jc kids to the league. 

[Mike]

Hergel didn’t get drafted, signed with New Orleans. I hope that’s enough to drop him to us.

[wbbfan]

2 hours ago, Mike said:

Hergel didn’t get drafted, signed with New Orleans. I hope that’s enough to drop him to us.

 Between the dl/lbers and ol available our first round pick should be some one who contributes rotationally right away or a futures guy who should start and could be a star. With the wrs and the usual player/positional reach we could well end up with two of those guys. 

[bb1]

I am hoping for Bosse, with our coaching i think we could develop this guy.