2014 CFL Draft blog

[Logan007]

Paul Bennett!

Tony Bennett's brother?

[Noeller]

 

Paul Bennett!

Tony Bennett's brother?

 

No, that's Martin Short...

[Mike]

Thought it was super cool that the quote in today's Sun from Evan Gill says he'd love to play here.

 

Thought it was ridiculous that the Sun also tried to suggest he added 20 pounds of muscle in 2 months.

[M.O.A.B.]

I always thought that Steven Turner would've been a great NI kick returner. Injuries and opportunities hampered him though. 

 

which kinda reminds me of Kris Robertson... hopefully he wont suffer the same..

[mikey d]

Thought it was super cool that the quote in today's Sun from Evan Gill says he'd love to play here.

 

Thought it was ridiculous that the Sun also tried to suggest he added 20 pounds of muscle in 2 months.

 

Darren Bauming was saying that Gill said he has gone from 6'3" 280 at the end of the season up to 305-310, depending on the day.

[Mike]

 

Thought it was super cool that the quote in today's Sun from Evan Gill says he'd love to play here.

 

Thought it was ridiculous that the Sun also tried to suggest he added 20 pounds of muscle in 2 months.

 

Darren Bauming was saying that Gill said he has gone from 6'3" 280 at the end of the season up to 305-310, depending on the day.

 

 

I don't doubt the weight figures. But it's not 100% muscle. Not even close.

[iso_55]

#32 Paul Brule. Cornerback & punt returner. Played with the Bombers from 1968 through 1972. There's a name from the past. Remember him very well. He returned punts back in the day when there was no blocking allowed. The ball was punted, caught & the returner took  a few steps & fell down as he was swarmed. Brule was good at it. I mean, as good as to be expected under the circumstances for what most fans considered a boring & wasted play. You look at the punt return averages back in the day before blocking & they were 3.5 yards I bet on average. A good returner might be 4.2 yds per return. All the punt returners back then on every team were Canadian. They were deemed expendable by the coaches. Very,  very few Americans returned punts for fear of injuries as they were the main playmakers at the skill positions. They did have to have great hands as I recall hardly any of them ever muffing a catch with 12 tacklers running full speed towards them unblocked. And guts. Those CANADIAN punt returners back then had to have plenty of guts. Returning punts was a suicide mission before the blocking rules changed.

[billfrank]

Iso, my memory of Brule was the same, plodding returns of 2 to 3 yards, and then burried under a pile of bodies and a cloud of dust. But CFLapedia suggests differently... who would have thought that he averaged over 7 yards per return with no blocking? And over 30 yards on kickoff returns? Thats not my memory of him, but it looks like he may have had a couple of long ones. He also had 9 interceptions in 1970, which is odd, since I don't remember him as much of a ball hawk, but I was in my early teens at the time.

[iso_55]

Iso, my memory of Brule was the same, plodding returns of 2 to 3 yards, and then burried under a pile of bodies and a cloud of dust. But CFLapedia suggests differently... who would have thought that he averaged over 7 yards per return with no blocking? And over 30 yards on kickoff returns? Thats not my memory of him, but it looks like he may have had a couple of long ones. He also had 9 interceptions in 1970, which is odd, since I don't remember him as much of a ball hawk, but I was in my early teens at the time. 

 

That would make sense because the punt cover team had to give the returner a 5 yard cushion like today. I had forgotten about the 5 yard rule. Just add a couple of yards onto that by stepping forward & voila, you have the return stats. Brule developed into an All Canadian corner during his time with the Bombers. I remember Brule & #27 Doug Strong, another pretty fine Canadian defensive back as the other punt returner at that time. 

[Tracker]

No gilbert brule's brother.. Yeesh.

And a sister: Creme Brule.

[gbill2004]

Nice article by Darrin Bauming today:

 

There are likely two safe bets when it comes to the 2014 CFL Draft; offensive linemen will dominate the early selections, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will look to solidify one of their most glaring positional needs with the second-overall pick.

According to the CFL Scouting Bureau's January rankings, four of the top five Canadian prospects line-up on the offensive side of the trenches, which is good news for Bombers general manager Kyle Walters. With only one selection in the first two rounds — Walters sent his second-round pick to Saskatchewan in the days ahead of the 2013 trade deadline — the No. 2 pick is an opportunity to grab one of three top O-line prospects who are expected to play professionally in Canada.

The No. 1-rated athlete overall, offensive tackle Laurent Duvernay-Tardif out of McGill, is not attending this weekend's CFL Combine in Toronto, opting instead to hold his own pro day in Montreal for both NFL and Canadian scouts.

This leaves Laval University centre Pierre Lavertu as a very likely target for either the expansion Ottawa Redblacks who select first overall, or for the Blue Bombers. Lavertu would be an attractive choice for Winnipeg with the free agent departure of starting centre Justin Sorensen this past winter.

"(I am a) centre, so it will help then if I'm going to be a centre at the next level," said the 6-foot-3 300-pound All-Canadian. "But if I have to play guard or something like that, I'm going to do it."

Lavertu is both confident and aware of the two teams who may call his name on May 13.

"I figure that will happen. It's going to be cool if I'm drafted by one of those teams. I watch a lot of the websites of Winnipeg and Ottawa just to learn more about these teams."

The offensive lineman that may have the most to prove during Combine weekend is 6-foot-4 294-pound Matthias Goossen out of the non-CIS school Simon Fraser.

"I want to make sure that whatever I do here solidifies what I've done in the season, and it can help show more athleticism — how I compare to guys in the CIS game, because obviously all these guys here I haven't played against at all. So it would great to compare myself to these guys and sort of show myself and prove my worth, and obviously continue to make myself look better for the scouts."

Goossen made a huge leap in the Bureau's rankings in just four months, moving from No. 15 up to No. 5 once more scouts and CFL team reps could see what he was capable of. The Combine is an opportunity for him to cement those assessments.

"I think the biggest thing, like everybody knows, is the one-on-ones and showing how to compete and showing how I actually play because when it comes down to it, there's no bench press on the field."

Goossen played every position on the offensive line over the past four years at SFU, but feels his body-type is an ideal fit for the centre position at the pro level.

A third potential option for the Blue Bombers, if they desire an O-lineman with their first pick may not fill their vacant centre spot, but he is quite hard to ignore. David Foucault stands 6-foot-8 and weighs in at 320 pounds.

"I played tackle last year, but two years ago I played guard. I can play on both sides — guard and tackle — left and right… If a coach asks me 'what do you prefer?' I prefer tackle. But I just want to play football. If you put me at guard, I will play guard. I just want to play professional football, and that's why I'm here."

While the CFL Combine measures many things, the versatile 24-year-old out of Montreal University feels language may be the most critical area for him to work on.

"That's why I went to Florida for training because all the stuff (at the Combine) is in English. When I came to Florida my first week, I was very bad in my English. I need to practice every day… If a scout or a coach wants to do an interview in French I will say no, I need to practice my English."

Another concern for the No. 3-ranked prospect could be his physicality, as Foucault may stand prominent, but he has been known to play smaller than his stature and lack finish when engaging defenders.

"(I'm looking most forward to) the one-on-ones because in the combine in Tampa (Florida) I did all the tests and some drills. Some mirror drills and O-line drills. But maybe the one-on-ones I need to do well in that (this weekend). For all my tests I need to be consistent or do better."

*N.B. Winnipeg traded their 2014 second-round selection along with import defensive end Alex Hall to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exchange for non-import offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld and a 2015 fourth-round selection.

 

[Floyd]

Lavertu or Goossen...  we already have a bunch of tackles converted to guard...

[gbill2004]

Agreed.  I like Foucault, but he's getting some NFL interest, and I see Pencer (or possibly Neufeld/Swiston) taking over the RG spot as early as this season.  We NEED a center and that's why I've been saying all along that the Bomber will take Lavertu or Goossen. 

[Nasty Nate]

 

Good stuff.  

 

The only two I can comment on specifically right now are Coombs and Gill.  

 

I'm bullish on Gill.  If I'm Ottawa, I'm taking him first overall.  He's going to be a great CFL player for a long time.  The concern is his potential to do the same in the NFL.  He's up there with a guy like Gaydosh in terms of best DL to come through CanadaWest in my generation IMO, but a much better athlete who's body will withstand the grind of pro football and he'll be able to play all over the place.

 

For Coombs to go in the first round, someone would really have to fall in love with him.  I don't believe his running style (he's sort of like the RB equivalent of a scrambling QB, and he doesn't run with a lot of power) will stand up to the CFL and he'll have a big transition to make to learn how to use blocks to get 4-5 yards every play rather than trying to bust every carry into a 20+ gain.  I don't expect Coombs to impress physically at the combine either, some teams care about that, some don't.  This draft is really shallow though, so it is much more possible for him to go high than any other year.  Also worth noting that everyone pegged him as a CIS DB because they didn't think he could pull off what he did at Sturgeon in CIS, so maybe he's just that good.

 

The only reason Gill is a good first pick is that he has virtually no NFL chance. Although he ballooned up to 302 lbs. he stands only 6'2". I saw him play with the Bisons and he was man-handled by a good double team and always seemed to be in chase mode unless a team made the mistake of running right at him.

Bombers need a quality o-lineman in the Brendan Labatte mode - and thats where the game is afoot. The best ol in CIS (Tardiff) is seen to be a high percentage NFL developmental project. The next guy may go back to school. The Bombers need is NOW. 

 

If they can get Gill in the 2nd round (11th overall) I'm good with that. Coombes wouldn't fit into the current bomber way of doing things whereas Toronto would be an excellent destination. That said, I'd still take Coombes if he was available in the 3rd or 4th round.  Once we secure a top hog in the first round our main need would be a quality canuck receiver or someone who could play safety (Mike Edem type that Slow Joe passed on)

[gbill2004]

Bombers traded away their 2nd round pick (11th overall) in the Patrick Neufeld trade.

[iso_55]

That decision was a bad one considering the Bombers are trying to get that second round pick from what I've read. Now they'll have to give another asset up to get it.

[gbill2004]

That decision was a bad one considering the Bombers are trying to get that second round pick from what I've read. Now they'll have to give another asset up to get it.

Not really. We traded our 2nd rounder for a position of need (OL). If we can now obtain a similar 2nd round pick in exchange for a position of strength, for example a NI DB like Cauchy, that would be a very shrewd move by Walters.

[iso_55]

At the  time, we all agreed getting Neufeld  for Hall was a good trade one for one. Why we gave Saskatchewan our second round pick I never understood. To me, it wasn't necessary.

[Floyd]

We would have to package Cauchy and a pick for a 2nd rounder...  not sure what we else have left to trade?

[iso_55]

I wouldn't do that trade. Just bite the bullet as what's done is done.

[TBURGESS]

 

That decision was a bad one considering the Bombers are trying to get that second round pick from what I've read. Now they'll have to give another asset up to get it.

Not really. We traded our 2nd rounder for a position of need (OL). If we can now obtain a similar 2nd round pick in exchange for a position of strength, for example a NI DB like Cauchy, that would be a very shrewd move by Walters.

 

Cauchy isn't going to get a 2nd rounder and safety isn't a position of strength.

[gbill2004]

That decision was a bad one considering the Bombers are trying to get that second round pick from what I've read. Now they'll have to give another asset up to get it.

Not really. We traded our 2nd rounder for a position of need (OL). If we can now obtain a similar 2nd round pick in exchange for a position of strength, for example a NI DB like Cauchy, that would be a very shrewd move by Walters.

Cauchy isn't going to get a 2nd rounder and safety isn't a position of strength.

We currently have 7 NI safety's on the roster.

[Mike]

Doesn't mean it's a position of strength.

[Mike]

My picks for stock up / stock down this weekend ...

 

Stock up ...

DB Derek Jones - fast 40 yard time and he performed well in the one on ones. Teams wanted to see him line up against CIS guys coming from a NCAA school and he held his own

DL Quinn Smith - dominant against the OL in drills, he won every single snap he took. Stock goes way up.

LB Jesse Briggs - stood out as a mostly unknown against a strong LB group, very impressive testing numbers

 

Stock down ...

DB? Adam Thibault - fastest in the 40 but he's a guy without a defined position and he got hurt before scouts had a chance to try and give him one

LB Max Caron - speed was a concern coming into this weekend and he tested poorly.

REC Kris Bastien - came in as arguably the #2 receiver behind Devon Bailey and failed to seperate himself from the pack

[Floyd]

If Briggs or Chin are still around for our 3rd rounder, that would be nice.  Even Miles...