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Posted

Thibault used to be a wide receiver. Still has great speed for a NI receiver and is used to playing special teams. 

Posted

Would be surprised if Wally doesn't trade up to take a shot at Foucault...  

 

I wouldn't be totally shocked if Walters traded our 2nd for 5th and 12th 

 

My dark horse pick of the draft is RedBlacks picking Devon Bailey first overall.

Posted

Can't see Walters trading down, there's no point to it unless Lavertu suddenly pulls a Varlamov and we see his draft stock tumble.

Posted

Can't see Walters trading down, there's no point to it unless Lavertu suddenly pulls a Varlamov and we see his draft stock tumble.

 

The only way it would make sense is if Ottawa does go with Lavertu - at 5th, we could still get Gill or Coombs and there will be a very good ST (maybe more) 12th like Chin or Ainsworth...  we need bodies.

 

If Walter could pull a 2nd/20th for 5/12/14 that would be amazing...  all armchair blahblah though

Posted

 

 

I'd love for Thibault to drop to pick 20.

Do you see him at safety?

We need more NI safety's...only have 7 on the roster now.

 

 

Thibault is a first round talent.  If other teams don't value a Canadian DB's talent because they don't see him fitting in at safety, or because they are skeptical on Canadian DB's... that sounds like an opportunity to take a shot on talent filling out.  Worst case, you'll likely get a decent special teamer.  Good floor, high ceiling.

 

And I'd take a shot on LDT all day in the 3rd or 4th round.  In what is considered a weak draft class... what else are you going to find that late?

Posted

Yep definitely take LDT in the 3rd if he's there. Toronto took Sewell last season even though he signed an NFL contract and now he's signed with Toronto.

 

I don't know if we can afford to spend the 20th overall on him but we certainly could use one of our next two picks.

Posted

 

 

 

I'd love for Thibault to drop to pick 20.

Do you see him at safety?

We need more NI safety's...only have 7 on the roster now.

 

 

Thibault is a first round talent.  If other teams don't value a Canadian DB's talent because they don't see him fitting in at safety, or because they are skeptical on Canadian DB's... that sounds like an opportunity to take a shot on talent filling out.  Worst case, you'll likely get a decent special teamer.  Good floor, high ceiling.

 

And I'd take a shot on LDT all day in the 3rd or 4th round.  In what is considered a weak draft class... what else are you going to find that late?

 

 

Thibault has first round athleticism, but no experience as a DB. He'd only help on special teams for at least a year or two. How will teams value that?

Posted

Last year the CFL season finished with 19 Non-Imports playing in the defensive secondary. Out of those 19, 14 of them were safeties and back up safeties. The other 5 were 4 back up corners and a back up defensive halfback. 

 

So where does Thibault fit into that grouping?

 

His career numbers at Laval:

 

30 games played

16 solo tackles, 14 assisted tackles (10 in his SR year when he was playing D; 4 as a FR/SO likely on special teams)

3 Tackles for Loss, 1 Sack, 2 Passes Broken Up, 2 Forced Fumbles, 1 Fumble Recovery

23 receptions for 230 yards and 1 TD. 

2 kickoff returns for 52 yards; 10 punt returns for 45 yards

 

Testing he's got first round potential, production wise he's not even draftable, the combination of the two = ? 

 

Very athletic kid but where do you play him?

Posted

From what I have observed over the years, most CFL coaching staffs won't be scared off by his lack of production/play-time in the CIS... in fact, CIS production has been shown to have very little impact on draft position.  It seems to me that most CFL teams just want the best athletes and believe that they can coach them up into real football players.  I'm predicting second round for Thibault.

Posted

From what I have observed over the years, most CFL coaching staffs won't be scared off by his lack of production/play-time in the CIS... in fact, CIS production has been shown to have very little impact on draft position.  It seems to me that most CFL teams just want the best athletes and believe that they can coach them up into real football players.  I'm predicting second round for Thibault.

 

Pretty much, and that's not a whole lot different than the NFL or NHL.  Ideally a guy has both, but you're going to draft a receiver who was good in 1 on 1's at the combine and ran 4.6 who had 300 yards last season over a guy who had 1000 yards but ran a 5.0 40 and had trouble getting separation from the best CIS DB's in 1 on 1's at the combine.  

 

Thibault is enough of an athlete that he might be able to play field corner if he can't figure out safety, but teams will have some idea of his football IQ from the interviews.

Posted

 

From what I have observed over the years, most CFL coaching staffs won't be scared off by his lack of production/play-time in the CIS... in fact, CIS production has been shown to have very little impact on draft position.  It seems to me that most CFL teams just want the best athletes and believe that they can coach them up into real football players.  I'm predicting second round for Thibault.

 

Pretty much, and that's not a whole lot different than the NFL or NHL.  Ideally a guy has both, but you're going to draft a receiver who was good in 1 on 1's at the combine and ran 4.6 who had 300 yards last season over a guy who had 1000 yards but ran a 5.0 40 and had trouble getting separation from the best CIS DB's in 1 on 1's at the combine.  

 

Thibault is enough of an athlete that he might be able to play field corner if he can't figure out safety, but teams will have some idea of his football IQ from the interviews.

 

 

This is a clear cut situation but the case for Thibault isn't that clear cut. In fact his Laval teammate fulfilled your scenario. Yannick Morin-Platte who was the fastest guy at the 2012 East-West Bowl. Career production 31 GP 50 receptions 576 yards 3 TDs, had a great CFL Combine but couldn't make the Stampeders after being a 3rd round draft pick. Goes back to Laval and puts up another 150 or so receiving yards again.

 

It's a guy that's put in a lot of work in the weight room and on the training field but doesn't fit a role on the football field. Not a starting receiver, not a starting safety, not a starting cornerback. So what is he? I believe he'll be drafted and likely 2nd or 3rd round but does he make the team or the PR? If he makes the team does he do more than cover kicks? 

 

You all know a player's CIS production will not give him any edge at all moving into the CFL. This isn't like the NFL-NCAA relationship in any form. Every NFL player personnel guy could tell you a handful of things about Johnny Manziel during the season last year and probably about his last game, how many CFL player personnel guys could tell you anything about Billy McPhee or how his season was going last year? Or, since it's the CFL, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif - they all knew who he was but did they know how McGill played that Saturday? If you can't produce at the lower level there will be a question mark about being able to produce moving up. The CFL isn't a step faster than the CIS it's 3 or 4 steps in most cases.

Posted

Thibault could put in some valuable experience on special teams before his role could be known.  A guy like him, with a good work ethic and lots of time devoted to fundamental positional training in camp and practices, he could really become a good player in a season or two.

Posted

From what I have observed over the years, most CFL coaching staffs won't be scared off by his lack of production/play-time in the CIS... in fact, CIS production has been shown to have very little impact on draft position.  It seems to me that most CFL teams just want the best athletes and believe that they can coach them up into real football players.  I'm predicting second round for Thibault.

 

Poster child for this is Jay Detain.  Raw athlete, minimal CIS action, 4th overall. 

 

Think the moral of the story is that you can pick a raw athlete, but whatever time they are short on development, tack it onto how long you expect they'll have to stay on your PR before they start dressing for games.

Posted

Looking at it more and more it would make  sense for Ottawa to trade back. Acquire a pick in next years draft.

 

If I'm the Redblacks that's what I'm doing. They should trade back and grab Gill or Smith to back-up/rotate at DL with Shologun. They also could use a non-import receiver with starting potential, so Bailey may also be a decent choice.

Posted

Does Lavertu have eligibility left ?

 

He does. If I were to guess, he does something similar to Brett Jones, and return to classes following the season. That is from the perspective that he can play meaningful time right off the hop, which I believe he can.

Posted

We need help this season. I'd stay away from Lavertu if he has eligibility. Go with the player that can help us now. I don't think we can go wrong with Matthias Goosen if the Bombers are set on picking an offensive lineman. With the second pick  we have to find a guy who can play. Especially after last year's draft & Andy Mulamba. I thought the draft rules were changed to stop this from happening? Why are players with eligibility left even in the draft? Let them finish CIS first.

Posted

Because the CIS allows 5 years instead of the 4 commonly associated with college sports.

 

That said basically every CIS player in the draft has at least a year and in some cases two CIS years available to them if they want. The changes were more in place to save teams from using a first round draft pick on a NCAA player that is going to return to school and then be drafted into the NFL the following year. Call it the Danny Watkins Rule if you like. 

 

The NCAA rules don't allow for players to really explore their professional options, they are allowed to request a draft grade from the NFL and then make a decision to return for their senior year or enter the draft. However they aren't allowed to attend things like the CFL Combine. In the past players that had been drafted were allowed to talk to the team that owned their rights.  

 

Both the CIS and NAIA rules allow players to talk to CFL teams, attend the combine and then return to school. 

Posted

And every one of them is based on a previous experience where some school exploited an opportunity. It's kinda like those warnings on a toaster that tell you not to use it in a bathtub or a shower or stick a fork in there to get the last crumb out - it's because some idiot tried it once. 

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