2014 Draft Picks

[Floyd]

1. Goossen - I still would have taken Coombs... but he fills a need and hopefully starts...

2. Briggs  - I love this pick - but I think Taman came out on top again...

3. Jones - Bit surprised we didn't go with Hartmann or one of the kickers

4. Everett - shocked that we left Medeiros on the board

5. Eisho - I love this pick - think he is a steal

 

Bit surprised that Paterson and Hart dropped so far

 

I'd say Walters did okay... feel like we sat on our hands on a dealing day and maybe gave up too much to Taman - but we have two players that should make the roster and contribute, maybe three...  

[Brandon]

Anyone think that any of these guys could actually be more then ST fodder (aside from Goose)?

[TBieber]

Briggs, Jones and Goossen were all in my Top 20.

Everett is a project, Eisho will be ST.

[The Unknown Poster]

Compared to years past I think we feel good about today, no?

[JuranBoldenRules]

I like Briggs.  Don't know if he'll ever play every down, but I think he'll be able to be Labbe-ish.

[JuranBoldenRules]

Compared to years past I think we feel good about today, no?

 

Walters and O'Shea didn't seem to feel too good about the 2nd overall pick.  More like "we did what we had to do...1st round, draft OL."

[The Unknown Poster]

They should have swapped with Ottawa then. Wonder what the offers were.

[Mike]

In terms of what I think you can expect of Briggs and Jones ... Ceiling is a bit higher in each case because the comparables didn't quite meet potential but think Yurichuk and Beswick

[Jpan85]

3 years from now if we have 1 starter and 2/3 SP teamers / back ups I think it will be a success. Put 3-4 years like that together and you build up the non-import talent.

[Jpan85]

Just did some reading on Eisho man he has quite the story. Tough not to pull for a guy like that to make it.

[Rids]

Derek Jones is a second round talent that you got in the fourth round. He's been playing press coverage for 4 years compared to the mixed zone stuff the CIS schools generally run so potentially he can be the dime back in a pinch if Korey Banks is out or needs a breather. Jones fits the defense there. 

 

Briggs replaces Muamba but it's not Henoc. Think he can become that safety needed in the system. Fast, makes instinctive plays and has a safety's body. 

 

Goossen takes a role early on. He's ready to go. 

 

Quinn Everett went about where I expected him to. Good player not great but could be a NT with his 305 pound frame sitting in a gap every play. 

 

Aram Eisho is a 3 time CJFL Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Game in the 2011 Vanier Cup, 2012 OUA Defensive Player of the Year and you got him in the 7th round. 

[gbill2004]

My take on the draft: 

 

I give Walters a grade of B+. Would have been an A if he could have traded up to get Lavertu.  Walters got a nice mixture of potential starters, developmental projects with upside, and ST guys.   He didn't "hit the draft out of the park" like Huff did for the Stamps, but it was a solid draft by Walters. 

 

Mathias Goossen:  This pick addressed our most glaring need and was the smart/safe pick.  Lavertu was the goal, but Goossen is a close second. In my conversation with Walters a couple days ago, he said he sees Goossen with a higher ceiling than Lavertu, but he might not be ready to start right away. Goossen has a mean streak in him and wants to hurt people whenhe’s on the field; we need more OLs with that “nastiness” streak in them so.  With Wylie coaching him up, I see Goossen starting at centre no later than mid-season.

 

Jesse Briggs:  Bombers were high on him, so I like Walters move of trading up to get him in the second round. Briggs had very impressive combine numbers and physical attributes; some saw him going late in the first round, so excellent value here. Eventually he’ll be a fringe starter at LB and a staple on special teams. I like the comparison to Labbe, with maybe more upside.  Who knows, he could end up being our Henoc Muamba replacement at LB? 

 

Derek Jones:  Another great value pick by Walters. Some had him projected in the second round and we got him in the fourth. Walters says the plan is to start a NI at field CB this season and that Jones will compete with Matt Bucknor to start at that spot.  I like the fact that he played press coverage in university, making him more CFL ready then other DB’s in the draft. 

 

Quinn Everett:  Played mostly on the defensive line in college, but sounds like he will be a project at offensive line. He has good physical tools so with some coaching from Wylie, he could be a nice succession plan for Morley at guard, as he likely has only 1-2 years left playing. O'Shea also mentioned in the presser last night that they'd like to see him fill in at nose tackle as well, so he could be a combo type player, which will really help manage the ratio for the coaching staff when he's ready to step in.

 

Aram Eisho:  Not sure what to think of this pick.  Eisho could be a special teams demon, even though his testing numbers aren’t very good, it sounds like he is an effort guy; and not every pick can be a starter, especially this late in the draft.  My guess is Walters/O’Shea see him as a replacement for the loss of James Greene.  My preference would have been to go with Terry Hart as he was available, but if they see Everett as an OL and rate him higher than Hart, then I’m okay with this pick.   

[Floyd]

I have to say Walters reminds me of Taman... especially in this draft - 'overpaying' to get his guy Briggs, going to OL when in doubt, trading for Neufeld

 

I'd say this is a very decent draft with potential to be 'out of the park' if Neufeld works out at RT

[M.O.A.B.]

Mike, TBieber or Rids

 

Are the silent round(s) still existing in the draft ? I know it's slim pickings already but I just want to know?

[M.O.A.B.]

Derek Jones is a second round talent that you got in the fourth round. He's been playing press coverage for 4 years compared to the mixed zone stuff the CIS schools generally run so potentially he can be the dime back in a pinch if Korey Banks is out or needs a breather. Jones fits the defense there. 

 

Briggs replaces Muamba but it's not Henoc. Think he can become that safety needed in the system. Fast, makes instinctive plays and has a safety's body. 

 

Goossen takes a role early on. He's ready to go. 

 

Quinn Everett went about where I expected him to. Good player not great but could be a NT with his 305 pound frame sitting in a gap every play. 

 

Aram Eisho is a 3 time CJFL Defensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Game in the 2011 Vanier Cup, 2012 OUA Defensive Player of the Year and you got him in the 7th round. 

 

I like this, especially coming from a legitimate scout.

 

Imo, they have the intention on converting Quinn Everett to OG, he will be an explosive OL from what I read. Besides, Etch doesnt want 300 pounder DLs

[blitzmore]

I have to say Walters reminds me of Taman... especially in this draft - 'overpaying' to get his guy Briggs, going to OL when in doubt, trading for Neufeld

 

I'd say this is a very decent draft with potential to be 'out of the park' if Neufeld works out at RT

Overpaying? What rounds are you talking about here. They wanted the guy and had to move up to get him. Give Walters a break!

[gbill2004]

@DarrinBauming: Expect #Bombers to announce the addition of free agent Canadian Dale Stevenson. Is he a FB anymore, or back to OL? I'm guessing the latter.

[Fred C Dobbs]

I have to say Walters reminds me of Taman... especially in this draft - 'overpaying' to get his guy Briggs, going to OL when in doubt, trading for Neufeld

 

I'd say this is a very decent draft with potential to be 'out of the park' if Neufeld works out at RT

Overpaying? What rounds are you talking about here. They wanted the guy and had to move up to get him. Give Walters a break!

O'Shea was happy with it:

And while taking highly-touted Simon Fraser offensive lineman Matthias Goossen second overall on Tuesday night will definitely help in an area of need for the club, it was a swap of draft picks that may prove to be [Walters] most shrewd move.

"When Jesse Briggs started to fall a little bit, you could just see Kyle perk up in his chair. ‘We might have a chance here,'" said head coach Mike O'Shea of the Blue Bombers war room on Tuesday night. "And then (he's) working the phone and pulls the trigger and we move up to get a guy that we really value. I think that was a great move. It was fun to be sitting right there watching him work."

http://www.tsn.ca/winnipeg/story/?id=452139

[Tracker]

Briggs might be the steal of the draft- athletic and smart. At the very least, he will be a good replacement for Labbe and might even turn out to be a solid starter.

[Armchair GM]

2014 draft... best words I can think of are like, but don't love.

 

- Like Goossen... felt we needed to either take Goose or deal the pick for a starting OL.  Not disappointed, but not thrilled as I would have been with Lavertu.

- Like Briggs... he's not a plug & play, but as I think Mike said, if he can become Labbe-ish for 5-7 yrs, that works for a 2nd rounder in a thin draft.

- Like Derek Jones probably more for value than any other pick we had.  Good potential for the price.

- Quinn Everett is a project.  Sometimes they work out, sometimes they don't. 

- Eisho probably tops out as an ST demon, which would be great.  Floor isn't much though, but can be expected in the 7th round.

 

All things considered, the biggest thing I see is we drafted a high effort group.  They should be O'Shea type players, which will be good for the culture.

[TBieber]

My rankings for the players selected:

 

Briggs - 9th

Goossen - 11th

Jones - 18th

Everett - 57th

Eisho - 59th

 

Some were concerned that Briggs on-field play wasn't as good as his testing numbers should indicate... his numbers are almost an exact replica of Mike Edem's, and Edem played in a much better system in Calgary. Briggs while his stats may not have been as good, would have been a better off in a better defence. Guaranteed. This is a fantastic pick that they didn't think was possible and justifiably traded up to get him.

 

Everyone knows about how I feel about Goossen if you have been reading my posts for the past month, so I won't go further on him.

 

Jones is another outstanding pick and infact one of my top picks in the draft all things considered, factoring in where you picked him and what he can produce. You're talking a guy who is a Top 20 player in this draft and you get him at 29... and as Rids said, he played in the NCAA where they are a little more pro ready than the CIS and he can step in and make an impact if called upon.

 

Quinn Everett is interesting. I had him as my 9th ranked offensive lineman. The Bombers announced the pick as a DT. Here we are talking about a guy who tested better than Matthias Goossen, and just about every other offensive lineman at the regional combine. Obviously there is more to it than numbers, but when you have a guy who can move like he can and is over 300 pounds... you salivate over that. Now you just find a spot for him.

 

Aram Eisho is an interesting guy as well... yes, he didn't run that fast... 5.1 40 time, but his 3-cone and shuttle were among the best at his position, and when you're talking about a guy in the open field, what do you want more... can he chase down the guy, or can he move quickly enough to bring him down if the players tries to make a move? Compare it to a cornerback... if you run 4.8 or 4.9 and have a 4.4 shuttle or something like that, yes, you may have to give a bigger cushion so as not to get beat deep, but you can react quickly and make a play on a short pattern.

 

Obviously it is easy to talk good about 65 players, and it is easy to smile at your draft class, but overall, I think the Bombers - for once - have an opportunity to truly develop some talent here.

[mbrg]

Too often in previous drafts the Bombers had to settle for players available rather than getting players they wanted.  They clearly wanted Briggs and Jones and they got them, so I'm happy.  The knock on Goossen seems to be that he's not ready to start in the CFL immediately, not that he can't be a decent starter.  Don't blame the player when the real problem is this team is so devoid of NI talent that Goossen has to be the team's life preserver.  Give him a year under Wylie's tutelage and we might have a starter for the next decade emerge.

 

My draft disappointment doesn't come from the Bombers, rather that two project players I thought we should kick the tires on almost fell to us in round 6 - Paterson and Fox.  Obviously these guys might amount to a whole lot of nothing, but based on the scouting reports I read I was intrigued and thought there was a chance we could get one or both late.  Guess we'll see how Everett stacks up against our current NI DL.  I know nothing, absolutely nothing about Eisho.  If he makes it out of camp I'll try to spell his name correctly more often then not; until that happens I'm not committing to making that effort.

[robynjt]

 

I have to say Walters reminds me of Taman... especially in this draft - 'overpaying' to get his guy Briggs, going to OL when in doubt, trading for Neufeld

 

I'd say this is a very decent draft with potential to be 'out of the park' if Neufeld works out at RT

Overpaying? What rounds are you talking about here. They wanted the guy and had to move up to get him. Give Walters a break!

 

In fairness, overpaying was in quotes  

 

If they had him higher on their charts, the actual pick # doesn't matter (ie whatever # they had Briggs at, that's kind of the pick they traded for, ya know?). 

[Mr Dee]

 

 

I have to say Walters reminds me of Taman... especially in this draft - 'overpaying' to get his guy Briggs, going to OL when in doubt, trading for Neufeld

 

I'd say this is a very decent draft with potential to be 'out of the park' if Neufeld works out at RT

Overpaying? What rounds are you talking about here. They wanted the guy and had to move up to get him. Give Walters a break!

 

In fairness, overpaying was in quotes

 

If they had him higher on their charts, the actual pick # doesn't matter (ie whatever # they had Briggs at, that's kind of the pick they traded for, ya know?). 

 

 

I see that trading up for Walter's pick is being "questioned" so I have to ask…if that's the guy they wanted, isn't that worth the value of two questionable picks later on, especially in a thinner draft year?

I also wonder that the Bombers sometimes get chastised for not making any moves and then, when they do…..

[robynjt]

Oh, I see absolutely nothing wrong with the trade.  Especially with all the picks they had in the third, and in a thin draft year as you said.  Seems like a great move to me...