2014 CFL Draft Recap

Give your head a shake and catch your breath. The CFL draft burst out of the gates with a flurry of activity. We saw the Argos trade up to get their man and Pierre Lavertu go number one, as expected, but not to who you expected.

The Toronto Argonauts made a bold move to jump to the number 3 spot to pick up Running Back Anthony Coombs out of Manitoba.  The trade saw Toronto acquire the 3^rd overall pick, from Edmonton, along with the 21^st in the 3^rd round and the rights to a negation list player. In exchange the Argos sent their first (6^th) and second (15^th) round picks along with imports OL Tony Washington & DB Otha Foster and the rights to a negotiation list player back to the green and gold.

General Manager Jim Barker expressed that they had to, “move up to get the guy they wanted.” Barker went on to say, “Coombs has great quickness, catches the ball well, and we believe he will fit very well into what we do on the field. We’re looking forward to seeing him in training camp.”

Coombs finished out a stellar four year career at the University of Manitoba rushing for 2,232 yards and 17 touchdowns. Through the air he tallied 51 receptions for 840 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Not to be out done Calgary snagged the first pick in the draft from Ottawa and chose the projected number one OL Pierre Lavertu from Laval. Ottawa got Gott (John Gott) in exchange for the first pick and the rights to OL Marwan Hage (retired)

The REDBLACKS made climbed back into the first round by shipping Kevin Glenn to BC for the 5^th overall pick. They then flipped that picks with Montreal to get DB Antoine Pruneau.

Like the draft, I am jumping around here. Winnipeg, probably dizzy from all the movement around them, stood pat at number 2 and picked up Matthias Goossen from Simon Fraser.

At the number 5 spot the Alouettes selected David Foucault from the home town Montreal Carrabin’s.

Edmonton grabbed WR Devon Bailey from St. FX at number 6.

Calgary, back on the board at 7, picked the number 1 ranked defensive Lineman, Quinn Smith. With an impressive combine showing, Smith shot up the rankings and was once projected to go as high as the third spot. A positive drug test at the evaluation camp means he will be immediately enrolled in the league’s substance abuse program.

Hamilton then picked back to back to close out the first round, after a trade with Saskatchewan. Going in the eighth spot was mobile Western Linebacker Beau Landry and ninth was Manitoba DL Evan Gill.

Argonauts Picks

Round 1 – 3^rd Overall – RB Anthony Coombs (Manitoba)

Coombs was ranked the number one running back in this year’s draft. He has drawn comparisons to fellow Winnipeg native Andrew Harris and new Argonauts teammate Andre Durie. Coombs was named 3 time All-Canada West, 2 time 1st team All-Canadian & 1 time 2nd team All-Canadian.

Round 3 – 21^st Overall – OL Jaskaran Dhillon (UBC)

A versatile lineman, who saw action on both sides of the line, but found his place at guard last year. For his efforts he earned All- Canada West and First Team All- Canadian honors.

Round 4 – 33^rd Overall – LB Thomas Miles (Manitoba)

Won the starting MLB job in his freshman year as a Bison. Brings added value as a long snapper. Could replace Chad Rempel but will have to compete for the job with fellow linebacker Jake Reinhart. 110 Tackles; 3.5 Tackles for Loss; 1 Sack; 1 Forced Fumble; 2 Fumble Recoveries.

Round 4 – 36^th Overall – FB Alexandre Dupuis (Montreal)

Big blocking back at 6’4” 245lbs. Has overcome 2 knee injuries. Compared to Patrick Lavoie of the Ottawa REDBLACKS. 2013 RESQ All-Star

Round 5 – 38^th Overall – DB Eric Black (Saint Mary’s)

2013 AUS All-Star, Speedy DB with High Football IQ. Did we mention he is the brother of Argos Safety Matt Black, so we know he has great genetics. Duane Forde questions his strength, as he only completed 3 reps in the bench press.

Round 5 – 42^nd Overall – WR Evan Pszczonak (Windsor)

Solid hands, quick feet (4.59-40) and great hops (40” vertical – top combine result). 109 Receptions 1942 yards 19 TDs. Ranked as the top 5 receiver by Ridley Scouting

Round 6 – 51^st Overall – WR Tore Corrado (Simon Fraser)

Two All- GNAC honors as a punt and kick returner. 58 receptions 748 yards 4 TD in 38 games for the Clan. Ranked as the top 6 receiver by Ridley Scouting. Will need to get stronger to compete with the CFL DBs

Round 7 – 60^th Overall – DL Kirby Fletcher (Acadia)

2 time All-AUS Conference player. 68 Tackles 18 Tackle for Loss; 7 Sacks; 4 Passes Defended; 2 Forced Fumbles

Draft Notes

• Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (Number 1 ranked CFL prospect) was selected 19^th overall in the third round by the Calgary Stampeders. He was also a 6^th round selection by the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Draft on Saturday.
• 59 of the 65 players selected were from CIS School.
• 64 players played at a Canadian based university.
• 26 picks were moved 36 times in connection with the 2014 CFL Draft.
• 23 Schools were represented in this draft
• Laval and Montreal each had 6 players chosen
• Simon Fraser and Manitoba each had 5 players chosen
• 18 DL; 10 OL; 10 WR; 9 LB; 7 DB; 4 K/P; 3RB; 3 FB; 1 LS