Football: How did the CFL scouting bureau's list stand up?

It might be worthwhile to see how the CFL scouting bureau's list of top Canadian Interuniversity Sport talent stands up to the actual selections. The list is an aggregation of what the league is told by scouts and personnel people, it's not etched in stone. Still,
  1. Simeon Rottier, offensive line, Alberta — Selected No. 1 overall by Hamilton.

  2. Jamall Lee, running back, Bishop's — As expected, the B.C. Lions traded up to select the Port Coquitlam native at No. 3. The TSN panel debated the possibility of the Lions using Lee as a slotback instead of at tailback. Chris Schultz, if memory serves was adamant that Lee is a tailback.

  3. Étienne Légaré, defensive line, Laval — Went No. 2 to Toronto. The Argonauts have often reached for players who are on more of a NFL track. Légaré is more CFL-ready.

  4. Matt Carter, slotback, Acadia — Went No. 5 to B.C. TSN, which did a bang-up job airing the first two rounds, noted that Carter was a late-comer to football, since he was a competitive skier. As they put it, he could end up competing in Vancouver in 2010, but for the Lions, not for Canada.

  5. Dylan Steenbergen, offensive line, Calgary — Went No. 7 to Montréal.

  6. Matt Morencie, offensive line, Windsor — The first player to slip out of Round 1, going to B.C. in the third round (21st overall).

  7. Dee Sterling, defensive line, Queen's — Taken in the second round (12th overall) by Edmonton. First player taken out of the OUA.

  8. Tamon George, defensive back, Regina — They got this one right, since his home-province Saskatchewan Roughriders took George at No. 9 overall, the first pick of the second round. (Saskatchewan didn't have a first-rounder.) The 'Riders are pretty friendly to Canadian defensive backs, and the best of luck to George in becoming a ratio-buster as a Canadian cornerback.

    There is joke that makes light of the CFL's historical reluctance to play Canadians at certain positions. " 'A cornerback from the CIS? He won't be playing much 'CB' ... 'Yes, he will: Canadian Backup.' " The TSN guys were confident that George will get a chance to break through that artificial-grass ceiling, so to speak.

  9. Matt Morris, defensive back, Toronto — Undrafted. Mike Morris from UBC was drafted 19th overall by Winnipg.

  10. James Yurichuk, linebacker, Bishop's — The first player to jump the queue, going to B.C. with the No. 4 overall pick. A real coup for the Gaiters.

  11. Scott McHenry, slotback, Saskatchewan — Taken in the fourth round (32nd overall) by Calgary.

  12. Jonathan Pierre-Étienne, defensive line, Montréal — Taken in the fifth round (37th overall) by B.C., which has a pretty decent Canadian pass rusher named Brent Johnston.

  13. Steve Myddelton, offensive line, St. Francis Xavier — Fourth round (30th overall) to Calgary. Veteran tackle Jeff Pilon will not play forever, but TSN analyst Duane Fordes Stampeders draft preview noted they have six Canadian O-linemen already on the roster. Calgary is deep in Canadian backs and receivers.

  14. Mike Cornell, linebacker, Ottawa — Undrafted.

  15. Stan Van Sichem, defensive line, Regina — Fourth round (25th overall) to the Alouettes.
The first five players on the list all went in the first round. After that, the results are mixed, but the causation is unclear. Teams have their own ideas about what they need. Besides, the draft is an art, not an exact science, eh. Overall, the list served its purpose as grist for debate.
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3 comments:

  1. Rottier was a no-brainer from everything I've seen and read.

    Yurichuk - I've seen him play many times and am not surprised where he went despite his pre-draft ranking.

    Legare - this guy could be a bust, not because of his skills, but because his English is very poor (to be charitable). You tell me how he makes a team when he has a hell of a time understanding what coaches/teammates are saying.

    BTW, what the hell was up with HAM trading the rights for Jamall Lee for those picks?

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  2. All I know about Légaré is what he's done on the field.

    As for the B.C.-Hamilton trade, when it was first proposed I thought B.C. would give up two first-rounders to get that No. 3 pick, and maybe Hamilton would throw in the second-rounder. Instead Hamilton moves down.

    The rub with CFL trades is you can't take them in isolation. It's like when the Ticats sent 3 players to Edmonton in 2005 and everyone knew Jason Maas would go to Hamilton in the off-season.

    You have to assume that with a lot of the trades, the teams will make another one later on that's lopsided for the other side. That happens when you have only seven teams to trade with.

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  3. Hi Guys, any of you going to London this week-end for the East-West Bowl?

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