I apologize for not getting this in right away, but I been working 7 days a week but finally its here and after 8 rounds, 73 total names were selected in the Canadian Football League draft. These players will now have a chance to represent a professional football team that chose them in the CFL draft. I (Big Al) will grade the first 25 picks as I was going to grade all 73 but working 7 days a week took the wind out of me. Therefore I will grade the top 25 picks. Starting from pick 1 and working my way to pick 25.
Pick 1:
The BC Lions Selected Line Backer, Jordan Williams from East Carolina.
After making a trade with Calgary for the number 1 pick overall it was smart in the sense to go for the number 1 draft prospect. However, the Lions should have utilized this pick to select a key offensive lineman that can play right away and can help stop the punishment all star quarterback Mike Reilly has been receiving. I suggest they should have picked Tomas Jack-Kurdyla from the university of Buffalo. I give this pick a grade of C.
Pick 2:
The Toronto Argonauts Selected Wide Receiver from University of Virginia Dejon Brissett.
After passing on signing back wide receiver Derrell Walker, drafting a WR is not a bad option here, giving all star quarterback Matt Nichols someone to throw too other that DaVaris Daniels would really help. Question is who to draft with so many options? With Brissett being one the best options according to the CFL scouting bureau it was a smart move to select him however his most recent statistics aren’t the greatest. Therefore, if you are drafting a receiver he should have been held off in the later rounds and Toronto would have been better off drafting Trivel Pinto. I give this pick a grade of C.
Pick 3:
The Calgary Stampeders selected Defensive End from South Eastern Louisiana University Isaac, Adeyemi- Berglund.
This again isn’t the worst selection but for a first rounder it’s not the greatest. Calgary has a stacked roster so adding to their already impressive defense is a probably a good goal to have for there first round. Passing on Isaac however would have been a more suited option for the team. If Calgary really wanted to fill in the front seven on the depth chart rather than a secondary unit picking a player like Mason Bennett would have been the safest bet. I give this pick a grade of C+.
Pick 4:
The Edmonton Eskimos Selected offensive lineman from the University of Buffalo Tomas Jack-Kurdyla.
I had Kurdyla going a bit sooner in the draft which is why I think this is a very wise choice by Edmonton, great move. I give this pick a grade of A+.
Pick 5:
The Hamilton Tiger Cats selected offensive lineman from Guelph University Coulter Woodmansey.
With Hamilton not needing a whole a lot… Offensive line men should not be on there mind for the first round of the draft. Woodmansey isn’t even a top 5 O line prospect. However, Hamilton knows they don’t need a whole lot so if this is truly just a want type pick then that makes sense. However, they are better off selecting one of the top names on the board. I give this pick a grade of C-.
Pick 6:
The Ottawa RedBlacks selected defensive back Adam Auclair from Laval University.
This is exactly what I thought should and would happen for Ottawa. Auclair is an outstanding defensive back and is one of the top prospects from University Sports. Auclair put up some impressive numbers in his U Sports football career. He is also exactly what Ottawa needs. He is a pro ready size and can start right away. However, it wasn’t necessarily a steal. Therefore, I grade this pick an A-.
Pick 7:
The Saskatchewan Roughriders selected offensive linemen from University of Saskatchewan Riley Mattland.
Ok so here is an interesting draft pick but the Roughriders which has me in a debate if I am in love with this pick or not. For example I really do love this pick because Saskatchewan kept it local, however I don’t like this pick because the roughriders could have utilized it to pick one of the top names of the board as the don’t have too many holes to fill they could use this pick to select someone that can add to there depth chart of such a stacked roster. What I love about this pick is that Mattland is a top 5 O line men in this draft and won some awards in U Sports to show for it. What I don’t like about this pick is that they should have stolen a skilled player off the board to add some competitive edge in the draft or maybe some trade bait. What I love about this pick however is that due to the Roughriders not needing a whole lot, they can utilize this pick for want instead of a need and this is clearly a want for Saskatchewan. Overall, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up which is why I say it was a smart move by the Roughriders and I give this pick a grade of A-.
Pick 8:
The Hamilton Tiger Cats Selected Defensive End from North Dakota University, Mason Bennett.
This was a huge steal for Hamilton and a most excellent selection. Bennett is an extremely talented player and Hamilton is utilizing there pick well adding there already stacked roster and helping them defensively on the front 7. Hamilton has all the right reasons to pick one of the top names off the board. Overall, I give this pick a grade of A++.
Pick 9:
The Toronto Argonauts selected offensive lineman, from the University of Regina, Theren Churchill.
One of the better O Linemen in U Sports but still isn’t that big compared to the better O Linemen in the league. Impressive however that he started all 25 games he played for Regina. Toronto was probably best to utilize there previous first round pick for a better offensive lineman such as Kurdyla and using this pick to pick up one of the top receivers off the board. However, this is almost a steal to select one the top O line men on off the boards. His size isn’t to far off from most O line men, and he is proven to be very strong. This is a guy that Toronto does need and to find him ninth overall is a win for the Argos. Thus, I give this pick an overall grade of B+.
Pick 10:
Ottawa RedBlacks selected defensive linemen from Brown University Michael Hoecht .
Not to shabby of a pick here. Ottawa chose to stick with the defensive side of the ball first with there secondary unity and second with there front seven. Smart. Hoecht is an excellent player as well. Recording 174 total tackles 88 of which were solo tackles in 37 games played in Hoecht’s collegiate career. For a second round pick I give this pick a grade of A+.
Pick 11:
Toronto Argonauts selected line backer from Carleton University, Jack Cassar.
This was a HUGE steal for Toronto. I originally thought Cassar would go first overall in the draft. So, to get him now is absolutely amazing. I think not drafting Cassar is a mistake by any team. Therefore, to get this pick in the second round I will have to give this pick a grade of A++.
Pick 12:
Calgary Stampeders selected wide receiver from University of British Columbia, Trivel Pinto.
More weapons for Bo Levi Mitchell can’t hurt. But to relive some pressure of Mitchell can’t hurt ether. Which is why drafting a running back isn’t a bad option here considering no backs have been drafted up to this point just yet. Pinto however is almost too good to pass up. So, this pick could have gone ether way. Question is, who is better Kayden Johnson from York University? Or Pinto from UBC? Which is hard to compare two different players that play two different positions. So, in that case it’s almost best to go with Kayden Johnson because Calgary already has weapons for Bo. It’s a tough loss for sure but there will be other receivers on the board later on in the draft. Still a great choice which is why I give this pick a grade of A-.
Pick 13:
Edmonton Eskimos selected defensive linemen from University of Ottawa Alain Pae.
Baaaad choice. He hasn’t played since 2017 and only played 8 games. What he put up during those 8 games was very impressive, however. Edmonton if wanted a defensive lineman would have been better to select someone with more experience. I give this pick a grade of a F--.
Pick 14:
The Montreal Alouettes selected defensive back from university of Montreal Marc-Antoine Deqouy.
I get the attraction wanting Deqouy especially if you think you are in need of defensive back. I also get wanting to draft a local player. However, this was not the best way to go about it. Deqouy already signed in the NFL. Let’s face it if you sign in the NFL most people are going to take it. So, for that reason I give this pick a grade of F. If it was a later round, I would have given this pick a better grade, but I think for Montreal’s first pick of the draft this choice was a waste of a pick.
Pick 15:
BC Lions selected quarterback from Ohio University, Nathan Rourke.
I’m not sure if its that Adam Sinagra doesn’t suit what BC is looking for in playing style, but you would think any team would be happy to have Sinagra on there team over Rourke. However, this is a great pick unless your BC and you have your franchise quarterback Mike Reilly. You do need a guy backing up Reilly however and Rourke is excellent asset in that aspect. Great pick. I give this pick a grade of A.
Pick 16:
Montreal Alouettes selected defensive line from Queens University Cameron Lawson.
Montreal seems to want extra help on the defensive side of the ball as in the same round there second pick was a defender first on there secondary unit and second on there front seven. I don’t see any wholes that need to be filled in the opposite side of the ball, so this is very a smart move. However, Lawson wasn’t supposed to go this early and they could have utilized this pick for someone else. As they could have waited till there next pick to grab Lawson. I give this pick a grade of C+.
Pick 17:
Hamilton Tiger Cats selected line backer from Acadia University Bailey Feltmate.
Regardless if Hamilton needed a line backer or not this is a huge STEAL for Hamilton to pick up Feltmate so late in the draft, considering I projected Feltmate to go much earlier. Very smart move by the Tiger Cats. I give this pick a grade of A++.
Pick 18:
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected defensive back from McMaster University, Noah Hallett.
For Winnipeg’s first pick in the draft this is a very wise move. Why not treat it like a first rounder since it’s your fist pick of the draft? This way Winnipeg is able to grab the next big name of the board. Projected to go early in the first round Hallett is an excellent asset to any team. Winnipeg has no wholes so to fulfill a want over a need is a good idea here. Also why not add to there strong defensive unit? Plus, they already have a stacked offense… BUT PUMP THE BREAKS!!! Rewind… They have lost Matt Nichols, Chris Sterveler is in the NFL now and there is no way they can put all their trust into Zach Collaros!!! So, they need to draft a QB. With Adam Sinagra still on the board, they should have taken Sinagra… So, I can’t for that reason give this a passing grade. I give this pick a grade of F--. Yes passing on Hallett would suck but now they need to make up for there loss in the quarterback situation. If Sinagra goes to another team, the 2019 Grey Cup champions Winnipeg is in some hot water… There are plenty more defensive backs on the board and not too many quartbacks, which is why for there first pick I failed Winnipeg.
Territorial Picks:
Every year after the first two rounds of the draft the bottom two teams in the draft get an extra pick and can draft a someone local… here are those two picks…
Pick 1 (Territorial):
Ottawa RedBlacks selected line backer from Laval University Dan Basambombo.
Ottawa has to treat this pick like it’s any other and should grab a need over a want. So as long as they follow the rules and keep the pick territorial, they should pick someone that will help Ottawa. Staying on the defensive side of the ball seems to be their theme which is good because they struggled defensively last season. I like this pick because they drafted from Laval and Laval usually has a well-respected roster, year in year out repeatedly and Dan Basambombo was a 2018 Defensive U Sports all star. So, selecting him was a good choice. Ottawa utilized their extra pick really well here. I give this pick a grade of A.
Pick 2 (Territorial):
Toronto Argonauts selected defensive lineman from Laurier University Samuel Acheampong.
Same story with Ottawa for Toronto, Toronto needs to keep this pick as a need over a want and treat this pick like any other. I like what they did with this pick because I had Acheampong going earlier in the draft by a different team. So, to pick up Acheampong in a territorial pick is a very good choice. Acheampong is very tall at 6 foot 5. You can’t teach size, so this was a very good choice. Acheampong put up some very impressive numbers over the years in his University career. This pick is very deserving for a territorial pick at least of a grade of A+.
Pick 21:
Calgary Stampeders select wide receiver from Simon Fraser University Rysen John.
Rysen John played very well for SMU in his University career. However, he already signed with the Giants. Plus, Calgary already has weapons for Bo Levi, and they added another weapon in the pick before this. I don’t like this pick at all. Rysen John is a great player no doubt but no one should have risked selecting him this early in the draft. Especially if you an outstanding team like Calgary, you should be utilizing your few picks in the draft to choose a player that can help fill in the few holes you have. I give this pick a grade of D--. I didn’t give it a horrific grade because John still might be that under the radar player that later in their pro football career shines in the CFL.
Pick 22:
Montreal Alouettes selected offensive lineman from university of Alberta Carter O’Donnell.
Remind me again why Montreal is drafting people that have already signed in the NFL and is too good to not make the NFL roster? This is another waste of a pick. O’Donnell will make the NFL roster. Horrible pick. If O’Donnell didn’t sign in the NFL, I would have said the opposite. Thus, I give this pick a grade of F--.
Pick 23:
BC Lions selected defensive linemen from Western Oregon University Courtney Hammond.
I don’t think this is a player you need to worry about being taken at all in the first few rounds. So, BC could have saved this pick for later. I like the pick for a later round for the reason that I don’t see this guy as a starter early in his career. He did record a tackle a game in his collegiate career which is not so bad. I just see a player like that walking away with a tackle a game is more so a back up or an in-depth player. Which is why BC should have utilized this pick for another O lineman. Therefore, I don’t like this pick in the third round I think BC could have even drafted a REC that Rourke is familiar with. Plus, even if BC lost out on drafting Courtney Hammond, it would not have been a huge loss. However, I don’t think it’s a failure of a pick because a D lineman would help BC and this guy will be a mediocre player almost right away and later on could be one of the greats. So, I give this pick a grade of C--.
Pick 24:
Edmonton Eskimos selected line backer from Townson University Malik Tyne.
To grab this guy in the third round isn’t wildly impressive but it is a great pick. In just 23 games played Tyne put up 32 tackles and 18 assisted tackles for a total of 50 tackles. He also recorded 12 tackles for a loss and 5 sacks. Not to shabby to go 24th overall it makes sense. I wouldn’t have him in the top 25 draft prospects but for an Edmonton stand point strategically speaking this isn’t a bad option expect for the fact when you are Edmonton and you lost out on CJ Gable you got to make up for it. They should have selected a pro ready running back that has yet to come off the board. Thus, I give this pick a grade of a C.
Pick 25th:
Montreal Alouettes selected defensive lineman from University of Montreal Benoit Marion.
Keeping it local and finally not drafting an NFL signee, this isn’t a bad choice for a third rounder. I didn’t think Marion was a top 25 draft prospect, but he is close to the conversation. But at 6 foot 5, and on the 2018 U Sports all star team. This is a pretty good pick. I give this pick a grade of a B+.
And there you have it, your top 25 picks for the CFL draft graded by Big Al. I hope you enjoyed the read.