Draft-eligible DBs ‘special’ group
Redblacks may pass on an O-lineman in first round for likes of Gee-Gees’ Bennett
The Ottawa Redblacks have gone with an offensive lineman in the first round in four of the five years they’ve participated in the CFL draft, but don’t be surprised if they look in a different direction Thursday night.
In 2014, the Redblacks grabbed defensive back Antoine Pruneau with their first choice, fourth overall. This year, defensive backs Godfrey Onyeka (Wilfrid Laurier University) and hometown hero Jackson Bennett (University of Ottawa) could be near the top of Ottawa’s wish list. Another player they may consider is Georgia State defensive lineman Julien Laurent.
Either Onyeka or Bennett would provide backup support for Pruneau, with the potential to be so much more.
The Redblacks, of course, aren’t providing any hints about which direction they are leaning. But they’ve got several quality Canadian offensive linemen already on the roster, and with a deep crop of talented linemen once again available Ottawa could wait until the second round to grab one of the big boys.
“Not that we don’t consider other guys, not that we wouldn’t select somebody else, but we all know the importance of Canadian O-linemen in the draft,” said Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins. “There are some very good players at other positions in this draft, too.”
TSN’s Duane Forde and CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson could see the Redblacks going with a defensive back in the first round.
“I don’t think it’s too high” to pick a defensive back, Forde said. “You look at this draft, obviously this is a lot of talent at the top end in terms of the offensive line group. When you look at a team like Ottawa that seems somewhat set in terms of its Canadian starters on the offensive line, when you’re looking to add depth you don’t necessarily have to go there in the first round. It is a year when you could see them stray from the trend.”
“The defensive back group, to me, is pretty special,” Ferguson said. “When I looked at the size and speed numbers to get a sense for what type of group it was, they are bigger and they are faster than the average groups over the past six years or so.”
Asked what kind of talent was available in the draft, Desjardins said, “The dynamic of the draft this year, to me, is there are a bunch of high-end guys, then there are very few of what’s deemed to be a notch below that, then there are a bunch of guys below that.”
Some of the top-rated players have either NFL free-agent contracts or at least mini-camp invites. When asked if that influences the Redblacks in their selections, Desjardins said, “It’s obviously a factor, but let’s say you have three or four of those guys rated the same. If three of those guys are down south and one isn’t, the likelihood is you’re going to go with the guy you know you’re going to get into camp. If there are three high-end guys that are down south and then there’s a big dropoff to what you feel the next pick will be, are you more inclined to roll the dice, make that selection and get the guy sooner rather than later? The answer is yes. Put it this way, you’re not going to take a late second-rounder in the first round because guys are down south.”
If the Redblacks don’t grab a defensive back with their first pick, they could take Laurier DB Isaiah Guzylak-Messam if he’s available in the second round. If offensive linemen Dakoda Shepley (UBC) or David Knevel (Nebraska) slide into the second round, either one of them makes a lot of sense as well. WHO’S NO. 1?: The Montreal Alouettes had the first overall pick — until Wednesday. The Alouettes dealt the pick to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In return, they got the second overall pick, offensive line-
man Ryan Bomben and receiver Jamal Robinson. Various draft picks also moved back and forth in the deal. It had been speculated that the Alouettes would take either offensive lineman Trey Rutherford (UConn) or receiver Mark Chapman (Central Michigan), so it’s conceivable that both those guys are in play with Hamilton holding down the top choice. It’s probably a case of a good deal for both teams: Hamilton gets its top choice, plus the Als may well end up with the guy they would have taken No. 1 anyway.
THE END AROUND: Asked if there was any progress in talks with Ottawa’s third-round choice in 2016, defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad, who had NFL looks from Tennessee and Tampa Bay, Desjardins said, “There’s nothing new.” The sides have not talked recently. When asked if something could get done, he said, “Never say never.” ... Receiver Pete Berryman (Auburn), the son of former Gee- Gees all-star linebacker Tim Berryman (he also played in the CFL), has been declared eligible for the draft.