Canadian names to watch on third day of NFL Draft
Each and every year, Canadians are playing a bigger role in the NFL Draft.
While that’s great for the sport and this country’s athletes, it’s made three-down draft evaluations for CFL teams about as tough as they’ve ever been.
More than ever, fans and CFL front offices are paying close attention to the potential for Canadians to land south of the border every spring, even if the influx of Canuck talent has yet to manifest itself in a huge number of drafted players.
When it comes to Day 3 of this year’s NFL Draft Saturday, let’s start with this caveat: Other than David Onyemata, the hulking yet athletic defensive lineman out of the University of Manitoba, each and every name on this list could be considered a long-shot to hear his name called by an NFL team.
Every single one of them, however, will be the mix as a priority free agent once the draft is completed Saturday night and mini-camp invites are inevitable.
The difference between being a Day 3 pick and an undrafted free agent?
Other than a little bit of leash and a training camp head start on the depth chart, not a whole lot that can’t be overcome.
NFL teams take the post-draft free-agent scramble very seriously, as front offices are on the phones with players who have slipped through the cracks before the selection process is even complete.
Just remember, New England Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler was unheard of as a priority free-agent signing in the spring of 2014 out of the University of West Alabama. Nine months later, he was providing, perhaps, the most dramatic moment in Super Bowl history on the one-yard line.
With the first two days — and three rounds — of the 2016 NFL Draft in the books, here are a handful of Canadian names to keep an eye on in the final four rounds at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago:
5. The Dinos
We’ll group these two guys together, as both have interesting circumstances surrounding them. Sean McEwen’s CFL rights are already owned by the Toronto Argonauts, who took him third overall last spring. The University of Calgary centre earned a mini-camp look from the New York Giants following last year’s CFL Draft, then impressed at this year’s East-West Shrine Game. The 6-foot-3, 297-pounder has had enough eyes on him this winter that maybe someone liked enough of what they saw to take a chance late. Elie Bouka, on the other hand, still isn’t full-go from the blown out Achilles he suffered last August, which has the 6-foot-1, 205-pound defensive back shrouded in mystery. The Arizona Cardinals and Kansas City Chiefs have been sniffing around the Quebec native, however, showing just how coveted defensive backs with good size and speed are these days. Bouka will be a top-20 option in the CFL Draft.
4. The defensive backs
Thanks to his Big 10 pedigree at Michigan State, Arjen Colquhoun has been on the CFL radar all year. The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder was third on the CFL scouting bu- reau’s initial rankings way back in September, and it hasn’t changed much since. With 12 passes knocked down and two interceptions last season for the Spartans, the Windsor, Ont., product is an interesting package of size and production. Meanwhile, Anthony Thompson, a Montreal-born defensive back, arrived on the radar when he ran his 40-yard dash in the 4.4-second range at Southern Illinois’ pro day. Both players will be gone early in the CFL Draft.
3. The defensive lineman
Even though he’s been hampered by injury issues during his days at Boston College, defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad has the length — he’s 6-foot-6, 284 pounds — NFL teams covet. The 2015 senior season was the Montrealer’s best: 15 tackles for a loss and 5.5 sacks for a Screaming Eagles defence that was one of the best in the nation statistically. Abdesmad’s name would be in the mix to be the first overall pick in the CFL Draft if it weren’t for the NFL. Another big-program player, defensive end Trent Corney has also garnered some interest, especially after impressing at the University of Virginia pro day with a 4.68-second 40-yard dash as a 6-foot-3, 251-pounder. To put that in perspective, Corney’s 40 time would have been the top mark among running backs at the CFL Combine.
2. Tevaun Smith, WR, Iowa
The final two names on this list both hold very realistic aspirations of hearing their name called by an NFL team Saturday. They’re the consensus top two CFL prospects and if the NFL interest suddenly disappeared, you’d likely be looking at the top two picks May 10. That won’t be the case. The Toronto-born wideout put up six points in dramatic fashion in the Big 10 championship game courtesy of an 85-yard run-and-catch touchdown, then went out and burned a sub-4.4 40-yard dash during Iowa’s pro day at 6-foot and 205 pounds.
1. David Onyemata, DL, Manitoba
Since destroying the East-West Shrine Game in January, Onyemata’s stock has been ascending, with some speculating he could be an option as high as the fourth round Saturday. With good reason, too. He’s about as raw as they get, but NFL teams will see that as a positive, believing professional coaching could unlock the massive talent inside the nimble 300-pounder. At this point, it would be a surprise if he weren’t selected higher than defensive lineman Christian Covington, who was the lone Canadian selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, going in the sixth round (216th overall) to the Houston Texans.