Talent-rich Dinos dominate CFL draft
Five of top 15 players selected hail from winning University of Calgary program
The mood at the Calgary Dinos draft party was electric.
It started with offensive linemen Darius Ciraco and Ryan Sceviour being selected in the first round of Thursday night’s CFL Draft.
But the excitement only grew from there.
After the Hamilton Tiger-Cats selected defensive lineman Brett Wade with the No. 15 overall pick, five highly-touted Dinos players were off the board and preparing for life with their new CFL teams.
Ciraco was heading to the Ticats after getting picked No. 6 overall, while the Calgary Stampeders made sure Sceviour wouldn’t be moving far when they chose him with the No. 8 pick.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers then took receiver Rashaun Simonise with the No. 12 pick, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders selected linebacker Micah Teitz with the No. 14.
By the end of the night on Thursday, eight Dinos had been drafted by CFL teams, the most of any U Sports program.
“I don’t know that that’s happened before — that many, that high,” said Dinos head coach Wayne Harris Jr.
“We’ve had success with a lot of high picks in the past, but I’m not sure what our numbers are in comparison.
“When they go that high, it must say we’re doing something right and the young men are, as well. It’s a great reflection on our program.”
In addition to the five players chosen in the top-15, the Dinos program also saw offensive lineman Curtis Krahn selected No. 40 by the Edmonton Eskimos, defensive lineman Joe Van Pelt go No. 62 overall to the Ticats and linebacker Boston Rowe go No. 68 to the Stampeders.
The Dinos have consistently been the class of the Canada West football conference for over a decade now, and that’s made the University of Calgary an attractive destination for highly regarded high school recruits.
In 2017, the Dinos had a record nine players chosen, so it wasn’t exactly shocking to see so many find CFL homes in the 2018 draft.
At this point, the Dinos success at helping develop CFL players is a big selling point for the program.
“You hope that, when we’re out recruiting, they see the success that the young men in our program have had and they understand that it’s not just being good high school players that takes them to the next level,” Harris said. “It’s what happens when they’re in university.
“What we have to offer and the way we do things, I think, really helps them elevate their game. Getting around other players with the same attitude really helps, as well, when players are strong leaders and they help the young players coming in understand what it’s going to take to continue to be successful.”
Of course, the ultimate measure of success for any university football program is winning the Vanier Cup. The Dinos have come close a couple times over the past 10 years, but the last time the program won the national university championship was in 1995.
“They’re a good football team,” said Stampeders president/GM John Hufnagel. “They win a lot of games, are very well coached and do a good job.”