With the Canadian Football League draft around the corner, host Jeff Morris is joined by Carleton Ravens football head coach Steve Sumarah to discuss, among other things, the great success his program has had in producing CFL draft picks – a total 11 since 2013.
Jeff provides us with a little bit (read: a lot) of history on the CFL draft, including some of Carleton & Ottawa U’s most memorable draft picks.
For those keeping score, the current standings for total number of players drafted sits at:
Ottawa U – 104
Carleton – 73
Jeff and Steve also discuss the East-West Bowl, a showcase of USports players eligible for the 2020 CFL draft, which takes place at Carleton’s MNP Park on May 11 @12:30pm. Get your tickets here.
This week’s ‘Mount Rushmore’ looks at the four best Carleton Ravens football coaches to be drafted into the CFL.
Carleton Ravens alumnus and Ottawa media mogul Jeff Morris records the pilot episode of the Carleton Ravens Football Podcast – literally while on the road!
Jeff sets up the format for the show; Memories from his CFL draft evaluation (precursor to the combine) experience in Vancouver in 1984; Talks about the Junior Ravens football program; A look back at the 1976-1980 Carleton Ravens football teams, recently honoured at the school’s football banquet; This week’s Mount Rushmore looks at the four former Carleton Ravens who had the best CFL careers.
With training camp in the books and the 2017 Canadian Football League season on the horizon, general manager Marcel Desjardins, head coach Rick Campbell and the Ottawa Redblacks had the difficult task of paring down the roster to the league-mandated maximum of 46 (not including injuries, plus 10 practise roster spots) over the weekend.
Here’s the team that will storm the field at TD Place on Friday, June 23rd:
DB – Defensive Back
A.J. Jefferson (photo Scott Grant Photography)
21 Berger, Adam 🇨🇦
20 Bolduc, Jean-Philippe 🇨🇦
46 Carrington, Lloyd
19 Claiborne, Imoan
4 Gavins, Jerrell
24 Jefferson, A.J.
15 Johnson, Keelan
6 Pruneau, Antoine 🇨🇦
9 Rose, Jonathan
32 Taylor, Nicholas
33 West, Dan 🇨🇦
Definitely the biggest question mark coming into the 2017 season. While there are a few returning vets (Gavins, Pruneau) and the addition of former Toronto Argonaut standout Jefferson, the fact is this is an inexperienced group. And while that may be a fairly regular occurrence in the CFL, it nonetheless means dealing with the uncertainty that comes with young players and CFL rookies. That said, D-Block 2017 looks to be a very talented and athletic group, led by coach (and DB guru) Ike Charlton.
After defensive backs, the defensive line is probably the next biggest question mark for the Grey Cup champs. The group remains a strong one, with high-end Canadian talent in Gascon-Nadon, Williams and Evans, but the fact remains Ottawa had difficulty getting to the opposing quarterback for most of the 2016 season. It appears the plan is to rotate seven or eight of these big boys with regularity, at least for the first few weeks of the season.
K – Kicker
3 Maher, Brett
39 Medeiros, Zack 🇨🇦
Maher returns to Ottawa following a strong 2016 season in Hamilton and a brief stint on the Cleveland Browns roster. Medeiros has had a strong camp by all accounts and has performed well in preseason games. Dare we say the kicking positions seem (knock on wood) somewhat solidified?
LB – Linebacker
22 Bass, Khalil
10 Bryant, Serderius
42 Omara, Ron 🇨🇦
44 Reed, Taylor
The Redblacks had some challenges at LB in 2016, with a fair amount of turnover, including adding ‘Tank’ Reed at mid-season and having Gavins (admirably) jump into the position from his normal DB spot(s). Bass was one of the most sought-after free agents available this offseason. This group looks strong.
LS – Long Snapper
52 Doll, Tanner 🇨🇦
50 Bourassa, Louis-Philippe 🇨🇦
Doll was solid in 2016, and 2017 draft pick Bourassa looks to be a versatile back-up that can contribute on special teams.
OL – Offensive Line
SirVincent Rogers (photo Scott Grant Photography)
53 Albright, Matthew 🇨🇦
68 Draheim, Tommie
63 Gott, Jon 🇨🇦
64 Johnson, Evan 🇨🇦
58 Lauzon-Séguin, Jason 🇨🇦
66 MacMillan, Nolan 🇨🇦
56 Mateas, Alex 🇨🇦
55 Rogers, SirVincent
59 Silas, Jake
With the return of Jake Silas this week, the Redblacks offensive line is essentially the same strong group from 2016. While J’Michael Deane is gone, 2017 first-round pick Evan Johnson will look to make his way into the rotation. Most importantly, guard SirVincent Rogers looks fully recovered from season-ending ankle injury.
QB – Quarterback
Trevor Harris (photo Scott Grant Photography)
7 Harris, Trevor
14 Lindley, Ryan
5 Tate, Drew
For the first time in his pro career, Harris will be the undisputed starting QB. And while he has put up excellent numbers the last two seasons with extended time as fill-in starter, being “the guy” is a different kind of pressure. How Harris responds will be a – if not the – major storyline of the Redblacks season.
RB/FB – Running Back/Fullback
William Powell (photo Scott Grant Photography)
25 Gillanders, Brendan 🇨🇦
45 Gosselin, Anthony 🇨🇦
81 Lavoie, Patrick 🇨🇦
23 Madu Jr., Mossis
29 Powell, William
Powell was a force for Ottawa in the back-half of 2015, including a team-best performance in the Grey Cup loss. After missing all of 2016 with an Achilles injury, WiPo is healthy and looked strong in his limited preseason reps. Lavoie is the incumbent FB and should continue to be that 6th/7th receiving option for Harris.
The Redblacks got a lot younger at receiver this offseason, and many believe they have a chance to be even better than the 2016 crew. Lofty, considering they are coming off a second straight year where four receivers topped 1,000 yards. Shaw (1,004 yards for Toronto last year) & Spencer (706 yards in just 12 games with the Argos) are the big free agent additions, while Criner put up 446 yards in the final eight games of the year, including playoffs, once Chris Williams was lost for the year. Add these three to what we’ve come to expect from The Buds (Ellingson & Sinopoli), and the 2017 Redblacks receiving corps is setting up to challenge the league’s best. Is FIVE 1,000-yard receivers a possibility?
While there are always question marks, there’s little question the Redblacks have improved depth at most positions. Barring significant injury, a healthy Redblacks squad should contend for first in the East Division.
By the way, here’s the Redblacks practise roster for Week 1:
27 Baltimore, Sherrod (DB)
31 Brown, Kevin (LB)
17 Collins, Danny (QB)
98 Ellis, Avery (DL)
80 Hartley, Austen (WR) 🇨🇦
35 Jackson, Kevin (LB) 🇨🇦
57 Lofton, Eric (OL) 89 Rhymes, Dominique (WR)
69 Schmidt, Ryan (OL) 28 Tindal, Corey (DB)
PR UPDATE (6/22): Preseason standout WR Daje Johnson has been added to the practise roster, replacing OL Ryan Schmidt. Johnson will wear number 13.
With mini-camps wrapping up across the continent, the next big event in the 2017 CFL calendar is the Draft. On May 7th, (most of) the best and brightest Canadian football talent will be snapped up by the league’s nine teams over eight rounds.
As Grey Cup champions (woo hoo!!!), the Ottawa Redblacks are set to draft last in each round, barring any trades in the lead-up to Sunday night. 2017 will mark the Redblacks fifth CFL Draft, as the team participated on a limited basis (four picks) in the 2013 Draft – a full year prior to their inaugural season in 2014. General manager Marcel Desjardins and his staff have done a commendable job at the Draft through the first four years, adding a number of significant contributors to the Redblacks roster. First round picks each year include:
2013: OL Nolan MacMillan (9th overall); 43 games played, 42 starts
2014: DB Antoine Pruneau (4th overall); 53 games played, 45 starts
2015: OL Alex Mateas (1st overall); 35 games played, 10 starts
2016: OL Jason Lauzon-Séguin (7th overall); 14 games played, 12 starts
Here’s a summary of each Redblacks draft pick’s impact on the Ottawa lineup to date (courtesy @jonathanwhudson):
FRANK – Final Scouting Bureau Rank; DRANK – December Scouting Bureau Rank; SRANK – September Scouting Bureau Rank; GP – Games Played; GS – Games Started; TGP – Total Games Played (with other teams, if applicable); TGS – Total Games Started (with other teams, if applicable)2017 Outlook
Opinions are pretty varied as far as the position or player the Redblacks should be targeting in the first round. Common sense says the first round should be reserved for key Canadian positions on the offensive and defensive lines, but there are always exceptions. Here’s how some in the CFL media see things shaking out for the Redblacks at #9:
Although the Redblacks could go many different routes with the last pick in the first round, selecting Behar makes a lot of sense. It fills a need – Ottawa has suspect depth behind Brad Sinopoli – and adds another local product to the team’s receiving corps. Behar is a London, Ontario native but, of course, played college ball in Ottawa. The Redblacks could use another offensive lineman – McGill’s Qadr Spooner will be considered – as well as a defensive tackle, however a DT such as Idaho’s Faith Ekakitie or Montreal’s Junior Luke would be a reach in the first round. Behar’s local ties edge out Spooner.
Mock Draft #2:
1:9 – Ottawa Redblacks: LB Jordan Herdman, Simon Fraser
Herdman’s fall to the bottom of the first round has much to do with both his NFL interest and his testing results. Although NFL teams will be grossly turned off by his 5.16 40-yard dash, the combination of his Senior Bowl performance and his game tape – that of which suggests no issues with his testing numbers – should result in Herdman getting an opportunity down south as an undrafted free agent.
For Ottawa, while a plethora of defensive tackles and offensive linemen remain available, they saw strong seasons from Connor Williams and Ettore Lattanzio in 2016, while Zack Evans has became a menace in the middle. Based on the players still available versus Ottawa’s team needs, they’re in a position to invest in a player like Herdman. Regardless of his testing numbers, Herdman will one day be a starting inside linebacker in this league.
Herdman has subsequently been invited to Kansas City Chiefs rookie mini-camp.
NFL interest isn’t the only thing muddying Ankou’s stock. At 6-foot-3, 325 pounds, the worry is he’s a bit oversized for a typical CFL interior lineman, but on the plus side, he’s not viewed as strictly a one-dimensional run-stuffer.
The RedBlacks would likely love an offensive lineman, but this Ottawa native might be the best talent on the board.
Note that Ankou was subsequently signed to a priority free agent contract by the Houston Texans immediately following the NFL Draft. This will likely make him a late round CFL selection, given the likelihood he wouldn’t come to the CFL for a minimum of 1-2 years, if at all.
Roy put up an outstanding 39 bench press reps at the combine at just 287 pounds — an outstanding feat for a guy who could afford to add weight to his 6’3 frame. Roy’s also bilingual, an added bonus for a bilingual market.
Of all my picks in the first round, this is the one I’m most hesitant about. Last year, Marcel Desjardins and his REDBLACKS staff took an NCAA defensive lineman in Boston College alum and Montreal native Mehdi Abdesmad in hopes he would come to the CFL sooner rather than later.
Abdesmad has not yet come back north which could interest Ottawa in stretching for another big name quarterback hunter in Iowa Hawkeyes Faith Ekakitie — OR could push the REDBLACKS towards taking a USPORTS player ready to commit himself to the organization immediately. Maybe even a Kwaku Boateng or Kay Okafor if they last to the end of the first round.
There is a chance the Bombers make this pick at #6 but if they don’t, Ottawa will add the solid route runner who will add depth to the receiving corps.
Mitch Picton isn’t ready to start yet but the Redblacks don’t need him to. Picton is a tremendous receiving talent who can learn behind Brad Sinopoli and eventually replace him, providing currently absent depth in the slot.
Like I said, pretty varied.
For reference, here’s the CFL Scouting Bureau’s final ranking:
Note that Justin Senior (1) was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the 6th round of the NFL Draft, while Ankou (Houston), Geoff Gray (Green Bay) and Antony Auclair (Tampa Bay) were all signed to priority free agent deals immediately after the draft. All four will likely drop to mid-round picks, given the risk of them ever playing in the CFL.
Also worth noting that LB Cameron Judge (UCLA) and DL Randy Colling (Gannon University) have been ruled eligible for the 2017 CFL Draft. Both could very well be selected in the first 2-3 rounds.
Local flavour
2017 is a big year for the Carleton Ravens football program, as it will be the first time a Raven is selected in the CFL Draft since 1999 and could see a handful of players chosen. In fact, there are a number of Ottawa connections in the crop of players available this year, including:
DB Tunde Adeleke (Carleton)
#2-ranked DL Eli Ankou (UCLA) – born in Ottawa
OL Kwabena Asare (Carleton)
#9-ranked WR Nathaniel Behar (Carleton)
WR Malcolm Carter (Ottawa Sooners)
DB Nathaniel Hamlin (Carleton)
The 2017 CFL Draft is Sunday, May 7th @ 7:00PM ET. The first two hours will be broadcast live on TSN.
I really don’t have anything to offer that hasn’t already been said about the Redblacks Grey Cup win. So instead of rehashing/celebrating what happened, I’m going to look ahead a bit. The Redblacks have a pile of pending free agents as do most other teams in the CFL. There are quarterback and management questions in other cities, and a team or two will be using the next few weeks to begin their march on Ottawa and the 2017 Grey Cup. I won’t get too deep into Redblacks 2017 roster projects – there are too many moving parts at this point. But here’s a look at the current situation as well as my view of some other situations in other cities.
Redblacks offseason
Ernest Jackson & Jerrell Gavins (photo Scott Grant)
The CFL’s Big List of Free Agents now out, we can certainly look at the team’s offseason challenges.
This means there is much work to be done, but it’s the best kind of work – keeping a champion together and making it better. Not everyone will get to stay, however.
Sadly, Chris Williams is likely in the “won’t be back” category. He’ll be rehabbing his knee well into next summer and may be back just before his 30th birthday. That isn’t a great combo, especially considering that his last contract was likely in the $200k+ neighbourhood. Williams has his detractors, but his world-class speed kept defenders on their heels and opened up the field for his teammates. Losing him for 2017 will be doubly unfortunate because Trevor Harris has the arm to take full advantage of Williams’ talents.
The list of must-sign players is fairly long. Ernest Jackson, Mitchell White, Abdul Kanneh and Nolan MacMillan would be hard to replace. Tank Reed is the LB the Redblacks need – his presence boosted Damaso Muñoz. And #RNation needs to be concerned about John Boyett’s return – we never really heard much about his knee injury and now he’s looking at free agency. There are rumblings that Abdul Kanneh will be looking south, and now we hear that the team has released Cleyon Laing so he can look south as well. If I could, I would bring them both back. Laing proved his worth, collapsing pockets from the inside and making lots of room. As I hoped, he even played some DE and it proved an experiment worth continuing.
I somehow doubt we’ll see Aston Whiteside back. He never really recovered from his knee injury. Its hard to see from here whether the Redblacks rushed him back or whether the knee didn’t respond to treatment or whether he actually got reinjured. The Redblacks so-far fruitless search for its next speed rushing DE continues. But…given the way the Redblacks DLine performed in the Grey Cup, I’m inclined to think the team should stop trying to slot in an unproven speed DE and go with muscle. I saw some devastating power rushes from Laing and Connor Williams from the DE position, showing that Clydesdales can get the same result as a racehorse.
Antoine Pruneau (photo Scott Grant)
Meanwhile, fan favourite Antoine Pruneau is also a pending free agent. Without knowing enough about Montreal’s FS situation, must think that he’s a guy they’d love to sign. Pruneau gave an interview following the Grey Cup parade that made me think he is thinking about options other than returning to Ottawa. I have no quote that signals this, its was just a feeling. Jeff Richards (rumoured to have several opportunities in the NFL) may be a more consistent FS, but it is hard to deny that even without his passport, Pruneau is a big contributor and the Redblacks would be well-served to try to get him back.
Lots of potential for moving parts on the offensive line. J’Michael Deane and Nolan MacMillan are each pending free agents. MacMillan is a very good veteran presence. Deane had a lot of penalty issues this season. Jason Lauzon-Séguin is a legit starter at G and showed he can play OT. Backup Matthew Albright absolutely seems ready to start at G. Jake Silas has proven to be a solid RT, SirV is locked in for another 2 seasons as one of the league’s premier LTs. Tommie Draheim got better into the playoffs and the Grey Cup but is not a strong starter. The long-range plan was for John Gott to switch to G and have Alex Mateas take his place at centre. I don’t see that happening, possibly ever.
Nolan MacMillan (photo Janet MacMillan)
The makeup of the 2017 OL hinges on whether MacMillan can be signed and whether management wants to keep Deane. I have my thoughts on how this should play out, but will save them for another column. I will say that Deane is possibly expendable which is unfortunate for a guy who may want to stay (he owns a house here).
It’s hard to say whether we’ll see FA RB William Powell back – if he’s willing to sign for not a ton of money upfront, then he’d certainly be worth bringing into camp and let him compete with Mossis Madu. Travon Van, who was a good insurance policy in 2016, likely isn’t a priority to re-sign.
Tanner Doll & Kienan Lafrance (photo Scott Grant)
Just a couple of special teams observations at this point. First, I spent a lot of Twitter characters questioning the removal of Kevin Malcolm from long snapper duties – he’s exceptionally good at delivering hard clean spirals to the punter. The team replaced him mid-season with Tanner Doll, who was immediately visible in ways that long snappers aren’t supposed to be. He improved as he went along, but most importantly, he showed why the team made the switch in the first place. Doll is a special teams coverage demon, not easy to do coming out of the snap.
Elsewhere across the CFL
Have to question what Chris Jones thinks he’s doing in Saskatchewan with the Darian Durant negotiations. Durant is a fan favourite, a very solid performer and there really isn’t a better QB on the market. Maybe Chris Jones is the genius he was supposed to be and he’s trying to save the team some needed cap space, or maybe he has a strong-armed rabbit to pull out of the proverbial hat. Or maybe he’s unnecessarily playing hardball with a QB who isn’t his guy. We’ll see.
Corey Watman (photo Scott Grant)
Then there’s Toronto. Word is that co-owner Larry Tanenbaum wants to appoint a football management layer between ownership and the team GM. It makes sense, and it’s an approach he sees working (I guess) with the Maple Leafs. Who will it be? A lot of the CFL’s grownups are either locked into great jobs or on the verge of taking on fewer responsibilities rather than more. I saw a suggestion that Eric Tillman could be the guy, and that makes sense. I’m not convinced of Tillman’s football genius, but I’m convinced that he’s the type of person who will be hired for that job.
In Winnipeg, a team that seems on the cusp of greatness just let its fans breathe a sigh of relief by re-signing Coach Michael O’Shea. Now, the team may be doing some serious soul-searching on whether they have a QB whose trajectory matches the rest of the team. If Saskatchewan loses Durant, he could be enough to propel Winnipeg to true contention in 2017.
Photo Scott Grant
The potential for stability on the Alouettes in 2017 should scare the rest of the East and help re-ignite fan interest in Montreal. Hamilton and Ottawa had it pretty easy in 2016 sharing a division with two teams in a bad downward spiral. A Montreal comeback will make the East much more of a horserace, although whether it would be enough to avoid a western crossover in 2017 remains to be seen. Look for Montreal’s new GM and the coaching staff to assemble and ready an offence that can take advantage of its young QBs. Either Rakeem Cato or Vernon Adams could emerge out of training camp as a legit dynamic playmaking QB and make the Als offence a nice complement to the team’s already good defence.
That’s it for now, I’ve tried to avoid talking about teams or situations where I don’t have information or a decent opinion, though I guess that’s really up to you to judge. I’ll check in again as teams sign more of their pending free agents. And don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @CrankyClair.
All the best, and Merry Christmas.
Cranky Frank Clair
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Most photos courtesy of Scott Grant Photography. Follow on Twitter at @CFLPhotoArchive.
The Ottawa Redblacks took part in their fourth CFL draft on Tuesday (third as an active team), adding nine talented Canadians from CIS and NCAA schools to their roster. Here’s a look at each pick, and what we know/have heard about each:
#7 OL Jason Lauzon-Séguin, Laval
Lauzon-Séguin became the third Laval offensive lineman taken in the first round, following Philippe Gagnon (#2 pick to Montréal) and Charles Vaillancourt (fifth pick to BC). Though his teammates garnered most of the attention, some believe Lauzon-Séguin could be the most talented and is certainly the most versatile, as GM Marcel Desjardins explains:
Also telling that Canadian Football Blog (@CanFbBlog) has Lauzon-Séguin on their Top 5 Underrated Prospects list.
Born in St-Eugène, Lauzon-Séguin is unlikely to start in 2016. Like last year’s #1 pick, Alex Mateas, he will likely see limited reps in his rookie season, with an eye to a starting role in 2017.
#16 DB Mikael Charland, Concordia
As has become a customary through the team’s three full drafts, Desjardins went a little off the board with his second round draft selection, picking Concordia DB Mikael Charland. He was not, for example, on the CIS Scouting Bureau’s final Top 20 list released in April. Nonetheless, the Redblacks have themselves an impressive athlete, standing 6′ 4″, who could be a major ratio-buster at DB. Born in Gatineau, Charland is expected to be a contributor on special teams in fairly short order.
#25 DL Mehdi Abdesmad, Boston College
With their third selection, the Redblacks selected their most talented and highly-touted player of the 2016 draft in Mehdi Abdesmad. Ranked #3 by the CIS Scouting Bureau, the 6′ 7″ (!) Abdesmad could one day be a huge part of Ottawa’s defensive line, however he is currently the property of the Tennessee Titans. This is the first time the Redblacks have taken a shot on a NFL signee. Wish him all the best down south, but having him end up in Ottawa would be a major coup.
#34 LB Kevin Jackson, Sam Houston State
Jackson is a Canadian-born, Texas-raised LB that adds Canadian depth at a premium defensive position. Indications are he can also contribute on special teams in Ottawa sooner than later.
#43 OL Randy Beardy, Windsor
In the CFL, a team really can’t have enough Canadian offensive line depth. In Beardy, the Redblacks get just that, and a player that CFL draft guru Justin Dunk picked as one of his sleepers.
More Canadian OL depth! With the pick acquired from Saskatchewan in the Mo Price trade, the Redblacks added the now-former Guelph Gryphon. Here’s a little workout video:
#54 LB Arto Khatchikian, Concordia
The Redblacks second selection out of Concordia also happens to be roommates with their first, Charland.
Khatchikian projects as mainly a special teams contributor as a pro.
#60 WR Jamal Kett, Western
The 6′ 5″ Kett transferred from Simon Fraser University to Western in 2015. Unfortunately, Kett broke his leg while training in the spring and is not expected at training camp. He’ll likely get his first look in 2017.
#69 LB Guillaume Tremblay-Lebel, Laval
With their final pick, Ottawa selected their second Rouge et Or product of the night in Tremblay-Lebel. Here’s some video:
Tremblay-Lebel also represented the eighth Laval player drafted on the night to set a new CFL draft record.
KEY STATS
Laval players drafted: 2
Concordia players drafted: 2
Local players drafted: 2
Players with multiple last names drafted: 3
Defend the R 