Cfl draft

[Tecno]

3 Down, has the Bombers taking (DB) Jett ELad 6'0"202 with our 1st pick. (TE) Ruban Jones 6'3" 242 with our 2nd. pick, and (WR) Nate Demontagnac 6'3" 195 with 3rd pick. Can't see it. I think we need to go OL/DL first.

No way we should take a TE with our 2nd.  Maybe our "freebie" 2.5nd pick.  I agree 3down appears to just be throwing darts.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

CFL has tight end skillsets they just don't call them that.

Ajou Ajou is kind of that body/player type in Saskatchewan.

We often bring our 5th receiver into the formation (Clercius) and when we do so you could call him a tight end for all intents and purposes.

The difference between the CFL and the American game is we also tend to scheme those players to the field also because we have more spread looks.

But the body type and skillset is required even if our "tight ends" tend to be a little lighter and a little more hybrid because we require them to be more versatile.

Don't think of him like drafting a tight end, think of him as an option to upgrade Clercius because that's what it would be in reality 

[Tecno]

Don't think of him like drafting a tight end, think of him as an option to upgrade Clercius because that's what it would be in reality

I'm not sold.  Ajou is touted as a REC.  If he does TE stuff, great.  He's still a REC.  He's not a Mike Miller or Chris-Ike who is 99.9% blocking and 0.1% catching.  (Ike had his first and only pass attempt this last season.)

And we have Ike right now, why do we need to waste a high DP on the next guy??  Heck, just look at what round we got Ike in.  Bet it wasn't 1-2 ("fake/extra" round 2 doesn't count).  And Ajou... what round was he?  Not 1-2.  There's your answer.

I don't mind wasting a 4thRDP on a TE (or next Ajou... whatever) to see if we can upgrade Ike (blocking wasn't great in '25...).  But 2nd?  Crazy talk.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Shrug. If Ruban Jones makes a CFL roster he'll be listed a receiver also because that's what he translate to in the Canadian game.

He'd be brought in closer to the box to run block and he'd be flexed out to the field in spread looks.

You can call that role whatever you want. It simply is what it is. I have no idea where he'd be picked in the draft and neither do you. The CFL draft has never been predictable by anyone really.

[Blue In BC]

No way we should take a TE with our 2nd.  Maybe our "freebie" 2.5nd pick.  I agree 3down appears to just be throwing darts.

TE is just a title. I don't know which team will draft him or when. He might become more of a FB type that sees a few passes thrown his way.

He doesn't sound like a player that would be a very high pick in the draft.

BTW. I don't agree our 2nd round bonus pick is a " freebie " that can not be used wisely.  Pick the best player available. If that turns out to be Jones, then so be it.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

TE is just a title. I don't know which team will draft him or when. He might become more of a FB type that sees a few passes thrown his way.

He doesn't sound like a player that would be a very high pick in the draft.

BTW. I don't agree our 2nd round bonus pick is a " freebie " that can not be used wisely.  Pick the best player available. If that turns out to be Jones, then so be it.

Closest thing the CFL had to a TE in recent decades was Nik Lewis and he retired in 2017. CFL stats page shows only his last 2 seasons with the Als, no indication he ever played for the Stamps.

[Blue In BC]

Closest thing the CFL had to a TE in recent decades was Nik Lewis and he retired in 2017. CFL stats page shows only his last 2 seasons with the Als, no indication he ever played for the Stamps.

Lewis was a top receiver but he could block extremely well as a SB. I have no idea what Jones's skill set might be but that is the type of role he'd have to fill. At 242 lbs he's not going to be a speed demon. He'd have to be a physical monster against small DB's etc.

[Pigskin]

Lewis was a top receiver but he could block extremely well as a SB. I have no idea what Jones's skill set might be but that is the type of role he'd have to fill. At 242 lbs he's not going to be a speed demon. He'd have to be a physical monster against small DB's etc.

Jones: 4.72/40, and 25 reps on the bench press. If he can pickup the blocking quickly he be a weapon.

 

[Blue In BC]

Jones: 4.72/40, and 25 reps on the bench press. If he can pickup the blocking quickly he be a weapon.

 

Either way I'm not sure he'll be a high draft pick by any team. He probably gets drafted but maybe 4th or 5th round if he draws interest?

[Blue In BC]

Redblacks are willing to trade the # 1 pick in the draft. It would be nice to have but I can't imagine what we'd have to give up to make it a good idea.

That said, I would at least like to have that discussion with them. Trading up from # 4 to # 1 could be part of some sort of package. Might even add in the bonus pick in the 2nd round for example, neg list or a back up player.

I don't know whether we have a player we'd really want in order to get the # 1 pick. Drafting at # 4 is not a bad option either.

I'll be somewhat surprised if they pull off a trade but you never know.

As I've suggested earlier, we don't seem to have a bunch of Canadians we want to move off the team.  So roster spots for newbies are limited. I see a quality over volume in 2026 so trading draft choices after the 2nd round could be an advantage.

Example: If we start an import at LG then Wallace is bumped to 6 OL. Not the worst situation. However, depending on what they see as upside to Vibert, does that make Wallace available in trade.  So drafting an OL with the 1st pick, that is younger, less expensive and has " more upside " in the future, might make sense. In return Ottawa gets an OL that could start today.

I'm not sure about the current projected starting OL in Ottawa. Are they able to draft an OL at # 1 that can start immediately or nearly immediately? IDK.

Note: I'm not proposing we make this trade per se, just speculating on both starting rosters and quality of the top draft choices.  One possible benefit of trading a veteran ( like Wallace ) is an SMS advantage.

[kkc60]

Redblacks are willing to trade the # 1 pick in the draft. It would be nice to have but I can't imagine what we'd have to give up to make it a good idea.

That said, I would at least like to have that discussion with them. Trading up from # 4 to # 1 could be part of some sort of package. Might even add in the bonus pick in the 2nd round for example, neg list or a back up player.

I don't know whether we have a player we'd really want in order to get the # 1 pick. Drafting at # 4 is not a bad option either.

I'll be somewhat surprised if they pull off a trade but you never know.

As I've suggested earlier, we don't seem to have a bunch of Canadians we want to move off the team.  So roster spots for newbies are limited. I see a quality over volume in 2026 so trading draft choices after the 2nd round could be an advantage.

Example: If we start an import at LG then Wallace is bumped to 6 OL. Not the worst situation. However, depending on what they see as upside to Vibert, does that make Wallace available in trade.  So drafting an OL with the 1st pick, that is younger, less expensive and has " more upside " in the future, might make sense. In return Ottawa gets an OL that could start today.

I'm not sure about the current projected starting OL in Ottawa. Are they able to draft an OL at # 1 that can start immediately or nearly immediately? IDK.

Note: I'm not proposing we make this trade per se, just speculating on both starting rosters and quality of the top draft choices.  One possible benefit of trading a veteran ( like Wallace ) is an SMS advantage.

moving up to 1 would be great, bring in Vaccaro or some other C/G prospect. But, I also would not sacrifice a 2nd for that. Right now our canadian depth is pretty light in the trenches and even arguably in the secondary. Gotta keep stockpiling assets there

[Blue In BC]

moving up to 1 would be great, bring in Vaccaro or some other C/G prospect. But, I also would not sacrifice a 2nd for that. Right now our canadian depth is pretty light in the trenches and even arguably in the secondary. Gotta keep stockpiling assets there

Vaccaro might be getting an NFL opportunity as well as a few other top ranked players. I didn't have anybody in mind.

It will always come with a price which could involve anything including a neg list, roster players and / or swapping multiple picks or some combination of things.

Essentially just saying it might be worth the combination and is a series of big if's ( Wallace in particular ) as I wondered about his status.

[theaardvark]

The combine gives Walters/Oshea the ability to gauge prospects NFL desires, and will temper their choices one way of the other.

These are young men, full of pride, confidence and motivation.  Whether they get drafted in the NFL draft, or get a UFA invite to a camp, you can bet the top 10-20 prospects on any chart are hoping for that opportunity.

Positionally, some will have a better chance as they fit the metrics of the NFL better than others.  Some may fall in the tweener spot that makes the CFL a much better fit.  I can see that, as well, making a difference in draft orde.

The draft is not a simple "pick from a pre-ordained chart" situation.  Each team will have its druthers, and positions they need NAT support in.  And others will have no interest in certain positions. 

Knowing who is ahead of you, and what they are shopping for can make a big difference as well.

We've fared well in the draft, and I see no reason to doubt we will do so again.  We may well get "our guy" at 4, so unless we know someone else is after "our guy" ahead of us, no reason to trade.

Was trying to figure out how to include cash in a trade, the only (and it is blatant) way I could see is that the team you want to funnel cash to releases a player, we sign them to the same deal with a big signing bonus, and then include them back in the trade (most of their salary having already been paid by us).

I can't see that being against any rules, but it sure is blatant...

[Blue In BC]

The combine gives Walters/Oshea the ability to gauge prospects NFL desires, and will temper their choices one way of the other.

These are young men, full of pride, confidence and motivation.  Whether they get drafted in the NFL draft, or get a UFA invite to a camp, you can bet the top 10-20 prospects on any chart are hoping for that opportunity.

Positionally, some will have a better chance as they fit the metrics of the NFL better than others.  Some may fall in the tweener spot that makes the CFL a much better fit.  I can see that, as well, making a difference in draft orde.

The draft is not a simple "pick from a pre-ordained chart" situation.  Each team will have its druthers, and positions they need NAT support in.  And others will have no interest in certain positions. 

Knowing who is ahead of you, and what they are shopping for can make a big difference as well.

We've fared well in the draft, and I see no reason to doubt we will do so again.  We may well get "our guy" at 4, so unless we know someone else is after "our guy" ahead of us, no reason to trade.

Was trying to figure out how to include cash in a trade, the only (and it is blatant) way I could see is that the team you want to funnel cash to releases a player, we sign them to the same deal with a big signing bonus, and then include them back in the trade (most of their salary having already been paid by us).

I can't see that being against any rules, but it sure is blatant...

I was just saying I wouldn't mind having both the # 1 and # 4 pick. In theory those players would be higher up our list than those in the 2nd round. Yes, our guy might still be available in the 2nd round.

It's just a risk analysis about what the cost is to get the # 1 pick against the probability he's chosen before we pick.

As far as the question about cash: I conditional trade where the player traded agrees to a new contract, usually for an extension. However in some cases that player has already received early money in the form of a bonus. So both sides will look for a win win as a result. Player going in both directions may have had similar early money. It all comes down to details.

I used Wallace as my example. The team may have already decide that an import is planned for LG. Wallace as a 3rd OL is not bad plan but he's not on an ELC. In that sense he becomes a possible trade bait consideration. What is the fate of Vibert and the OL drafted in 2025 with the long name?

Do we trade a possible very good back up not on an ELC for a potential starter at the # 1 pick? I don't know that Elad is that guy but let's just say he is for the sake of argument and we think he's chosen before we pick?

Lots of moving parts including NFL aspirations for the current top 10. lol

[Pete]

with Wallace, I sure hope if he is on our plans going forward that we sign him to an extension prior to the draft. If we don't we then risk losing him next year This really increases the pressure to use our first pick as an Oline men even if we really like a player like Elad.
  A huge factor has been the increase of the practice roster size in the nfl. Marginal players that would have been of interest to cfl teams are retained.
 It seems a rule of thumb is: if the player hasn't been offered a significant signing bonus then cfl teams are more likely to draft him higher.
  in terms of getting the number 1 pick, the only way I see that happening is if we trade the number 4 pick plus one of our second round picks. I don't see any scenario where we retain our pick and also get Ottawas.
Btw i think every team that has had a number one pick says they are open to offers. Whether they are or not is a matter for debate as often the price is way beyond what anyone will offer.