Lots of winners in deep CFL draft

Football Betting Lines

05/03/2010 - Toronto, Canada (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - Some addressed weaknesses, while others took the best player available. A few traded up, some traded down, and a few all around.

But most of the teams in the Canadian Football League came out on top in what has been described as one of the deepest CFL drafts in recent years.

Toronto, Saskatchewan, and Calgary were among the top winners of a draft full of non-import talent from the Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) and NCAA.

Among them, six-foot-two, 236-pound linebacker Shomari Williams from Queen's, selected No. 1 overall by the Roughriders after Toronto traded the top spot in exchange for an additional first round pick.

It was one of many moves made in an interesting draft, which featured 47 prospects selected over six rounds.

A look at how each club fared:

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Top pick: OT Joe Eppele, Washington State (first pick, second overall). Despite trading the top pick to the Roughriders, the Argos got the guy they wanted. The six-foot-eight, 306-pound offensive lineman comes with an NCAA resume and, unlike other top linemen in the draft, is finished school and expected to be in Toronto for training camp.

The Argonauts also swapped picks with B.C. so they could move up and take the top defender in the CIS in 2009, Concordia's Cory Greenwood, the Scouting Bureau's second-ranked linebacker in the draft behind Williams.

Value grab: OL Joel Reinders, Waterloo. After signing an NFL deal with the Cleveland Browns last week, Reinders, the 11th-ranked prospect heading into the draft, fell to the Double Blue at 26. The six-foot-eight, 290-pound former basketball-turned-football player is currently auditioning for a job south of the border, but an absolute steal given his raw talent.

Analysis: Toronto shored up its offensive line, drafting four players at the position after allowing a league-high 55 sacks in '09. They also found great value late, grabbing Bishop's receiver Steven Turner - who caught the league's attention after breaking the 40-yard dash record at the CFL evaluation camp - with the 30th pick.

Following a league-worst 3-15 season, the Argos had several holes to fill and new head coach Jim Barker did a great job of addressing those needs with a league-high nine picks.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Top pick: LB Shomari Williams, Queen's (first pick, first overall). The Riders stole the show before the draft even started by trading for the top pick and getting a potential impact-type defender whose versatility could warrant Williams' use by the Riders as a defensive end as well.

The Queen's linebacker played three years at the University of Houston before returning to Canada and leading the Golden Gaels to a CIS title.

Value grab: With just four picks in the draft, two of which came in the fifth round, the best value here was Williams. The top-ranked prospect offers depth at multiple positions on defense and can contribute from day one.

Analysis: Saskatchewan went a little off script - or followed its own - when the Riders passed over the top four-ranked wide receivers and took Regina native Jordan Sisco with the eighth pick overall. Sisco, a homegrown product who also played college football in Regina, attended the Indianapolis Colts' mini-camp and the receiver's status for this season remains uncertain.

The defending West Division champions added some high-quality Canadian talent on both sides of the ball, and earned high marks for doing so.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Top pick: K, Rob Maver, Guelph (first pick, fifth overall). The Stampeders needed to replace the most accurate kicker in CFL history, Sandro DeAngelis, and did so in a hurry.

Calgary used the fifth overall pick to select Maver, a kicker/punter considered to be one of the top kicking prospects in years. Coveted by several teams in the draft, the Stamps get a player who some analysts predict will make the most impact among rookies this year.

Value grab: OL John Bender, Nevada and OL J'Michael Deane, Michigan State. A couple of huge linemen and huge steals for a Stampeder team with an eye on the future. The six-foot-eight, 325-pound Bender was the second-rated prospect, while the Bureau had Deane, a six-foot-five, 312-pound junior, ranked 12th on its list. Both players are returning to school this fall and Bender is expected to receive interest in the 2011 NFL draft.

Analysis: The Stampeders, among the league's top teams in '09, came out big winners in this year's draft. Blending needs with value and a few steals along the way, the Stamps spread out their five picks and used them effectively.

Besides getting their kicker and adding three offensive linemen, the Stamps somehow nabbed Wilfrid Laurier's Taurean Allen, the draft's top-rated cornerback, at No. 13.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS

Top pick: OT Danny Watkins, Baylor (first pick, fourth overall). Several analysts have said Watkins was the draft's best overall player, but the fact he's returning to school and is expected to be taken in the 2011 NFL draft clouded his stock. Coach Wally Buono, with the benefit of having so many picks, swung for the fences on this one and if it pays off, it could be in a big way.

Value grab: WR Shawn Gore, Bishop's. The Lions got the player they coveted most when they drafted the top-ranked receiver with the third pick of the second round.

At the time it looked to be a major coup for the worst offense in the West, but as of late Sunday night, reports had Gore signing with the Green Bay Packers, putting his 2011 CFL season in question.

Analysis: B.C. had a chance to add some Canadian talent that could provide immediate help to the West's worst team in '09. Instead, the Lions are left with two very promising young prospects whose CFL status remains uncertain.

The Lions did bolster two positions on a roster thin on non-import talent. Buono added three players besides Gore to the Lions' receiving corps, and nabbed Montreal's Joash Gesse, a highly touted five-foot-11, 221-pound truck of a linebacker in the third round.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Top pick: OG Kristian Matte, Concordia (first pick, seventh overall). The Alouettes used the last pick of the first round to take the six-foot-two, 291- pound offensive lineman who recently signed an NFL contract with the Houston Texans. Given the depth of the Als roster, they are in no rush to have Matte on the field in 2011.

Value grab: In terms of value, the defending Grey Cup champions made the final two selections of the second round by choosing not to take either Bender or Montreal native Gesse - considered the top guys still available on the board - with the Nos. 14 and 15 overall picks.

Analysis: How do you argue with the most complete team in the league? Montreal's roster depth allowed them to take guys they wanted and not be influenced by pre-draft rankings. The Als added NCAA LB Curtis Dublanko from North Dakota, giving Montreal some non-import depth at the linebacker position, something they had lacked before selecting two on Sunday.

WINNNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Top pick: WR Cory Watson, Concordia (first pick, ninth overall). The Bombers swung a late trade with Edmonton that saw them give up the sixth pick in the draft in exchange for the ninth and 22nd pick.

It turned out to be a great deal for Winnipeg, which gets a talented, top receiver in Watson and a versatile linebacker in Queen's Chris Smith (28th pick via Hamilton), who's likely to be also used as a defensive back in the CFL.

Value grab: RB Anthony Woodson, Calgary. Winnipeg did well by selecting what many considered to be the top running back in the draft and, before a foot injury, a potential first-round pick when they grabbed Woodson in the fourth round and 29th overall.

Analysis: The Bombers, whose struggles to a 7-11 mark last year can be attributed to weaknesses on both sides of the ball, addressed both by drafting two offensive and defensive players each in an all-around solid effort. In addition, Winnipeg reportedly received the negotiation rights to Washington State quarterback Alex Brink by virtue of its deal with Hamilton.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Top pick: RB Samuel Fournier, Laval. (first pick, 19th overall). After forfeiting their first round pick by selecting Weber State offensive lineman Zac Carlson in last year's supplemental draft, the Tiger-Cats traded the No. 12 pick to Edmonton for Nos. 19 and 27.

Unable to move up and get the kicker they wanted in Maver, Hamilton opted for depth, nabbing an extra pick in the draft and selecting Fournier, a running back whose role in the CFL is a little uncertain. Winnipeg missed an opportunity here to add a more explosive player in Turner or a future top prospect such as Reinders or Deane.

Value grab: DT Eddie Steele, Manitoba. One of the best picks of the draft, Steele was the ninth-ranked prospect heading in and opened up lots of eyes with his tremendous strength and athleticism at the league's combine. By swapping picks with the Bombers, the Ti-Cats found themselves the perfect opportunity to nab the talented defensive end 22nd overall.

Analysis: Following a surprising 9-9 season, the Ti-Cats were left with fewer high picks than in years past. Looking to improve in a few places, Hamilton addressed a weakness at kicker by taking Saint Mary's Justin Palardy 36th overall and bolstered an already solid defense, that allowed the second fewest points in the league, by picking up two defensive linemen.

EDMONTON ESKIMOS

Top pick: DT Brian Bulcke, Stanford (first pick, sixth overall). Edmonton, which was without a first-round pick, traded away depth in the draft for a shot at NCAA junior Brian Bulcke, one of the top defensive players in the class.

Bulcke, a six-foot-four, 281-pound defensive end for Stanford, missed most of 2009 with a wrist injury, granting him another year of eligibility this fall and potential interest from the NFL in '11.

Value grab: With Allen, a top corner, and highly touted linebacker Gesse, still on the board, Edmonton opted to go with safety Saleem Borhot of Saint Mary's 12th overall. Despite not having the cachet of some other prospects still around, Borhot has great size for a safety and should add depth to an otherwise weak Eskimo defense.

Analysis: Edmonton used its top two picks on what they needed most: defense. How soon they see Bulcke will go a long way in measuring the gamble of trading away a pick in a deep draft.