Monday Morning Sentimonies: Draft Musings

A week from tomorrow the CFL Canadian Draft goes down. The next day is the Global Draft.. or as it is more accurately known the Kickers and Punters from British Colonies Draft. To start getting you primed for the draft(s) here are some of my random draft musings:

 

-        I see many writers saying that the Riders will target a linebacker due to the departure of AJ Allen. This is nothing but lazy writing (and I know a thing or two about lazy writing). I don’t buy that logic for a number of reasons. First, there is no guarantee we plan to continue playing a Canadian in that spot. Second, we just so happen to have the best defensive players in U-Sports from both 2023 (Wiebe) and 2025 (Hundeby) so its not like our cupboards are suddenly bare. We also have Malique Straker who has been playing very well on special teams… which is exactly how AJ Allen started his career.

-        I am not saying that any of those guys are guaranteed to be the next Allen. I am just saying that if O’Day drafts an LB in Round 1 or 2 it will be because someone was too good to pass on, not because of any particular need.  

-        I have to think the priorities are OL, DL and WR in that order.

-        We have 5 Canadian OL on the roster and need to dress a minimum of 3. Given that we lost 2 OL before the first preseason game last year I would have to think that either O’Day has a line on some reinforcements (McEwen, Gagnon, Hergel) or he intends on drafting a couple.

-        As I said last week, it appears to be a draft thin on top end OL so I expect by the time we draft the top ones will be gone and we will have to use a second rounder on a guy with NFL interest (ala Hergel) or a guy we send back to school for one more year (ala Andersen)

-        Ajou’s unfortunate life choices don’t suddenly create an emergency at WR. We still are fine with Emilus, Baker and Duncan-Busby. But unless both Mimbs and other Wiebe pan out depth is starting to look a little thin there. I expect O’Day to take at least 2 WR in Rounds 3 through 7 and hope his string of always finding a Canadian WR late continues.

-        Speaking of the Punter draft… err I mean Global draft, as much as this is a much maligned initiative I still stand behind it. It may be slow moving but it is progressing. In the inaugural Mexican draft in 2019 we took an O-lineman (Rene Brassea) who was only good enough to stand on the sidelines for all but 1 snap (where I'm oretty sure he just snuck on the field). Now we have guys like Baldonado who are legitimately good players.  

-        Not sure anyone cares but we nailed the 2023 Global draft with Adam Korsak and Baldonado.

-        It balances with the 2024 Global draft where neither pick has ever reported to the CFL (Tyrone Taleni, Jordy Sandy)