2020 CFL draft

The Place for BC Lion Discussion. A forum for Lions fans to talk and chat about our team.
Discussion, News, Information and Speculation regarding the BC Lions and the CFL.
Prowl, Growl and Roar!

Moderator: Team Captains

cms22
Starter
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:02 am

rourke has 2600 career rushing yards (3 seasons).... 6 yards a carry.,... 70 yards a game.... pretty impressive for a non-option QB.

he is 6'2......... and i see alot of surprise he didn't get signed by NFL
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12579
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

The Lions didn't have a fourth-round pick. They had two picks in the fifth round. They took OL Matt Guevremont from Indiana of PA at No. 40 overall. They chose Acadia WR Cordell Hastings, a 6-3, 190-lb. Calgary native, in the fifth round, 43rd overall.
cms22
Starter
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:02 am

i hope i'm completely confused.

i don't see any evidence that jordan williams has played for ECU more recently than 2016.. .... note: he has a profile for the 2017 season but i don't see any tackles in the 2017 stats.

has he been out of football for 3 years?....... that can't be correct........
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12579
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

cms22 wrote:
Thu Apr 30, 2020 8:01 pm
i hope i'm completely confused.

i don't see any evidence that jordan williams has played for ECU more recently than 2016.. .... note: he has a profile for the 2017 season but i don't see any tackles in the 2017 stats.

has he been out of football for 3 years?....... that can't be correct........
Like many American players who have Canadian family members, Williams has taken a roundabout route to the CFL. His senior year at ECU was 2017. He attended an Ottawa Redblacks camp last year as an American. He found out he was eligible for the CFL draft by virtue of his mother’s citizenship, and deferred his year. J.J. Adams of The Province has more on Williams' background and on the Lions' other picks:

CFL Draft: B.C. Lions trade up to take linebacker Jordan Williams with first pick
cms22
Starter
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:02 am

thank you very much......... is that not concerning that he's been out of football that long? boyko is a huge disappointment and that's having been on NFL taxi squads for years.
cms22
Starter
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:02 am

when did they change the definition of non-import? it's probably been a few years. singleton was/is the most prominent so far i think
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12579
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

The Lions added to their national RB depth in the seventh round, taking Kayden Johnson, a Saskatchewan native who played with the York Lions 58th overall. Marshall Ferguson of TSN and cfl.ca predicts he'll be one of the top special-teams players in the league within a few years.

DUAL-SPORT ATHLETE JOHNSON WANTS TO BE THE NEXT GREAT CANADIAN RB
cms22
Starter
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:02 am

it looks like williams did play in 2017 for ECU and had lots of tackles.... the way they listed first names was strange.

so that's 2 years out of football.. and maybe in some ways closer to one year....... alot better than 3 years.
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12579
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

The Lions missed out on the kicker sweepstakes. Marc Liegghio, whom I thought would go in the second or third round, was taken by Winnipeg with the second pick of the fifth round, 39th overall, one pick before the Lions selected OL Matt Guevremont.

Edmonton took another kicker, Dante Brown of Fort Hays State, with the next pick, 41st overall. Two more kickers, Keiran Burnham and J.J. Molson, went in the seventh round, to Calgary and Hamilton, respectively.
User avatar
B.C.FAN
Team Captain
Posts: 12579
Joined: Mon Nov 15, 2004 10:28 pm

The Lions finished their selections, taking York LB Damian Jamieson in the eighth round, 67th overall.

Here's the official CFL draft tracker:
https://www.cfl.ca/draft-tracker/
cms22
Starter
Posts: 217
Joined: Sat Jun 30, 2018 9:02 am

did JJ Molson not sign an NFL contract? i can't find anything.

very late pick in CFL draft.......... seemed like he was at UCLA forever. i do see a video of him talking about 2019 kicking struggles but he did get NFL combine invite

i wondered if sandjong, DE from york, would be a good flier. he was big time recruiting get for york and played well there....... maybe too small for CFL DE. and to play linebacker at pro level you need really good football instincts.
OV - 54:40
Champion
Posts: 812
Joined: Fri Apr 08, 2005 9:56 am
Location: Ottawa

Williams joins Herdman-Reed & Konar at LB for the Lions - some serious talent IMO and they could easily think of starting NIs at both MLB & Will (Williams maybe pushes to start right away but could back-up the 2 more experienced guys at both spots).

Rourke is a serious QB talent IMO - outstanding running QB (always a plus in the CFL game IMO) with a pretty decent passing arm too. Be interesting to see how he is viewed or if he is given a serious shot to compete for # 2 right away.

Hastings has decent potential at receiver - big target who put up some good production in college ball.
User avatar
David
Team Captain
Posts: 9364
Joined: Thu Oct 03, 2002 10:23 am
Location: Vancouver (Kitsilano)

Hambone wrote:
Thu Apr 30, 2020 5:21 pm
I was expecting more to that. Drop back 3 spots in the 2nd to move up 2 spots to #1 overall is a pretty cheap price to pay.
Yea, that's what I thought too. When they said "BC has acquired the first overall pick from Calgary," I thought for sure we'd have to give up a roster player.

Then I'm like, seriously? We only switched places in the second round with a division rival?!? Mind you, Calgary picked a good one in Pinto in Round Two. Nathan Rourke? Okay, but I didn't see quarterbacking as a priority (I'll reserve judgement 'til I see more of him). Maybe he will be used like Streveler, inserted in short-yardage on 3rd down and as a wildcat-like weapon or option play QB on first down.


DH :cool:
Roar, You Lions, Roar
TheLionKing
Hall of Famer
Posts: 25103
Joined: Sat Feb 19, 2005 10:13 pm
Location: Vancouver

4 UBC Thunderbirds and 1 Simon Fraser Clansman were selected.
User avatar
Hambone
Hall of Famer
Posts: 8173
Joined: Mon Nov 01, 2004 10:25 pm
Location: Living in PG when not at BC Place, Grey Cup or Mazatlan.

B.C.FAN wrote:
Thu Apr 30, 2020 8:26 pm
The Lions missed out on the kicker sweepstakes. Marc Liegghio, whom I thought would go in the second or third round, was taken by Winnipeg with the second pick of the fifth round, 39th overall, one pick before the Lions selected OL Matt Guevremont.

Edmonton took another kicker, Dante Brown of Fort Hays State, with the next pick, 41st overall. Two more kickers, Keiran Burnham and J.J. Molson, went in the seventh round, to Calgary and Hamilton, respectively.
I'm not a fan of drafting kickers. It seems it's rare that a kicker who gets drafted actually goes on to forge a long career with the team that drafts them. Teams seem to have more success with undrafted free agents, scrap heaping or American kickers than drafting and developing their own. I think a big part of that is the expectations of the position, especially the placekicking duties. All other positions are much more forgiving. You can bring players along and develop them over time and that includes QBs. Kickers? They have to be very good right away. There is no tolerance for the idea that "I know he's only making 60% but he's young, he needs time, he'll get better". A placekicker, even a rookie, better be damned near as good as the better veterans in the league or he will be replaced which I believe is a big factor why these guys bounce around so much before establishing themselves if they ever do.

I looked back at the past 10 drafts from 2010 to 2019. I did it because I have nothing better to do in these social distancing days. The reality is I'm a sports stats junkie and sports trivia nerd. I do really enjoy taking a look back at what has happened with drafts and players and stats etc in hockey and football.

When I looked back at the past decade I found 16 kickers were drafted. I had to go back to 2011 to find somebody (Chris Milo) who actually had a decent amount of success with the team who drafted him and prior to moving on to other organizations. I had to go right back to 2010 to find the last kicker to have a truly long career with only the team that drafted him and that was Rob Maver who retired from the Stamps this offseason after a decade.i

2019: No kickers taken.

2018: Calgary drafted Gabriel Ferraro 7th round 59th overall. Calgary kept him around somewhat in limbo as suspended for most of 2018. He came to their 2019 camp and was cut at the end. 5 games with the Riders last year before being cut. He resurfaced again signing with Ottawa just before Christmas probably as insurance while Lewis Ward was expected to tryout with NFL clubs. With the two headed kicking monster in Ward and Leone it's a given Ferraro will be looking for work elsewhere.

2017: Winnipeg drafted Felix Menard-Briere 4th round (34th). He's spent time with Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, Toronto and Saskatchewan since then and never played in a regular season game. He's a free agent.

2016: Saskatchewan drafted Quinn Van Gylswyk 3rd round (26th). There were more than a couple of Lionbackers critical of Wally for letting the local kid get away. QVG spent 2 years being stashed by Jones with hangnail injuries before leaving in free agency to sign with Montreal. Cut after training camp he surfaced for a 2 week cup of coffee on BC's PR in September 2018. The Riders picked him up again in November 2018 and cut him 2 weeks later. He's been a free agent ever since.

2015: No kickers drafted.

2014: the year of the kicker with 4 drafted; Johnny Mark by Saskatchewan 2nd round (20th), Tyler Crapigna by Calgary 5th round (40th), Nick Boyd by Montreal 5th round (43rd) and Zach Medeiros by Edmonton 6th round (48th). Mark got in 3 games over 3 years bouncing from Saskatchewan to Ottawa and back to Saskatchewan before bouncing out of the league. Crapigna was the only one of the 4 to shape together a career but that was after being traded away from Calgary to the Riders having never suited up with Calgary. He had 3 solid years with Saskatchewan before an injury cost him the 2018 season. Since being released by them he was with Toronto before being a final cut after 2019 TC. He was then added to Montreal's PR to the start of last season, plucked off their PR by Toronto 3 weeks later and in February dealt back to Montreal for Boris Bede. Medeiros never played for Edmonton but went on to spend time with Ottawa, Montreal and Toronto making 17 of 24 FGs in 32 games over 3 seasons. Boyd? Anybody remember him?

2013: 3 more drafted all in the 7th round. Brett Lauther by Hamilton (53rd), Billy Pavlopoulos by Winnipeg (54th) and punter Dumitru Ionita by Calgary (59th). Lauther, pardon the pun, is still kicking around with Saskatchewan but it's been a nomadic tour. After getting into 4 games as a Ti-Cat rookie he would make PR stops with Saskatchewan and Toronto in 2015. Out of football in 2016. PR stops in Saskatchewan and Edmonton in 2017 before finally finding a job with the Riders in 2018 where he seems to have finally established himself. The other two didn't survive their first camp.

2012: No kickers drafted.

2011: Another good year for kickers getting drafted. Montreal took Brody McKnight in the 1st round (8th). BC followed up with "Duck Dynasty" Hugh O'Neill 2nd round (11th). Riders took Chris Milo 4th round (30th). McKnight was drafted by Montreal with a year of NCAA eligibility left. He signed with Montreal in 2012 and was soon traded to Edmonton. In 2013 he had stops with Saskatchewan, Hamilton and Winnipeg before going back to school to finish his degree. O'Neill we're familiar with. Wally used him a couple of times when McCallum was wounded but otherwise stashed him for 2-1/2 years as an heir apparent to McCallum. After BC he went to Edmonton, Saskatchewan and Hamilton before coming back to Edmonton where he finally found a home as a punter 6 years after being drafted. Milo probably counts as the last kicker to actually make a home for himself with the team that drafted him. He spent 5 years with the Riders before being replaced by Paul McCallum. He'd go on to spend 2 years in Ottawa and a brief stint with Edmonton in 2017. I think that was just for injury insurance. He was already scouting for the Esks covering Quebec's collegiate teams.

2010: 3 more kickers and a draft that produced truly the last kicker to have a long career spending all of it with the club that drafted him. In the 1st round (5th) Calgary selected Rob Maver who has recently retired after a decade as the Stamps punter. Grant Shaw was drafted as a DB & kicker by Toronto (12th). He started out as the Argo PK but was relegated to backup kicker due to poor performance. After 2 years he was part of the package the Esks received in the Ricky Ray deal. He spent 5 years in Edmonton as their punter. Justin Palardy was taken by Hamilton (36th). He played 5 games for the Ti-Cats before being released and picked up by Winnipeg later in his rookie year. Following his rookie season he had 2 decent years with Winnipeg before being released part way through his 4th year. Then it was on to Ottawa (cut at the end of 2014 camp), Saskatchewan (PR for 2 months in 2014) and Toronto (5 GP in 2015).
You're as old as you've ever been and as young as you're ever going to be.
Post Reply