“We hit our plateau early.”- Lions select 9 in CFL Draft
Neil McEvoy sits down in his office. Tie loosened, satisfied look on his face. Reality then quickly sets in for the Lions Director of Football Operations: he and the brass had accomplished their draft mission.
“All our picks we are pretty excited about,” a relieved McEvoy said roughly 15 minutes after they made their final selection Sunday night.
“We pretty much had our draft plateau right on up to the second round. It was a lot of hard work between everyone here and we’re going to continue on and grow this team.”
It all started with getting the guys they wanted with their two first round selections. At number three they called the name of McMaster receiver Danny Vandervoort. After fielding offers for their seventh overall selection, the stood pat and went with the top defensive lineman on their board: Junior Luke out of the University of Montreal.
It was hard for McEvoy, Wally Buono and the entire brass to contain their excitement early on.
“As of this morning we didn’t know if that was how it was going to fall through. We had Daniel as a receiver we wanted to sign and draft. Junior is an athlete that is also a big man. We just felt that playing professional football he would have a step up on other people just because of your athletic ability. We projected him to be there but we weren’t sure he would fall to seven. We didn’t hesitate at all.”
Luke was an absolute beast at the March CFL Combine in Regina, standing out mostly in the one on one drills. You can now make it five consecutive first rounds where the Lions have gone either defensive or offensive line with one of their selections. The last time they didn’t was 2014 when they traded their top pick to Ottawa for Kevin Glenn.
“Junior is also a very explosive player,” added Buono. “At 6’2, 290 he is a good pass rusher and not just a run stopper. That’s what you want is to be able to get after the quarterback.”
With the plans to potentially start four nationals on the offensive line, McEvoy and company also found it important to stock up at that position and add guys who can potentially be more than just back ups. That was the thinking when they took University of Regina product Jeremy Zver with their third round selection.
“He has the potential to be a possible starter in our league,” stated McEvoy.
“He’s going to come into training camp and compete on day one and that’s what you want. He can also long snap so he has the ability to be a player on our roster this year.”
The later you go, the harder draft day becomes. Finding those late round “gems” can go a long way in separating your roster from the rest of the pack. One pick that can potentially surprise some folks came in the fourth round when they got the top defensive back on their board: Carleton’s Nathaniel Hamlin.
“We felt we’d be able to get one of our DB’s in the fourth round and it turned out the one we wanted and had as the number one DB was available. It was an easy phone call to make.”
Another one of those late round surprises could come in the form of 7th round selection Jordan Herdman. The SFU linebacker admittedly didn’t perform well at his own Pro Day and the Combine itself but still managed to catch the attention of the Kansas City Chiefs. Quality control coach and former SFU staffer Mike Lionello called Herdman in Kansas City to notify him of the club’s intention at 60th overall. His brother Justin went to the Toronto Argonauts at the start of round seven.
“At the end of the day we had both Herdman brothers higher on their board. Regardless of what the analytics say, those are good football players. Jordan has the opportunity to try out for a couple of NFL teams so we’ll let him do that. If those don’t work out we’ll welcome him with open arms and expect him to come to training camp and be the football player we believe he can be.”
Every good team has to take a risk now and then. And if it turns into a reward, it speaks volumes of their commitment to winning.
At the end of the day, everyone is 0-0. But Buono reiterated the fact his club got better Sunday night.
“These are things that we believe will help this team improve. I’m happy with today,” the CFL all-time wins leader said.
BC Lions 2017 Draft Picks
Round 1- 3rd overall- Daniel Vandervoort- WR, McMaster
The Skinny: Top five in the OUA in both yards per catch and touchdown receptions in 2016. Draws plenty of comparison to Jason Clermont and Buono says most of that can be attributed to how fast he makes his breaks. Also known for his excellent ability to get behind coverage.
Round 1- 7th overall- Junior Luke- DL, Montreal
The Skinny: Looks the part. At 6’2 and 288 pounds is also known as an elite pass rusher as well as a run stopper. He was named top lineman at last year’s National Bowl, an all-star game consisting of college players in Daytona Beach, Florida. Impressed Lions brass at the March CFL Combine.
Round 2- 16th overall- Jeremy Zver- OL, Regina
The Skinny: A three-time Canada West all-star, Zver started all 27 games of his Regina Rams career at left tackle. Helped Rams reach the Canada West Semi-Final in 2016. Expected to compete with other non-import linemen at camp.
Round 3- 24th overall- Frederic Chagnon- LB, Montreal
The Skinny: Also took part in December’s National Bowl, recording three tackles. Chagnon appeared in 26 career games with the Carabins and had 65 total tackles along with five sacks. He was named a U Sports second team all-Canadian in 2016. McEvoy feels he can play special teams right away.
Round 4- 33rd overall- Nathaniel Hamlin- DB, Carleton
The Skinny: Recorded 37 total tackles in 2016, good for seventh overall in the OUA. He was named an OUA second team all-star and as McEvoy noted, was the club’s highest-rated defensive back going into Sunday’s festivities.
Round 5- 42nd overall- Edward Godin- DL, Laval
The Skinny: You knew it was a matter of time before they made a call to the Rouge et or. Godin was a force on their defensive front in 2016, notching 19 tackles and 5.5 sacks for the Quebec powerhouse program. McEvoy noted Godin fits the exact system they want to run.
Round 6- 51st overall- Dakota Brush- WR, Mt. Allison
The Skinny: Appeared in nine games for the Mounties last season and hauled in five catches for 99 yards. Should provide a healthy dose of competition with fellow draftees Vandervoort and Mitchell Hillis when rookie camp opens in two and a half weeks. McEvoy noted his size as his biggest asset.
Round 7- 60th overall- Jordan Herdman- LB, SFU
The Skinny: On the club’s radar for much of the off- season after Simon scouted him at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He is drawing NFL interest from the Kansas City Chiefs after falling three short of the GNAC career conference record of 208 tackles while at SFU. Club will monitor the Kansas City situation closely as both Herdman brothers were higher than the seventh round on their board.
Round 8- 69th overall- Mitchell Hillis- WR, Saskatchewan
The Skinny: 35 receptions for 423 yards and three touchdowns with the Huskies last season. Will contribute to a strong mix of young and veteran Canadian receivers.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com