Drafting is the bread and butter for success on any professional sports franchise. Scroll down a team’s list of all-time draft picks and you will find plenty of categories. Franchise cornerstones selected in the first round. Late round “gems” who turned out better than expected. On separate lists you will see the highly touted picks that did not work out. You get the picture. It can be a complicated puzzle.
When it comes to the CFL Draft on Tuesday, the importance and potential payoff is even more significant as it provides the Lions a chance to select from some of the top Canadian talent that will hopefully become ratio changers in years to come. Geroy Simon is a kid in a candy store these days. In his new role as Lions director of CIS scouting, he has spent the last year evaluating all of the top-level Canadians slated to turn pro. BCLions.com took ten minutes last week to sit down with the CFL all-time receptions leader, turned super (man) scout.
“It’s a year-round process,” he says while going over the Lions draft board. “As soon as this draft is over I will be on a plane to Montreal and getting ready for next year’s draft.”
The Lions will be on the clock for pick number three in round one, following the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes. Simon admits there is no room for error as they look for their first winning season since 2012, and when it comes to selecting the best players available, all needs must be addressed.
SFU Lineman Michael Couture
“We could use help at every position. The last couple of years we have barely made the playoffs and that’s not good enough. You have to look at every position and upgrade them.”
One area where they certainly have a chance to beef up at the top of the draft is offensive line. The list of pass blockers projected as opening round picks includes local boy Michael Couture of SFU, the Oklahoma Sooners’ Josiah St John and three members of the CIS factory known as the Laval Rouge et Or; Jason Lauzon-Seguin, Charles Vaillancourt, and Phillipe Gagnon.
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Laval lineman Charles Vaillancourt
“You always have to upgrade at offensive line,” adds Simon. “Even if you have the top Canadian linemen in the league, you have to bring in the next wave and develop them because at some point they are going to get expensive and older so they have to be replaced.”
What makes the CFL draft somewhat challenging for the three-headed monster of Simon, Wally Buono and Neil McEvoy is the fact eligible players can still go back to school after they are selected. There are also the Canadians who play in NCAA that are tougher to track if an organization doesn’t have a strong foothold in the area they play.
In addition, there are some who may be property of NFL teams, which makes it possible they never play in Canada at all. Examples from last year’s Lions draft are offensive lineman Brett Boyko, currently with the Philadelphia Eagles, whom they selected in round two, and Houston Texans defensive lineman Christian Covington, taken in round five. With all of these factors in mind, draft picks, especially those in the earlier rounds, have to be treated like gold.
“It’s an excitin
g time of year in pro football,” adds McEvoy. “Once the NFL draft comes, and we are into our draft, it kind of feels like we are officially starting our season. The draft gives you a chance to develop these young men that come in and see where they fit in the pro world.”
One of the big dilemmas for any draft, in any sport, is whether you pick the best player available on your board, or fill the most important positional need. Based on how deep this year’s draft is, McEvoy insists it’s a good problem to have.
“We usually go by best player available, but what complicates things is the best guy available may be under contract in the NFL or was drafted last week so you have to go a little bit by need. Either way, we will draft a very good player at number three and we have an idea of how those picks will play out.”
In addition to their first-round selection, the Lions are also scheduled to pick 12th, 21st, 30th, 48th, 57th and 65th.
Adding more intrigue to the puzzle is the possibility of adding players who played CIS football in the Lions backyard. Taylor Loffler, Terrell Davis and Quinn Van Gyslywk were all key pieces to the UBC Thunderbirds Vanier Cup championship season. Although it may be beneficial to add one or more of those guys, Simon admits there will be no extra pressure simply because they have ties to the province.
UBC DB Taylor Loffler
“With every decision we make, getting the best player available always takes precedence. It’s great those guys are local and won a Vanier Cup but we don’t have the luxury of taking a guy just because he’s from here or played here. If it’s based on that only, you’re going to miss out on the best guys.”
All of those elements in mind, Simon gave the high-flying T-Birds a glowing review. “Loffler is a big, physical safety and has good range. Davis may not be as big as you want a normal linebacker to be, but his athletic ability and the fact he can play multiple positions add value to him. Those guys and Quinn also have a winning pedigree which is huge.” Davis doubled as a running back at Arizona State prior to his transfer to Point Grey, and along with those two UBC teammates, attended a New York Giants mini-camp earlier in the week.
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Having been at this for almost three decades, Buono is also not underestimating how important Tuesday night is to the future of the franchise. “Canadian talent is critical because those seven starters either improve the quality of your team or put you behind the eight ball,” the CFL all-time wins leader said.
Over the years, Buono and his staff have found more than a few non-imports who have developed into key 
roster pieces. Notables include Jason Arakgi, (round three in 2008) who is now the club’s all-time leader in special teams tackles, Rolly Lumbala, (round two in 2008) Shawn Gore, (round two in 2010) and Marco Iannuzzi (round one in 2011.) In addition, last year saw Bo Lokombo emerge as a West division all-star for his stellar efforts on special teams. The Abbotsford native and former Oregon Duck was selected in the third round back in 2013. He likely would have been a first rounder had he turned pro right away.
“When it comes to your special teams unit, the quality is predicated on the non-import because so many of the spots are filled by those guys. Aragki is a great example because he played the nickel position in university and that is usually filled by an import in our league. Since we drafted him, he has played his role perfectly.”
It also helps if you get lucky on late round selections. Buono cites David Menard as a classic example. A 4th round selection in 2014, the Montreal native turned heads last season by recording six sacks while appearing in every single game. Buono called him one of the most productive members on defence. “We liked David when he drafted him and he has since exceeded those expectations.”
Make no mistake. The prospect of adding more ratio changers and special teams wizards makes for exciting times in the Lions den.
You can watch Tuesday’s draft on TSN 1 and 3 beginning at 4PM pacific.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com