The helmets were strapped on and the pads were popping on day two of the CFL National Combine. And although events like the 40-yard dash, long jump and bench press can be interesting for awhile, it is the one-on-ones that really keep the GM’s and scouts locked in.
As the BC Lions’ brass prepares to return home and kickstart their draft meetings at the Surrey facility this week, there is a sense of growing anticipation in the air. Entering his third season as the club’s Director of Canadian Scouting, Geroy Simon believed the weekend extravaganza in the Manitoba capital was a productive time of preparation and evaluation.
“It’s good to see these guys live and in person. We’ve been watching film on them since, I want to say, August,” the Canadian Football Hall of Famer said.
“It’s been a lot of spreadsheets and film work. It’s pretty rewarding to not only see them in person but see how much certain prospects have improved over their college season.”
Geroy Simon observes the combine action with Western Division counterparts from Calgary. Photo: Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
Much of the talk will now centre around what they do with the third overall pick and best utilizing their five remaining selections: 12th, 21st, 38th, 46th and 54th overall.
As is the case in prior years, there is no shortage of talent on both sides of the line of scrimmage. UBC offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley lived up to the hype this weekend, winning Saturday night’s bench press competition with 27 reps at 225 pounds. Canadian depth up front has always been key and the organization has devoted many of its early picks to the offensive line in recent years, current examples including Charles Vaillancourt and Hunter Steward.
Some observers think Shepley has worked his way into the discussion for first overall and his NFL stock has risen following a recent showing at Eastern Michigan’s pro day. Bo Banner out of Central Michigan and the Calgary Dinos’ Brett Wade were among the defensive line standouts on Sunday. Although no one is tipping their hand on where they might lean with the third pick, Simon insists the options aren’t lacking at any position.
“It’s a good group. The offensive line is probably one of the deeper positions in this year’s draft,” he said.
“There is a lot of guys there who have the potential to be players for a long time. That’s the same for some of the other positions. The talent here is plenty and we will just continue to evaluate things right up until the draft and just keep chipping away at these guys.”
Central Washington’s Bo Banner going through the long jump on Sunday morning in Winnipeg. Photo: Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
The weekend has not been just about on-field evaluation. GM Ed Hervey and the staff spent portions of Friday evening and Saturday afternoon interviewing 24 of the top prospects in attendance. Given the fact these players attend different programs and majored in different areas of academics allows those running each team to cast a wide net when it comes to their questions and information gathering.
“You want to see what kind of guys they are, evaluate their mental toughness and get to know a bit about their backstory,” Simon explained.
“A big part of the equation is finding out their personalities and how they are going to fit into your locker room.”
Since the CFL’s all-time leading receiver settled into his current role, the Lions’ Canadian content has gradually improved from year to year.
With Hervey now in charge, the excitement for the May 3rd CFL Draft is increasing by the day.
“Ed is very knowledgeable and doing his job as well so it’s good to have his input, listen to what he sees and have that that as an asset to our organization,” Simon added.
Mark it down. It should be another exciting step in the re-tooling process.
Rewinding the tape: The last five years of Lions first round picks
2017: 3rd overall- WR Daniel Vandervoort
The Skinny: This selection was acquired from Montreal in the deal that sent QB Vernon Adams’ negotiating rights the other way. Vandervoort dressed for all 18 regular season games as a rookie. He saw most of his action on special teams and hauled in his first career catch in a victory over Saskatchewan on August 4th.
2017: 7th overall- DT Junior Luke
The Skinny: With their own selection, the Lions went with one of the top performers at last year’s combine in Regina. Luke also appeared in every regular season game and proved to be a valuable piece on the interior rotation. He recorded five defensive tackles and a pair of sacks.
2016: 5th overall- OL Charles Vaillancourt
The Skinny: After swinging a last minute trade with Hamilton to move down two spots, they were still able to get the top guy on their board. A product of the offensive line factory AKA University of Laval, Vaillancourt has dressed as the club’s sixth offensive lineman for most of the past two seasons. He started five games at guard in 2017.
2015: 5th overall- DL Ese Mrabure
The Skinny: Ese spent only one season in the den, dressing for six games. With enough Canadian depth at the position already in place, he was released by the club at the end of 2016 training camp before catching on in Saskatchewan. He seems to have found his game in green, appearing in 32 games the past two seasons and racking up 38 defensive tackles to go along with three sacks.
2014: No first round selection
The Skinny: In need of some insurance at quarterback with Travis Lulay recovering from his first shoulder surgery, the fifth overall pick was traded to Ottawa for Kevin Glenn. The veteran pivot appeared in all but one game in 2014, passing for 3,918 yards and 17 touchdowns. Ironically, the then-expansion Redblacks flipped the fifth overall selection to Montreal, who then used it to select current Lions’ offensive tackle David Foucault.
2013: 6th overall- OL Hunter Steward
The Skinny: Now the club’s longest serving offensive lineman, Steward has 44 appearances under his belt and proven to be versatile by moving back and forth from tackle to guard. In 2016 he earned the club’s nomination for the Jake Gaudaur Award, given out annually to the player who shows the most perseverance, dedication and comradeship.
Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com