No aspect of professional sport is more fraught with pitfalls than a draft.

And no draft has more pitfalls than the Canadian Football League’s annual selection of homegrown talent, which comes up this Tuesday.

TSN has you covered on draft night. Catch the first round starting at 7pm et/4pm pt on TSN and TSN GO. Then watch the following rounds streaming on TSN GO exclusively.

Draft the best available player? Sure. Although that player might just wind up in the National Football League and never play a down in Canada. Manitoba defensive tackle David Onyemata is the top ranked prospect on the CFL Scouting Bureau's final rankings, but was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. Several other top prospects have signed undrafted free agent deals with NFL teams or have been invited to rookie camps on a tryout basis. 

Want to draft for a positional need? Go ahead, but by the time that player is ready to be a starter, your team’s needs may have changed dramatically.

See a player on film who dominates the competition in Canadian university football? Great. But before taking him, consider whether he’s more or less likely to succeed than a player who faces better competition at the NCAA level who doesn’t dominate.

Here’s a broader explanation of the unique elements that make the CFL Draft so tricky to navigate.

1. Teams rarely draft for positional need. Very few players eligible in the CFL Draft are ready to step in and have a dramatic impact as rookies. Far more likely is that they will earn their stripes on the practice roster or special teams, hopefully working their way into becoming starters within one to three seasons. That’s why drafting the best available players is the guiding principle for most selections - especially those beyond the first round. In the NFL, teams use the draft to address specific needs. In the CFL, it’s more of a long-range development project for teams to build the depth of their Canadian talent for down the road.

2. Teams have to figure out which players are likely to wind up getting opportunities in the NFL. The fact that the NFL Draft takes place the week before the CFL make its selections critical to providing Canadian teams with some a sense of a player’s value south of the border. A player taken in the opening few rounds of the NFL Draft is usually going to be off limits for CFL teams, unless they want to take a flyer with a late-round pick as a kind of lottery ticket. The tricky part comes when a player is a late-round NFL pick or free-agent signing. In that instance, a CFL team could pick a very good player and have him as early as July or August. Or it might never see him. A long time ago, the Ottawa Renegades (remember them?) drafted a defensive lineman from the University of Manitoba named Israel Idonije, who had inked a free-agent contract with Cleveland. The Browns cut him, but the Chicago Bears picked him up and Idonije went on to a have a 10-year NFL career, never playing a down in Canada after leaving Manitoba. 

3. Evaluating players requires the ability to compare apples and oranges. There’s no disputing the significant disparity in level of competition between the upper reaches of NCAA football in the U.S. and the collegiate game in Canada. As such, a player who might dominate at the Canadian university level may look ordinary facing NCAA competition. Or he could be a diamond in the rough, a player whose potential won’t be unlocked until he faces better competition as a pro. Good scouting in the CFL requires the ability to judge what you see against one level of competition and measure it against what is seen by players at a different level.

4. Not every player available wants to have a career in professional football. In most pro sports, where players are being offered multi-million dollar signing bonuses, there’s little concern about wasting a draft pick on a player who chose to forego professional sports for a traditional career. But in the CFL, where the minimum salary is just $52,000, players will occasionally opt to go down other career paths and leave their football days behind at graduation. There have been plenty of prospects selected over the years who couldn’t be convinced to pursue a future in professional football when other career opportunities were available to them.

Team Draft Needs 

 

BC Lions

2015 record: 7-11 (Lost Western Semi-Final to Stampeders)

Draft Position: Round 1, 5th overall; Round 2, 12th; Round 3, 21st; Round 4, 30th; Round 6, 48th; Round 7, 57th; Round 8, 65th

Like every team, BC needs to create more depth on the offensive line. They added Tim O’Neill as short-term depth because they currently have a concern at centre.

They also need an upgrade at receiver. Austin Collie has retired, though his impact last season was minimal.

The Lions upgraded on defense with the addition of Mike Edem in free agency, but a Canadian defensive lineman to rotate with Jabar Westerman and David Menard might provide some ratio flexibility, as the jury is still very much out on last year’s first round selection, Ese Mrabure-Ajufo, who had a disappointing rookie season.

 

Calgary Stampeders

2015 record 14-4 (Lost Western Final to Eskimos)

Draft Position: Round 1, 6th overall; Round 2, 15th; Round 4, 33rd; Round 5, 38th; Round 5, 42nd; Round 6, 51st; Round 8, 68th

With the injury to Junior Turner to start the season, adding some interior D-line depth would be ideal, but D-line is a real weakness in this years draft class.

Offensive line will be a key, as the Stamps ratio is expected to be based on starting four Canadians. Last year the team was devastated by injuries up front and at times had to tape together solutions by having National defensive players convert to the other side of the ball.

Improving at receiver will be just as important as Anthony Parker is their only National full-time starter with experience. Lemar Durant should take a step this season and Simon Charbonneau-Campeau is extremely capable, but that will leave them short of depth if they decide to start two Nationals. 

The Stamps will certainly be drafting for special teams depth. The quartet of Adam Berger, Jeff Hecht, Dexter Janke, and Adam Thibault can all contribute there, but the jury is still out on whether or not any of them can be viable options in the secondary as full-time starters. The defensive secondary is also the most veteran position group for the Stamps, so developing some younger players there is also a consideration.

 

Edmonton Eskimos

2015 record: 14-4 (Grey Cup Champions)

Draft Position: Round 1, 8th overall; Round 2, 17th; Round 5, 44th; Round 6, 53rd; Round 7, 61st; Round 8, 70th

Chris Getzlaf is a short term fix at slot, so they still need to look at receivers. Nate Coehoorn and Cory Watson are their other experienced Canadians and they’ll need to start two. Devon Bailey was a first round pick two years ago and needs to take a step. 

The Eskimos didn’t address the defensive line in free agency so this is a possibility as well. They currently have Eddie Steele as a starter, and Donnie Oramasionwu, Mathieu Boulay, and Gregory Alexandre as rotational guys.

Every team will always look to upgrade at offensive line, but Edmonton may have more National depth there than any team in the West. 

Edmonton is still being tied to Henoc Muamba if things don’t work out for him in the NFL. If they do, they have the pieces in behind him already; they loved rookie Adam Konar last year before his injuries and also made Blair Smith a situational player on defence. If they don’t get Henoc, they may still consider a ratio package with Couchy Muamba at safety on first down, and Konar on second down.

Muamba started for Benevides in BC, but they let him go. So finding that “next guy” in the secondary may be a priority in the draft.

 

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

2015 Record: 10-8 (Lost East Final to Redblacks)

Draft Position: Round 1, 5th overall; Round 2, 14th; Round 3, 18th, 23rd; Round 4 32nd; Round 5 39th, 41st; Round 7 59th; Round 8, 67th

Defensive coordinator Orlondo Steinauer enjoys strong Canadian pieces on defence, and Ted Laurent and Courtney Stephens will continue to be vital to Hamilton's success. Losing Craig Butler to injury however will need to be addressed. This season could also see Ticats draft picks like linebacker Frederic Plesius and defensive linemen Linden Gaydosh, Michael Atkinson or even potentially Evan Gill, push for starting roles.

On offence, slotback Andy Fantuz will be a reliable pair of hands for the returning Zach Collaros, while running back/slotback Anthony Woodson impressed when he played. But there is much anticipation around receiver Spencer Watt's impact, when he returns from a torn Achilles.

Centre Mike Filer and guard Peter Dyakowski are always stable on the offensive line.

While the Ticats can deal with the free-agency losses of defensive tackles Brian Bulcke and Arnaud Gascon-Nadon because of Canadian depth on the defensive line, on the other side of the ball Hamilton needs to looking ahead and start stockpiling talent on the offensive line.

With the departure of Justin Medlock to Winnipeg, kicker could also be an area of need. 

 

Montreal Alouettes

2015 Record: 6-12 (Did not make playoffs)

Draft Position: Round 1, 2nd overall; Round 2, 11th; Round 3, 20th; Round 4, 29th; Round 6, 47th; Round 7, 56th; Round 8, 64th 

Montreal GM Jim Popp has built his philosophy on starting five Canadian offensive lineman. Popp continually works on developing offensive lineman and having one ready to step in when needed. It’s been an advantage for Montreal at the draft table as Popp has then used his selections on futures which have NFL aspirations. 

Montreal is rarely in a rush at the draft, they don’t need the player right away, so they can select higher end talent and then wait. That’s the same case this season. Popp doesn’t need Canadians at any particular position. He’ll draft a few offensive lineman but for the most part it will all be about the best available player when his selection comes up.

 

Ottawa Redblacks

2015 Record: 12-6 (Lost Grey Cup to Eskimos)

Draft Position: Round 1, 7th overall; Round 2, 16th; Round 3, 25th; Round 4, 34th; Round 5, 43rd; Round 6, 45th; Round 7, 54th, 60th; Round 8, 69th

The RedBlacks benefited from strong, consistent performances from their key Canadians on offence in 2015 – guard J'Micheal Deane, centre Jon Gott, and receiver Brad Sinpoli — and could also get similar contributions from offensive linemen Alex Mateas and Matthew Albright in 2016.

Linebacker Antoine Pruneau continues to prove himself a leader on defence, while defensive lineman Zach Evans earned a new contract before free agency. He’ll be expected to produce more, possibly alongside newcomer Arnaud Gascon-Nadon.

Ottawa enjoyed a stretch of good health last season, but will need to prioritize finding national depth at receiver and offensive line. The RedBlacks should also look at ways of strengthening the Canadian content on their defensive line, after Justin Capicciotti and Keith Shologan left the nation's capital during free agency.

 

Saskatchewan Roughriders

2015 Record: 3-15 (Did not make playoffs)

Draft Position: Round 1, 1st overall; Round 3, 24th, 26th; Round 4, 35th; Round 5, 36th; Round 6, 52nd; Round 8, 62nd

The Riders have spent the past few weeks feverishly trying to trade the first overall pick, hoping to trade down to try and stockpile some extra picks. There’s no clearcut No. 1 pick and some draft experts believe this is a draft distinguished by depth rather than elite talent.

In other words, the top 10 to 15 players are all solid rather than having two or three at the top which stick out over the rest of the field. Saskatchewan still has Canadian strength along the offensive line but is looking to add to its national content at defensive line, linebacker, and receiver. Four-team special teams players are also a priority for the Riders.

 

Toronto Argonauts

2015 record: 10-8 (Lost East Semifinal to Tiger-Cats)

Draft Position: Round 1, 4th overall; Round 2, 13th; Round 3, 22nd; Round 4, 27th, 31st; Round 5, 40th; Round 6, 49th; Round 7, 58th; Round 8, 66th

The Argos' Canadian content appears balanced on both sides of the ball. Toronto could potentially start six Canadians on offence, including running back Anthony Coombs, slotback Andre Durie, as well as guard Tyler Holmes, tackle Chris Van Zeyl and free agent acquisitions Josh Bourke and Corey Watman on the offensive line. The addition of Bourke also means the need for adding a potential offensive tackle to groom behind him.

General manager Jim Barker made sure keeping starting Canadian defenders was his priority before free agency, re-signing defensive end Ricky Foley, linebacker Cory Greenwood, and safety Jermaine Gabriel. Barker also brought in defensive tackle Brian Bulcke in free agency, so defensive tackle Cleyon Laing's NFL aspirations notwithstanding, Toronto could have six starters on defence too as 2015 draft pick Daryl Waud and 2014 pick Thomas Miles continue to develop.

Toronto has Canadians pieces they're still developing —wide receiver Kevin Bradfield and offensive tackle Matt Sewell — but with Van Zeyl and multi-talented Wayne Smith getting older, the team needs to consider adding more depth to their offensive line.

A Canadian receiver — or two or three — would also be a good addition since the team hasn't replaced the departed Spencer Watt or retired Mike Bradwell, and Durie's long-term health is always a concern.

Kicker is also an area of need, as Lirim Hajrullahu struggled last season.

 

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

2015 Record: 5-13 (Did not make playoffs)

Draft Position: Round 2, 9th overall, 10th; Round 3, 19th; Round 4, 28th; Round 5, 37th; Round 6, 46th; Round 7, 55th; Round 8, 63rd

A lack of depth among Winnipeg’s Canadian players has forced the team to draft players they could use immediately the past few seasons.

The maturation of those players, however, now puts the Bombers in the position to use this year’s draft on futures. Look for Winnipeg to use their first pick on an offensive lineman and then take the best available player with their remaining selections, regardless of position.

With the addition of Andrew Harris, might the Bombers chose to draft the University of Calgary’s Mercer Timmis, as an heir apparent at running back?

Winnipeg has needs at receiver and they would like to add to their stock of special teams players. 

 

Prospects Signed To Contracts

Player Pos. 2016 Draft Ranking NFL Status
David Onyemata DL 1 Drafted - 4th round (NO)
Tevaun Smith WR 2 UDFA (Ind)
Mehdi Abdesmad DL 3 UDFA (Ten)
Arjen Colquhoun DB 4 UDFA (Dal)
Elie Bouka DB 18 UDFA (Ari)

Note: Laval OL Charles Vaillancourt has a mini-camp invitation from the Oakland Raiders this weekend.