With the 2015 CFL Draft set to go Tuesday at 8pm et/5pm pt on TSN2, CFL analyst Duane Forde previews each team heading into the big day. Forde takes a look at the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in this edition.
Current National Roster - Nationals Under Contract (as of May 7, 2015): 27
| NAME | POS | HT | WT | DOB | COLLEGE/JUNIOR TEAM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Everett, Quinn | OL | 6'3" | 292 | 12/11/1992 | Mount Allison |
| Goossen, Matthias | OL | 6'4" | 300 | 10/14/1992 | Simon Fraser |
| Greaves, Chris | OL | 6'5" | 309 | 1/8/1987 | Western |
| Griffiths, Thomas | OL | 6'3" | 275 | 5/26/1991 | Wilfrid Laurier |
| Neufeld, Patrick | OL | 6'6" | 312 | 12/26/1988 | Saskatchewan |
| Picard, Dominic | OL | 6'2" | 301 | 6/22/1982 | Laval |
| Bastien, Kristopher | REC | 6'3" | 205 | 6/9/1990 | Concordia |
| Feoli-Gudino, Julian | REC | 6'0" | 214 | 6/22/1987 | Laval |
| Kohlert, Rory | REC | 6'2" | 209 | 1/7/1988 | Saskatchewan |
| Millington, Ezra | REC | 6'0" | 195 | 5/30/1988 | Ottawa |
| Reaves, Jordan | REC | 6'5" | 220 | 1/25/1990 | Brandon University |
| Cronk, Tim | FB | 6'0" | 245 | 6/22/1987 | Bishop's |
| Fitzgerald, Carl | FB | 6'5" | 253 | 1/13/1990 | Saint Mary's |
| Pontbriand, Michel-Pierre | FB | 6'2" | 230 | 3/4/1983 | Laval |
| Brown, Ivan | DL | 6'2" | 240 | 7/18/1985 | Saskatchewan |
| Richardson, Louie | DL | 6'4" | 225 | 9/22/1985 | Manitoba |
| Thomas, Jake | DL | 6'2" | 269 | 12/6/1990 | Acadia |
| Westerman, Jamaal | DL | 6'3" | 260 | 2/21/1985 | Rutgers |
| Briggs, Jesse | LB | 6'1" | 210 | 4/14/1990 | McGill |
| Hurl, Samuel | LB | 6'1" | 225 | 4/26/1990 | Calgary |
| Bucknor, Matt | DB | 5'11" | 188 | 6/30/1985 | Windsor |
| Jones, Derek | DB | 6'1" | 190 | 5/22/1992 | Simon Fraser |
| Newman, Graig | DB | 6'1" | 210 | 6/2/1989 | Saskatoon Hilltops Jr. |
| Pierre, Shea | DB | 5'10" | 189 | 1/20/1989 | Windsor |
| Sherman, Teague | DB | 5'11" | 198 | 3/29/1988 | Manitoba |
| West, Dan | DB | 6'2" | 205 | 9/3/1986 | Bishop's |
| Hajrullahu, Lirim | K | 5'11" | 215 | 4/24/1990 | Western University |
How They Were Acquired
Drafted by Blue Bombers: 7
Signed as Undrafted Free Agents: 6
Free Agents with CFL/NFL Experience: 12
Signed from CJFL: 0
Acquired via Trade: 2
Five-Year Draft History (2010-2014)
| YEAR | OVERALL | NAME | POS | COLLEGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | 2 | Matthias Goossen | OL | Simon Fraser |
| 2014 | 17 | Jesse Briggs | LB | McGill |
| 2014 | 29 | Derek Jones | DB | Simon Fraser |
| 2014 | 47 | Quinn Everett | DL | Mount Allison |
| 2014 | 56 | Aram Eisho | LB | McMaster |
| 2013 | 2 | Andy Mulumba | DE | Eastern Michigan |
| 2013 | 11 | Kristopher Robertson | DB | Concordia |
| 2013 | 20 | Carl Fitzgerald | WR | Saint Mary's |
| 2013 | 29 | Michael DiCroce | WR | McMaster |
| 2013 | 46 | Stephen Alli | WR | Florida |
| 2013 | 54 | Billy Pavlopoulos | PK | British Columbia |
| 2012 | 3 | Tyson Pencer | OL | Washington State |
| 2012 | 16 | Johnny Aprile | WR | Queen's |
| 2012 | 21 | Christo Bilukidi | DE | Georgia State |
| 2012 | 23 | Rene Stephan | LB | Harding |
| 2012 | 29 | Jake Thomas | DL | Acadia |
| 2012 | 1st round | Kito Poblah (2011 Sup. Draft) | WR | Central Michigan |
| 2011 | 1 | Henoc Muamba | LB | St. Francis Xavier |
| 2011 | 4 | Jade Etienne | WR | Saskatchewan |
| 2011 | 17 | Brendan Dunn | DL/OL | Western Ontario |
| 2011 | 24 | Paul Swiston | OL | Calgary |
| 2011 | 32 | Carl Volny | RB | Central Michigan |
| 2011 | 41 | Liam Mahoney | WR | Concordia |
| 2010 | 9 | Cory Watson | WR | Concordia |
| 2010 | 28 | Christopher Smith | LB | Queen's |
| 2010 | 29 | Anthony Woodson | RB | Calgary |
| 2010 | 45 | Christopher Greaves | DL | Western |
Canadians to Watch
- Sam Hurl: Whether you’re looking at Nationals or Internationals, the Blue Bombers are thin on experience at linebacker. Hurl, entering his fourth CFL season, will be counted on to provide leadership to the group.
- Julian Feoli-Gudino: He got an opportunity to play last season when Cory Watson was injured, and made the most of it to the point that Watson was ultimately deemed expendable.
- Jamaal Westerman: Much like Austin Collie in B.C., his arrival as a free agent is the equivalent of purchasing a bonus pick in the early rounds of the draft.
In the Pipeline
- DE Andy Mulumba (Green Bay Packers)
- DT Christo Bilukidi (Baltimore Ravens)
Picks in 2015 CFL Draft
- 6 selections
- 2nd, 11th, 15th, 33rd, 38th, and 46th overall
Random Thought
Draft Day wasn’t particularly kind to Kyle Walters’ predecessors in the Blue Bombers general manager’s chair. In fact, Winnipeg’s current roster features just three players who were drafted by the club prior to 2014 and Walters’ first ever draftee, Matthias Goossen, is the only former first round pick on the team. The Bombers have done well to compensate with signings like Lirim Hajrullahu (undrafted free agent) and Jamaal Westerman (free agent by virtue of receiving National status in the new CBA) but, with three of the first fifteen picks in a deep draft, Winnipeg needs to take advantage of the opportunity to add some high end depth.
