CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO – The Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau has released its first of three rankings of the top-20 eligible prospects for the 2016 CFL Canadian Draft.
Draft Insider Justin Dunk announced the rankings earlier today on CFL.ca. “The 2016 draft class is stocked with lots of high-end talent developed on both sides of the Canada-US border. A number of the top rated players are entering their final years at well regarded NCAA programs. And overall it’s a loaded skill position group of athletes.”
Here is the full ranking:
| Rank | Name | POS | School |
| 1 |
Tevaun Smith | WR | Iowa |
| 2 | David Onyemata | DL | Manitoba |
| 3 | Arjen Colquhoun | DB | Michigan State |
| 4 | Elie Bouka | DB | Calgary |
| 5 | Mercer Timmis | RB | Calgary |
| 6 | Josiah St. John | OL | Oklahoma |
| 7 | Dillon Guy | OL | Buffalo |
| 8 | Mitchell Winters | DL | Miami (Ohio) |
| 9 | Mehdi Abdesmad | DL | Boston College |
| 10 | Charles Vaillancourt | OL | Laval |
| 11 | Juwan Brescacin | WR | Northern Illinois |
| 12 | Llevi Noel | WR | Windsor AKO Fratmen |
| 13 |
Anthony Thompson | DB | Southern Illinois |
| 14 |
Michael Langlois | DB | Laval |
| 15 |
Philippe Gagnon | OL | Laval |
| 16 | Doug Corby | WR | Queens |
| 17 | Trent Corney | DL | Virginia |
| 18 | Brett Blaszko | WR | Calgary |
| 19 | Jason Lauzon-Seguin | OL | Laval |
| 20 | George Johnson | WR | Western |
Top 5 Prospects
The number one ranked prospect is wide receiver and Toronto, Ontario native Tevaun Smith. The 6’2” 205 pound receiver led the Iowa Hawkeyes in receiving yards during the 2014 campaign with 596 and was second on the team with 43 receptions. After his career season as a junior, he was an honourable mention All-Big Ten by league coaches.
Manitoba Bisons defensive lineman David Onyemata is the highest ranked CIS and defensive player on the list. Last season, Onyemata started all eight conference games in 2014; the Lagos, Nigeria native was tied for 13th with 3.5 tackles for losses while registering 1.5 sacks and recording 28 total tackles.
In the third position is Michigan State Spartans CB Arjen Colquhoun. The fifth-year senior from Windsor, Ontario enters the 2015 season listed as the co-starter at field corner. Last season Colquhoun played in 11 games registering 12 tackles, two pass break-ups and an interception.
Calgary Dinos defensive back Elie Bouka and running back Mercer Timmis round out the top-prospects. Bouka, a Laval, Quebec native notched 20 total tackles, four pass break-ups and three interceptions. Timmis scored 10 touchdowns and led the Dinos in 953 rushing yards averaging 7.9 yards per rush.
Rounding out the top 10 are Oklahoma offensive lineman Josiah St. John, Buffalo offensive lineman Dillion Guy, Miami (Ohio) defensive lineman Mitchell Winters, Boston College defensive lineman Mehdi Abdesmad and Laval offensive lineman Charles Vaillancourt.
| Smith tops first of three rankings |
|---|
The number one ranked prospect is wide receiver and Toronto, Ontario native Tevaun Smith. The 6’2” 205 pound receiver led the Iowa Hawkeyes in receiving yards during the 2014 campaign with 596 and was second on the team with 43 receptions. After his career season as a junior, he was an honourable mention All-Big Ten by league coaches. Off the field, Smith may also be known for his one-handed catch video that went viral some time ago while still at Iowa … click here for more. |
By the Numbers
The September rankings include six receivers, five offensive linemen, four defensive backs, four defensive linemen, and one running back.
There are 15 universities represented on the list featuring two schools with multiple selections: Laval (4) and Calgary (3).
Alex Mateas, the 2015 CFL Draft first overall selection, was ranked sixth in the 2014 September rankings.
18 of 20 players from last season’s September’s CFL Scouting Bureau rankings were selected in the 2015 CFL Draft including all nine first round selections.
About the Central Scouting Bureau
The CFL Scouting Bureau releases its rankings three times each year: in September, December and April.
The CFL’s Scouting Bureau is comprised of CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.
