Mike Hogan
CFL.ca

Stop me if you've heard this one before.

Did you hear the one about the CIS running back whose dad was once a CFL Eastern Rookie of the Year, also as a running back? You know, the one about the former player's kid being an incredible talent who dominated the CIS with a dazzling combination of size and strength? You know, the one where there were NFL whispers for the kid despite critics saying the only reason he was productive at all in the first place was because of the poor level of competition?

Ya, ya...I know, you've heard it before. But this time the ending is different. We're not talking about the Lumsdens, we're talking about the Lees.

The old story is about Neil and Jesse Lumsden. Neil was the Eastern nominee for the 1976 Rookie of the Year award while with the Argos. His son Jesse dominated the CIS with the McMaster Marauders before establishing himself as a top running back in the CFL. A dozen years after Neil made his CFL debut Orville Lee was named the CFL's top rookie as a member of the Ottawa Rough Riders where he led the league in rushing. If you haven't heard of his son Jamall yet, you will.

Lee should have scouts drooling. He's big, he's strong, he's fast, he's flat-out good. He blew people away with a 4.39 clocking in the 40-yard dash, the best time ever at the CFL Evaluation Camp. He also had the top vertical jump with a mind-numbing 44-inch leap. He did 19 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press; the top score at the E-Camp was 23 reps. He's 6'1", 221 pounds and is coming off a spectacular season playing at Bishop's University in Lennoxville, Quebec for former CFLer Leroy Blugh.

But it's just not the physical stats that are impressive, The Port Coquitlam, B.C. native tore up "The Q" last year. He scored 10 touchdowns as a part of an over 1,200 yard campaign for the Gaiters where he averaged 6.6 yards a carry. His biggest game? A remarkable performance against McGill where he rushed for 391 yards, the second-best performance in CIS history.

Starting to get the picture?

If there's one concern about Lee it's his birth certificate. He's a non-import and despite the success of Jesse Lumsden there still seems to be some hesitancy among some to play a Canadian as a starting RB. One of the problems is with the ratio. You always have to be cognizant of making sure that when you want to replace a non-import for a play or a series you have to have enough non-imports elsewhere. Hamilton saw that last year and at times when they took Lumsden off the field and replaced him with an American they had to make a switch on the offensive line as well. That may cause teams to think twice about drafting a Canadian to start there. It's not necessarily the starting back; it's the lack of a Canadian backup that potentially may be a problem.

Does this set up a potential Lumsden/Lee combination in Edmonton? The Eskimos may be the best spot for Lee to begin his CFL career. Given Lumsden's history of injuries, having a skilled non-import running back to go along with Lumsden and Calvin McCarty may not be a bad thing.

Lee finished the season as the second-rated CIS prospect by the CFL Scouting Bureau behind Simeon Rottier. We'll find out on May 2nd how CFL teams feel about him.

Mike Hogan is the Voice of the Argonauts on THE FAN 590 in Toronto and has been the Voice of the Vanier Cup for more than a decade. He is also a member of the CIS Football Top-10 Committee.