Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
Canadian beef is always valuable in the CFL.
Teams across the country can never have enough Canuck offensive linemen in their stable – just ask Calgary after the rash of injuries to nationals the Stamps suffered up front in 2015. That’s why young blockers are always in demand league-wide.
And every CFL franchise looks set to start at least one non-import defensive linemen in 2016, which tells us it’s a strong and important position for Canadian talent as well.
Some big men powered their way up draft boards based on showings at the CFL Combine meanwhile others were pushed down.
OL Kadeem Adams, Western
Hometown: Halifax
Stock: Down ⬇
An injury kept the 6-foot-3, 282-pounder out of all testing events except for the bench where he put up 12 reps. Ill-timed setback for Adams, who missed the opportunity to impress.
OL Jamal Campbell, York
Hometown: Toronto
Stock: Down ⬇
Overall Campbell put forth a solid effort at the combine, especially athletically. However, in the one-on-one session you could see that he needs to develop more in his lower-body.
OL Michael Couture, Simon Fraser
Hometown: Burnaby, B.C.
Stock: Up ⬆
After a consistently strong showing in Toronto, Couture displayed why he should be considered with the top tier of offensive linemen in this class.
OL Philippe Gagnon, Laval
Hometown: L’Ancienne-Lorette, Que.
Stock: Up ⬆
Putting up 40 reps of 225 pounds on the bench got all the attention from media and fans. More importantly, Gagnon was steady and tough when the pads came on and as a result he should be picked very early.
OL Roman Grozman, Concordia
Hometown: Vaughn, Ont.
Stock: Up ⬆
At the combine, Saturday was top notch for Grozman but Sunday wasn’t quite as good. Either way you could visibly see and feel a passionate compete level from Grozman, and pro scouts love players like that.
OL Zachary Intzandt, McMaster
Hometown: London, Ont.
Stock: Up ⬆
Consider the fact that Intzandt has only been playing offensive line full-time for one season and he looked like he belongs. He’s nimble with upside.
OL Sean Jamieson, Western
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.
Stock: Up ⬆
There were questions about Jamieson’s work ethic entering the combine, but those were quelled when it was all over. He bettered his test results in every category compared to what he did at the 2015 CIS East West Bowl.
OL Jason Lauzon-Seguin, Laval
Hometown: Pointe-Claire, Que.
Stock: Up ⬆
With most of the spotlight on Rouge et Or teammates Philippe Gagnon and Charles Vaillancourt, Lauzon-Seguin quietly proved why he should be considered a high-end prospect alongside them.
OL Josiah St. John, Oklahoma
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Stock: Down ⬇
The intriguing tackle prospect went through all the testing events at his Oklahoma Pro Day on Wednesday, March 9, which meant he didn’t participate in any physical elements of the CFL Combine. Scouts wanted to see St. John strap the pads on and go through the football portion of the event.
OL Charles Vaillancourt, Laval
Hometown: Coaticook, Ont.
Stock: Up ⬆
Vaillancourt continued to check boxes and keep himself firmly in the discussion to be the No. 1 selection.
DL Tarique Anderson, Delaware State
Hometown: Toronto, Ont.
Stock: Down ⬇
After watching the one-on-ones scouts came away saying Anderson lacks burst of the line of scrimmage and that he needs to be tougher.
DL Rupert Butcher, Western
Hometown: London, Ont.
Stock: Up ⬆
The Butcher carved up offensive linemen during the one-on-one session at the combine and vaulted up the rankings. His combo of size and quickness intrigues scouts.
DL Michael Kashak, Western
Hometown: Courtice, Ont.
Stock: Down ⬇
Even though Kashak has a non-stop motor, his lack of size in terms of poundage is a worry for teams.
DL Quinn Horton, Simon Fraser
Hometown: Winnipeg, Man.
Stock: Up ⬆
Some CFL personnel men like Horton over Butcher. He put in a sneaky good performance at the talent assessment event.
DL Donnie Egerter, Guelph
Hometown: Niagara Falls, Ont.
Stock: Down ⬇
Earning a National Combine invite was a positive for Egerter, but when he lined up against the linemen there, generating a pass rush was a struggle.
DL Denzel Philip, Eastern New Mexico
Hometown: Mississauga, Ont.
Stock: Down ⬇
Pro evaluators said going into the combine that Philip needed to put on weight and shift inside to improve his stock. That notion was proved true when he had a tough time going against the offensive linemen at the U of T bubble.
DL Boyd Richardson, UBC
Hometown: Regina
Stock: Up ⬆
Richardson showed some power and with his current build he could be an interesting special teams type. If he added some thickness and bumped inside that might ultimately be his best spot in the CFL.
DL John Biewald, Western
Hometown: Ottawa
Stock: Down ⬇
An undersized defensive end that got caught playing too high at times. Biewald either needs to bulk up to stay on the line or learn to play in space as a linebacker.