Manitoba Bisons
TORONTO — David Onyemata is NFL-bound, but don’t expect CFL general managers to cross him off their draft list — or anyone else affected over the weekend by the National Football League Draft.
The CFL Scouting Bureau’s number one-ranked player was picked in the fourth round by the New Orleans Saints on Saturday, becoming the 12th player in CIS history to be selected in the NFL Draft.
As CFL.ca’s Justin Dunk says, however, the result shouldn’t have a major impact on how teams view one of Canada’s top amateur prospects.
“CFL scouts were not shocked to see David Onyemata picked high in the NFL Draft,” said Dunk. “He’s a player who many believe might never play in the three-down league. So Onyemata being selected by the Saints doesn’t change much in regards to the CFL Draft.”
RELATED: Onyemata takes top spot in CFL Scouting Bureau rankings
Onyemata follows in the footsteps of Christian Covington, who was picked in the sixth round of the NFL Draft a year ago before the BC Lions took him with their fifth round pick in the CFL Draft. Teams have showed in the past a willingness to be patient in the draft, selecting players that may not play in the league until down the road — but can provide tremendous value.
Vaughn Martin and Cory Greenwood are recent examples of players selected as ‘futures’ who returned from the NFL over the last two years to provide a boost for the Alouettes and Argonauts respectively.
“Onyemata is worth a late round flyer on the off chance a player of his calibre ever does come to play in the CFL,” said Dunk.
There are other players teams will have a close eye on too heading into the weekend, ones whose draft stock could be more affected by what goes on down south.
The second- to fourth-ranked prospects, Tevaun Smith, Mehdi Abdesmad and Arjen Colquhoun, have all all signed undrafted free agent contracts with NFL teams along with the 18th-ranked prospect Elie Bouka. Others, meanwhile, have accepted mini-camp invites.
“Teams around the CFL will be keeping close tabs on NFL rookie mini-camps to see if any players earn a contract,” said Dunk. “If a deal is reached with an NFL team, that could lower a prospect’s CFL Draft position.”
Players signed to contracts:
| Name | Position | Scouting Bureau Rank | Status |
| David Onyemata | DL | 1 | Drafted, 4th round (New Orleans) |
| Tevaun Smith | WR | 2 | Signed, undrafted FA (Indianapolis) |
| Mehdi Abdesmad | DL | 3 | Signed, undrafted FA (Tennessee) |
| Arjen Colquhoun | DB | 4 | Signed, undrafted FA (Dallas) |
| Elie Bouka | DB | 18 | Signed, undrafted FA (Arizona) |
Onyemata, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound interior defensive lineman, jumped to the top of the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings in the final edition following a strong pro day back in March. He was named a Canada West all-star for the second straight campaign, was recognized as an all-Canadian for the first time, and claimed the J.P. Metras Trophy as the top down lineman in CIS football.
Despite being double-teamed on most plays, the 23-year-old was second in his conference and ninth in the country with five sacks in eight league games and also ranked second in Canada West in tackles for a loss (7.5) and 12th in overall tackles (38.5).
While Onyemata was the only one drafted, four others receivers contracts and nine received invites to mini-camp. CFL teams will keep a close eye on those players in particular, as a contract signing would likely alter draft stock. Players invited to mini-camps are: Charles Vaillancourt (NYG and OAK), Alex Singleton (NE), Trent Corney (NYJ), Taylor Loffler (NYG), Mercer Timmis (NYG), Doug Corby (NYG), Mike Jones (WSH), Brandon Revenberg (NYG), and DJ Lalama (NYG).
The CFL Draft will be held May 10.
