Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
TORONTO — While national offensive linemen are always coveted, the upcoming CFL Draft class is considered by some accounts quite rich in Canadian talent on the defensive line.
The O-line will be a focus for every general manager across the league this May because the old adage has been proven right time and time again: that you can never have too many Canadian offensive linemen.
One offensive lineman on the way up, CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson says, is McGill’s Qadr Spooner.
“It doesn’t hurt that with one of the biggest wingspans of the entire combine, Spooner put up 31 reps on bench,” said Spooner. “It’s something that allows him to toss aside defenders with consistency on game tape.”
MORE ON THE CFL COMBINE
» Leaderboard | Full results
» For Comparison’s Sake: Tunde Adeleke
» Combine Rewind: Watch it in its entirety
Canadian defensive linemen, on the other hand, can be ratio-breakers.
For Ferguson, Kay Okafor was impossible to ignore on the defensive side of the ball at the CFL Combine.
“The combine for Okafor was like watching scouts sit in an empty Texas field they heard had oil somewhere but weren’t sure where to find it. Once in a while, a drop or two of oil would rise from the ground on a pass rush move as a hint to what is coming.
“With the right coaching, whoever drafts Okafor is going to have oil exploding from the earth quickly.”
With the CFL Combine presented by adidas all wrapped up, CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson looks at who’s trending where heading towards the CFL Draft on May 7:
OL QADR SPOONER
McGILL UNIVERSITY
STOCK: UP ⬆
Spooner answered the bell admirably in almost every one-on-one at the combine. It’s hard to ignore his naturally gifted size and body composition. It’s not hard to imagine him in your favourite team’s uniform for 10 years as a consistent contributor to a sound pass attack and downhill running game.
OL EVAN JOHNSON
UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN
STOCK: UP ⬆
Johnson tested out incredibly well and despite being undersized showed the ability to block as a fundamentally sound rotational offensive lineman — something every team needs to find in the mid to late rounds of the CFL draft.
OL BRADEN SCHRAM
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
STOCK: UP ⬆
Schram got lost in the shuffle a bit for me with the multitude of Dinos attending CFL combines. However, after the CFL combine I had to go back and watch his tape. It showed a really good, well-rounded offensive lineman with potential to grow.
OL MASON WOODS
UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO
STOCK: DOWN ⬇
Woods might be a victim of expectations more than anything else and I believe he is still a viable first or second round lock. The concern is his ability to bend with tackles against the likes of Kwaku Boateng and Connor McGough. Both are diminutive next to Woods but height isn’t always a good thing when trying to block a power rushing end or tackle.
OL KWABENA ASARE
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
STOCK: DOWN ⬇
Asare is as naturally gifted an offensive lineman as there is in the 2017 draft. His athletic testing isn’t all that important as it’s already understood he is a raw prospect but with a better performance I really think he could have helped himself.
OL JORDAN FILIPPELLI
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
STOCK: DOWN ⬇
Filippelli came in a little heavy and struggled to bend athletically at times during one-on-ones. His game film shows he can play against some of USPORTS’ best pass rushers such as St.FX defensive end Kyle Forde and Laval’s Ed Godin but can he hold up against the CFL’s best in a moment of need?
OL DARIUSZ BLADEK
BETHUNE-COOKMAN UNIVERSITY
STOCK: STABLE
Bladek had a lot of hype coming into the combine and did just about everything he needed to in order to keep his name in high regard. Status quo for him, and that’s a good thing.
OL/DL EMMANUEL ADUSEI
CARLETON UNIVERSITY
STOCK: SLEEPER
Adusei has been a big-bodied defensive tackle for the Ravens but took several reps at offensive guard during the East regional combine and looked right at home.
DL KAY OKAFOR
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER UNIVERSITY
STOCK: UP ⬆
What’s not to love about this guy? He’s a mountain of a man with a skill set that has barely been tapped. He is raw but incredibly athletic and well above average in strength. That doesn’t come through in pass rush drills but with the right coach it will.
DL MARK MACKIE
McMASTER UNIVERSITY
STOCK: UP ⬆
Mackie was selected from the Ontario Regional Combine to attend the national combine due to his vast variety of pass rush moves and overall athleticism. Even against one of the most athletic defensive line groups in recent memory with Kwaku Boateng, Fabion Foote and Kay Okafor, Mackie stood tall and dazzled with his quick feet and strong initial burst.
DL CONNOR McGOUGH
UNIVERSITY OF CALGARY
STOCK: UP ⬆
McGough was one of my favourite players on film leading into the combine due to the variety of roles he was asked to play by the Calgary coaching staff as a defensive end with a linebacker package and special teams personal protector on punt. He does a little bit of everything but when focused on a singular pass rush move he comes with a plan and it showed in Regina. He feels like the type of guy you could use in a national defensive line rotation without any concerns while watching his potential ceiling continue to rise.
DL SAMUEL NARKAJ
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY
STOCK: DOWN ⬇
Narkaj was essentially exactly what you expected. A bulldozer of a defensive tackle with a big bench number and lacklustre agility scores. There is nothing wrong with that but his lack of variety in the pass rush one-on-ones is a bit concerning, especially with fellow RSEQ defensive tackle Mathieu Dupuis showing off his wider-ranging skill set.
DL JUSTIN VAUGHN
FORDHAM UNIVERSITY
STOCK: DOWN ⬇
Vaughn came to the combine best defined as a question mark. He left much the same. Shoulder surgery didn’t allow Vaughn to complete the bench press and he ran one 40-yard dash before tweaking something, which didn’t allow him to run the 3-cone or shuttle. His natural length and on-tape athleticism are exactly what teams want to see, but don’t think for a second not being able to make it through the combine healthy doesn’t make teams wonder if a player could survive their first training camp.
DL JUNIOR LUKE
UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
STOCK: DOWN ⬇
I still believe Luke will get taken in the top half of the draft because game tape outweighs all other things, but he did struggle at times during the combine and could find himself in a log jam with other talented defensive tackles — such as Kay Okafor — taking a step forward.
DL KWAKU BOATENG
WILFRID LAURIER UNIVERSITY
STOCK: STABLE
Similar to Idaho offensive lineman Mason Woods, the CFL combine was all about checking off boxes for Boateng. He did it with greater success than Woods in Regina and showed why many believe he could be the first USPORTS player off the board come May 7.
DL EMILE CHARRON-LIGEZ
UNIVERSITY OF MONTREAL
STOCK: SLEEPER
The University of Montreal Carabins defensive end had a quickness and energy about him at the Eastern Regional Combine unlike any other defensive lineman at CFL combines this year.
