December 13, 2017

Knevel still tops in December scouting bureau rankings

University of Nebraska

TORONTO — The Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau published its second edition of the top-20 ranked prospects eligible for the 2018 CFL Draft on Wednesday.

The first edition was released in September.

David Knevel, a Brantford, Ont. native, stays on top of the list and is joined by Connecticut offensive lineman Trey Rutherford and Bowling Green offensive lineman Ryan Hunter in the top three.

After that there’s plenty of movement, including three new additions to the list:

WINTER SCOUTING BUREAU RANKINGS
Rank Name Position School Hometown
1 (1) David Knevel OL Nebraska Brantford, Ont.
2 (2) Trey Rutherford OL Connecticut Markham, Ont.
3 (3) Ryan Hunter OL Bowling Green North Bay, Ont.
4 (6) Peter Godber OL Rice Toronto
5 (10) Julien Laurent DL Georgia State Toronto
6 (4) Godfrey Onyeka DB Laurier Brampton, Ont.
7 (12) Rashaun Simonise REC Calgary/Okanagan Vancouver, B.C.
8 (9) Regis Cibasu REC Montreal Kinshasa, Congo
9 (5) Darius Ciraco OL Calgary Burlington, Ont.
10 (-) Mark Chapman REC Central Michigan Port Huron, Mich.
11 (14) Dakoda Shepley OL UBC Windsor, Ont.
12 (-) Mark Korte OL Alberta Spruce Grove, Alta.
13 (19) Jackson Bennett DB Ottawa Cumberland, Ont.
14 (8) Kene Onyeka DL Carleton Brampton, Ont.
15 (13) Andrew Pickett OL Guelph Kitchener, Ont.
16 (15) Alex Taylor RB Western Winnipeg, Man.
17 (20) Nelkas Kwemo LB Queen’s Montreal, Que.
18 (16) Ryan Sceviour OL Calgary Calgary, Alta.
19 (11) Chris Amoah RB Laval Montreal, Que.
20 (-) David Brown OL Western London, Ont.

 

TOP 5 PROSPECTS

Brantford native David Knevel remained in the same No. 1 spot he occupied in September. The 6-foot-9 senior at Nebraska has lots of experience as a starter at right tackle. He’s appeared in 31 games for the Cornhuskers, including eight in 2017. In 2016 he was named an Academic All-Big Ten.

Trey Rutherford also retains his spot, holding down the position of second. The Connecticut Husky started in all 12 games in 2017 on the offensive line, and has experience as a fullback during the 2015 season. The Markham, Ont. native helped UConn’s offence rush for 200 yards in seven separate games.

Bowling Green Falcons right tackle Ryan Hunter comes in third overall after starting all 12 games in 2016. Hunter, from North Bay, Ont., helped the program get three of its players to 100-plus yards in their last two games of 2016 for the first time in Bowling Green’s history.

Offensive lineman Peter Godber rose from sixth place to fourth after his senior year at Rice University. Godber has played 36 games in three years for the Owls, starting his most recent 23. The 6-foot-3 Toronto native has been a member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honour Roll every year since 2014.

Georgia State’s Julien Laurent rose a striking five spots from 10th overall to round out the top five. The Dean’s List player from Toronto started 11 games at nose guard. He collected a sack and 28 tackles in 2017, including a career-high eight in one game.

BY THE NUMBERS

The rankings include: 10 offensive linemen, three receivers, two defensive linemen, two running backs, two defensive backs and one linebacker.

A total of 18 schools are represented on the list, with only two schools (Calgary and Western) having multiple players on the list.

2017 CFL Draft first overall selection Faith Ekakitie was ranked 11th on the 2016 Winter Scouting Bureau.

Last year’s winter rankings saw 19 of 20 prospects selected in the CFL Draft, with five being selected in the first round.

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.