Gallimore headlines spring edition of Scouting Bureau

TORONTO — The CFL Scouting Bureau has released the final edition of the Top-20 prospects eligible for the 2020 CFL Draft on April 30.

The CFL Scouting Bureau – comprising CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine member clubs – releases its rankings three times each year in September, December and April.

Headlining the list is Oklahoma defensive tackle Neville Gallimore, who also topped the December edition, followed by receiver Chase Claypool, who holds at No. 2.

Two players, defensive lineman Michael Hoecht and linebacker Jordan Willams, who were previously unranked, joined the Spring list. Hoecht sits sixth and Williams is at eight.

CFL SCOUTING BUREAU: SPRING EDITION

Rank Name POS School Hometown
1 (1) Neville Gallimore DT Oklahoma Ottawa
2 (2) Chase Claypool REC Notre Dame Abbotsford, B.C.
3 (4) Carter O’Donnell OL Alberta Red Deer, Alta.
4 (5) Tomas Jack-Kurdyla OL Buffalo Montreal
5 (7) Dejon Brissett REC Virginia Mississauga, Ont.
6 (–) Michael Hoecht DL Brown Oakville, Ont.
7 (3) Nathan Rourke QB Ohio Oakville, Ont.
8 (–) Jordan Williams LB ECU Louisville, Ken.
9 (9) Marc-Antoine Dequoy DB Montreal Île-Bizard, Que.
10 (8) Mason Bennett DE North Dakota Winnipeg
11 (6) Kétel Assé OL Laval Saint-Marc, Haiti
12 (17) Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund DL Southeastern Louisiana Dartmouth, N.S.
13 (10) Brendan O’Leary-Orange REC Nevada Toronto
14 (15) Cameron Lawson DL Queen’s Caledon, Ont.
15 (13) Adam Auclair DB Laval Quebec City
16 (12) Dylan Giffen OL Western Strathroy, Ont.
17 (16) Tyler Ternowski REC Waterloo Hamilton
18 (11) Rysen John REC Simon Fraser Vancouver
19 (20) Jack Cassar LB Carleton Mississauga, Ont.
20 (19) J.J. Molson K UCLA Montreal

(Player’s ranking from the CFL Scouting Bureau: Winter Edition in parentheses)

TOP-5 PROSPECTS

1 | NEVILLE GALLIMORE | DT | OKLAHOMA
Gallimore recorded 30 tackles (18 solo, 12 assisted), four sacks and 7.5 tackles for a loss during his 2019 campaign for the Sooners. Following a regular season mark of 9-1 and a Big 12 Conference Championship, the Sooners made the College Football Playoff. In his collegiate career, the Ottawa, Ont., native appeared in 52 games (starting 38), racking up 148 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, nine sacks and five forced fumbles. Gallimore was also invited to the NFL Combine in March.

2 | CHASE CLAYPOOL | REC | NOTRE DAME
Claypool led the Fighting Irish in receptions (66), receiving yards (1,037) and scored 13 touchdowns. Over his career at Notre Dame, he totaled 150 receptions for 2,159 yards (14.4 yards per catch) and 19 touchdowns. In his final game, he was named Camping World Bowl MVP after notching seven receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown. The Abbotsford, B.C., native tied a school record with four receiving touchdowns against Navy in November. Claypool was also invited to the NFL Combine in March.

3 | CARTER O’DONNELL | OL | ALBERTA
O’Donnell moved up one spot in the rankings after anchoring an offensive line that averaged 399 yards of total offence and 5.2 yards per rush this season. The 6’6, 300-pound native of Red Deer, Alta., was named a U SPORT First Team All-Canadian for his efforts. His performance this season was recognized with an invitation to the prestigious East-West Shrine Bowl in Florida.

4 | TOMAS JACK-KURDYLA | OL | BUFFALO
Jack-Kurdyla appeared in 11 games this season on an offence that rushed for a school-record 3,256 yards (296-yards per game) and 5.0 yards per carry, while allowing a program-low eight sacks. The 6’4, 300-pound Montreal native appeared in 47 games (starting 45) over a four-year collegiate career. The 2019 Buffalo Bulls’ offensive line garnered an honorable mention for the Joe Moore Award as one of the Top-15 offensive lines in the nation.

5 | DEJON BRISSETT | REC | VIRGINIA
Brissett appeared in 12 games for the Cavaliers this season after transferring from Richmond following a four-year career with the Spiders. In 33 career games at Richmond, Brissett recorded 86 receptions for 1,282 yards and nine touchdowns. The Mississauga, Ont., native also returned 41 kicks for 941 yards and one touchdown while amassing 2,388 yards of total offense.

BY THE NUMBERS

The spring rankings include:

5 Receivers
5 Defensive linemen
4 Offensive linemen
3 Linebackers
1 Quarterback
1 Defensive back
1 Kicker

Additional Information

  • 19 schools are represented in the in the spring rankings with the exception being Laval (No. 6 Kétel Assé and No. 15 Adam Auclair)
  • 11 NCAA prospects and nine from U SPORTS
  • Two debuts: No. 6 Michael Hoecht from Brown and No. 8 Jordan Williams from East Carolina
  • In 2019, 19 prospects identified in the spring rankings were selected in the CFL Draft, including all eight first-round picks.