Illinois Athletics
TORONTO — University of Illinois offensive lineman Isaiah Adams sits atop the Winter Edition of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Scouting Bureau. The native of Ajax, Ont., holds the No. 1 ranking among prospects eligible to be selected in this year’s CFL Draft.
The CFL Scouting Bureau, comprising CFL scouts, as well as player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine clubs, annually releases its rankings in the fall, winter and, for a third and final time, in the spring ahead of the coming draft.
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Two players – quarterback Kurtis Rourke and offensive lineman Eric Schon (ranked Nos. 1 and 20, respectively in the fall) – have reclassified to 2025.
CFL SCOUTING BUREAU: WINTER EDITION
| Rank (Previous) | Name | Position | School | Hometown |
| 1(5) | Isaiah Adams | OL | Illinois | Ajax, Ont. |
| 2(3) | Theo Benedet | OL | UBC | North Vancouver, B.C. |
| 3(-) | Theo Johnson | TE | Penn State | Windsor, Ont. |
| 4(12) | Tanner McLachlan | TE | Arizona | Lethbridge, Alta. |
| 5(4) | Kyle Hergel | OL | Boston College | Toronto, Ont. |
| 6(2) | Gabe Wallace | OL | Buffalo | Salmon Arm, B.C. |
| 7(10) | Geoffrey Cantin-Arku | LB | Memphis | Lévis, Que. |
| 8(11) | Anim Dankwah | OL | Howard | Toronto, Ont. |
| 9(8) | Giovanni Manu | OL | UBC | Pitt Meadows, B.C. |
| 10(14) | Melique Straker | LB | Arkansas State | Brampton, Ont. |
| 11(6) | Nick Mardner | WR | Auburn | Oakville, Ont. |
| 12(7) | Daniel Johnson | OL | Purdue | London, Ont. |
| 13(19) | Dhel Duncan-Busby | WR | Bemidji State | Madison, Ohio |
| 14(9) | Justin Sambu | DL | Baylor | Calgary, Alta. |
| 15(-) | Daniel Okpoko | DL | San Diego State | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| 16(13) | Christy Nkanu | OL | Washington State | Montreal, Que. |
| 17(16) | Ajou Ajou | WR | Garden City CC | Brooks, Alta.* |
| 18(-) | Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay | OL | Laval | Rimouski, Que. |
| 19(18) | Kail Dava | DL | Tennessee Tech | Mississauga, Ont. |
| 20(-) | Kevin Mital | WR | Laval | Saint-Hubert, Que. |
* Eligible for the 2024 CFL Draft via games played at Clemson and South Florida
BY THE NUMBERS
- The winter rankings include:
- Nine offensive linemen
- Four wide receivers
- Three defensive linemen
- Two tight ends
- Two linebackers
- 18 schools are represented in the rankings. UBC (No. 2 Theo Benedet and No. 9 Giovanni Manu) and Laval (No. 18 Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay and No. 20 Kevin Mital) feature multiple players.
- 15 prospects are from the NCAA; four are from U SPORTS; one is from NJCAA
- Seven of the nine first-round selections in the 2023 CFL Draft were ranked in the 2023 CFL Scouting Bureau: Winter Edition
TOP 5 SPOTLIGHT
1 | ISAIAH ADAMS | OL | ILLINOIS | AJAX, ONT.
Illinois Athletics
- Started 25 games during his collegiate career, including all 12 games in 2023
- 2023: named a team captain, an All-Big Ten Honourable Mention (coaches and media) and Academic All-Big Ten
- Will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl
- 2022 All-Big Ten Third Team
- Transferred from Garden City Community College – 2021 NJCAA D1 All-America First Team
- Played 2019 season at Wilfrid Laurier University
2 | THEO BENEDET | OL | UBC | NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.
UBC Athletics
- 2023 season: UBC’s offensive line allowed 15 sacks, while the offence averaged 6.8 yards per rush
- Started every game after his rookie season in 2019
- First offensive lineman to win the J.P. Metras trophy on multiple occasions (2022-23)
- Canada West All-Star (2022-23) and First Team All-Canadian (2022-23)
- Participated in the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl and the 2024 College Gridiron Showcase
3 | THEO JOHNSON | TE | PENN STATE | WINDSOR, ONT.
- 13 games in 2023: career-highs in receptions (34), yards (341) and touchdowns (7 – tied for team lead)
- 2023 All-Big Ten Honourable Mention
- Will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl
- Collegiate career: 45 games, 77 receptions for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns
4 | TANNER MCLACHLAN | TE | ARIZONA | LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.
Arizona Athletics
- 13 games in 2023: 45 receptions for 528 yards and four touchdowns
- 2023 AP Second-Team All-Pac 12 and 2023 All-Pac 12 Honourable Mention
- Will participate in the Reese’s Senior Bowl
- At Arizona: two seasons, 25 games, 79 receptions for 984 yards and six touchdowns
- Transferred from Southern Utah
5 | KYLE HERGEL | OL | BOSTON COLLEGE | TORONTO
Boston College Athletics
- 13 games in 2023: offensive line averaged 4.8 yards per rush.
- All-ACC Honourable Mention
- Best PFF pass block grade at Boston College (86.6) with no sacks allowed and two quarterback hits on 402 dropbacks
- Played with Texas State from 2021-22: Started all 24 games, All-Sun Belt Third Team (2022), PFF All-Sun Belt First Team (2022), PFF All-Sun Belt Second Team (2021)
- Played with North Dakota in 2018-21: Started 17 games, FCS Independent Newcomer of the Year (2019)
