Isaiah Adams holds top spot in spring CFL Scouting Bureau rankings
TORONTO — Offensive lineman Isaiah Adams from the University of Illinois headlines the CFL Scouting Bureau’s Spring Edition. The Ajax, Ont., native held onto the No. 1 ranking among prospects eligible to be selected in the CFL Draft on April 30.
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.
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2023 Scouting Bureau Rankings
CFL SCOUTING BUREAU RANKINGS: SPRING EDITION
| Rank (previous) | Name | Position | School | Hometown |
| 1 (1) | Isaiah Adams | OL | Illinois | Ajax, Ont. |
| 2 (3) | Theo Johnson | TE | Penn State | Windsor, Ont. |
| 3 (4) | Tanner McLachlan | TE | Arizona | Lethbridge, Alta. |
| 4 (5) | Kyle Hergel | OL | Boston College | Toronto, Ont. |
| 5 (2) | Theo Benedet | OL | UBC | North Vancouver, B.C. |
| 6 (–) | Joel Dublanko | LB | Cincinnati | Aberdeen, WA |
| 7 (11) | Nick Mardner | WR | Auburn | Oakville, Ont. |
| 8 (9) | Giovanni Manu | OL | UBC | Pitt Meadows, B.C. |
| 9 (7) | Geoffrey Cantin-Arku | LB | Memphis | Lévis, QC |
| 10 (20) | Kevin Mital | WR | Laval | Saint-Hubert, QC |
| 11 (8) | Anim Dankwah | OL | Howard | Toronto, Ont. |
| 12 (6) | Gabe Wallace | OL | Buffalo | Salmon Arm, B.C. |
| 13 (15) | Daniel Okpoko | DL | San Diego State | Saskatoon, Sask. |
| 14 (18) | Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay | OL | Laval | Rimouski, QC |
| 15 (16) | Christy Nkanu | OL | Washington State | Montreal, QC |
| 16 (12) | Daniel Johnson | OL | Purdue | London, Ont. |
| 17 (10) | Melique Straker | LB | Arkansas State | Brampton, Ont. |
| 18 (13) | Dhel Duncan-Busby | WR | Bemidji State | Madison, OH |
| 19 (–) | Luke Brubacher | DL | Wilfrid Laurier | Listowel, Ont. |
| 20 (–) | Kevens Clercius | WR | Connecticut | Montreal, QC |
BY THE NUMBERS
The spring rankings include:
- Nine offensive linemen
- Four wide receivers
- Three linebackers
- Two tight ends
- Two defensive linemen
Eighteen schools are represented in the rankings. UBC (No. 5 Theo Benedet and No. 8 Giovanni Manu) and Laval (No. 10 Kevin Mital and 14 Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay) feature multiple players.
Fifteen prospects are from the NCAA; five are from U SPORTS
All nine first-round selections in the 2023 CFL Draft were ranked in the 2023 CFL Scouting Bureau: Spring Edition
TOP-5 SPOTLIGHT
1 | ISAIAH ADAMS | OL | ILLINOIS | AJAX, ONT.
Illinois Athletics
2023 season: started 25 games during his collegiate career, including all 12 games in 2023
2023 team captain, All-Big Ten Honourable Mention (coaches and media) and Academic All-Big Ten
Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and 2024 NFL Combine
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 JOHNSON | TE | PENN STATE | WINDSOR, ONT.
2023 season: 13 games, career-highs in receptions (34), yards (341) and touchdowns (Seven – tied for team lead)
2023 All-Big Ten Honourable Mention
Participated in the Reese’s Senior Bowl and 2024 NFL Combine
Collegiate career: 45 games, 77 receptions for 938 yards and 12 touchdowns
3 | TANNER MCLACHLAN | TE | ARIZONA | LETHBRIDGE, ALTA.
Arizona Athletics
2023 season: 13 games, 45 receptions for 528 yards and four touchdowns
2023 AP Second-Team All-Pac 12 and 2023 All-Pac 12 Honourable Mention
Selected to participate in Resse’s Senior Bowl, but did not take part due to injury; participated in 2024 NFL Combine
At Arizona: two seasons, 25 games, 79 receptions for 984 yards and six touchdowns
Transferred from Southern Utah
4 | KYLE HERGEL | OL | BOSTON COLLEGE | TORONTO
2023 season: 13 games, offensive line averaged 4.8 yards per rush.
All-ACC Honourable Mention
Participated in the 2024 East-West Shrine Bowl
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)
5 | THEO BENEDET | OL | UBC | NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.
Arizona 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
