Andrew Mahon/CFL.ca
The debate with any draft is always centred on one question: do you draft based on positional need or take the best player available?
In many leagues, the answer is to just take the best player available but in the Canadian Football League, it’s not that easy.
When you’re tasked to start a certain amount of National players to meet the requirements of the ratio, you need to ensure you have the depth at certain positions you have pencilled in as starting spot for a National player.
I’m a strong believer in taking the best player available on draft night in the CFL during the first two rounds.
But here are the positions of need for each CFL team going into Tuesday’s draft.
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MONTREAL ALOUETTES
With 25 National players on the roster, the Alouettes will be loading up the National depth in the next few weeks heading into training camp and will need to get some winners on draft night to help in their quest to repeat in 2024.
If you’re looking at positions of need, Danny Maciocia is in a spot where he can say ‘all of the above’ on a multiple choice quiz.
Don’t get me wrong. The Alouettes easily have seven-plus National starters with Tyson Philpot, Kaion Julien-Grant, a trio of starting National offensive linemen (maybe four), newly acquired Derek Wiggan on the defensive line, big play defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy and former first overall pick Tyrell Richards.
But injuries happen. The Alouettes have a backup at each spot but they should be looking along the defensive line and offensive line based on age. Kristian Matte is nearing 40 and Philippe Gagnon and Wiggan are now into their 30s.
If you bolster the depth in those spots, it would be a good night for Maciocia and the Alouettes.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
On the Argonauts’ roster right now, they have 35 National players. That’s an impressive number and they bolstered their National depth already this off-season with Tunde Adeleke, Fraser Sopik, Kerfalla Exume and Albert Awachie signing free agent deals to Toronto.
The Argos have the best National depth, which is why they were so good last year. It’s in line with the notion that the team with a solid quarterback and great National depth will be tough to bring down. The Argos had it in 2023 and heading into 2024, their National depth hasn’t taken much of a hit.
So, where do you draft if you’re Toronto?
I still think they have a young, inexperienced depth at offensive line if they want to draft there. They have a quartet of receivers with experience but after losing their best (Kurleigh Gittens Jr.) you think receiver also has to be a bit of priority.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
The Tiger-Cats go into the Canadian draft after seeing Ted Laurent and Tunde Adeleke move on in different ways and while the team can use some young offensive line prospects, I’m just going to point directly at defence for Hamilton.
Stavros Katsantonis was great and they picked up former first overall pick Jordan Williams, who is on his third team in five seasons.
Overall, the Tiger-Cats need to ensure they are set for quality starting National defensive players moving forward. They have some younger players who might shine and relish in getting more playing time like Katsantonis did in 2023.
The Tiger-Cats can’t go wrong with picking up the best available at any position on the defensive side.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Impactful National players were few and far between for the REDBLACKS last season and they lost one of their best with Adam Auclair signing with the Roughriders in free agency.
Nate Behar is also not back and Jackson Bennett announced his retirement this week.
This all means that general manager Shawn Burke and his staff have their work cut out for them on draft night.
I think the REDBLACKS have a solid depth chart along the offensive line to start the season. Beyond that, Burke has an open slate to pick the best available players throughout the evening.
I’d personally be eyeing receiver as the REDBLACKS were at their best when they were rolling out Brad Sinopoli as a top receiver and ratio breaker, but they need linebackers and defensive backs as well after losing Auclair and Antoine Pruneau in back-to-back years.
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
The Bombers still have some of the most impactful starting Nationals in the league when you consider Brady Oliveira is a top player in the league and Nic Demski is consistently another top National play maker on offence.
I’ve said several times that Jake Thomas is among my most underrated players in the league, as is linebacker Shayne Gauthier. Redha Kramdi has developed well into a ‘dime’ backer roll for the Bombers.
The Bombers have tremendous depth on the defensive side of the ball but behind Demski and with only four National offensive lineman on the roster including two in their mid-30s with Patrick Neufeld and Chris Kolankowski, the Bombers need to replenish their depth along the offensive line and receiving corps in this draft.
Geoff Gray was not brought back on the offensive line and receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange moving on to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats has impacted their depth and should be an indication that the Bombers will be focusing on the offensive side of the ball in this draft.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Riders GM Jeremy O’Day has never relied on drafting based on need. He takes care of those things in free agency if things get urgent. If you’re drafting based on need, you haven’t done your job in years previous.
Look at his offensive line with projected starting Nationals Philip Blake, Ryan Sceviour and Peter Godber all brought in via free agency in the last two seasons.
Logan Bandy announced his retirement but with Logan Ferland and recent picks Zach Fry and Evan Floren heading to camp the Roughriders don’t need to be reaching for o-linemen in this draft.
Where I truly see a need is on the defensive line. Yes, with their depth in the National receiving corps they may only need to start two on defence and they have Adam Auclair, A.J. Allen, Jayden Dalke and Jaxon Ford to take care of the depth there among others.
However, flexibility is huge. The Riders started nine Nationals in the Grey Cup of 2013 and it could have been 10 if they needed it to be. That amount of depth and flexibility was a major reason they won.
So getting another solid contributor on the defensive line would be great. And this may sound ridiculous with Sam Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Brayden Lenius and Mitch Picton on the roster, but with the fact they haven’t stayed healthy at National receiver over the last few years, I could see another receiver making their way higher on the draft board than expected. Especially with Emilus and Schaffer-Baker getting NFL interest this off-season, it might not hurt to have a developmental piece in place.
EDMONTON ELKS
The Elks have already done great work on their National depth for the 2024 season with Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and Hergy Mayala added to the receiving corps and picking up Hunter Steward and Shane Richards to add to an already deep offensive line group.
It feels like Chris Jones and the Elks are able to head into the draft without much desperation to find a specific spot, which is ideal with the first overall selection.
Not like you’d expect Jones to draft on need anyway but as the rounds move on there are a few spots Jones would be looking to help find some depth.
Receiver would be a spot, as there isn’t much behind Gittens and Mayala for the Elks. The other place to look for is some strong National defensive backs, especially those with the ability to play safety if that’s a place the Elks want to move toward with Jason Shivers entering the equation as defensive coordinator.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
This should be obvious.
Offensive line.
Period.
You go year-over-year and with the exception of bringing in Sean McEwen, the departure of offensive linemen for the Stampeders has weakened their protection of their quarterback and opening holes for their running backs.
The Stamps likely need to add two offensive linemen to the group to try and make this team or at least push the other younger players for starting jobs.
But that’s not the only position. The Stamps lost two National defensive linemen to the Montreal Alouettes this off-season and clearly could use some more depth for impactful defensive back.
You’re not going to get it all in this draft but there are priorities for Dave Dickenson to address.
BC LIONS
The BC Lions feel like they could add one player per position for depth purposes. Things are all right but losing Mathieu Betts to the NFL is significant. You can’t replace him in this draft but with David Menard as a capable starting National defensive lineman, you can look to add depth behind him.
The Lions are another team, like most, who wouldn’t do anything wrong by going offensive line early.
BC gets the advantage of having three picks in the first two rounds thanks to the bonus pick for playing the most Nationals in 2023.
That is also a sign of just how good their depth was last season, especially defensively.
