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

Fall Edition
Winter Edition

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

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