Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
It’s one of my favorite times of year: mini-camps are getting underway all over North America, training camps are on the horizon, and The Money List is back for another year.
For a second year in a row, we’re choosing THE “money” player at each position, which is never an easy exercise. Who’s new on the list this year? And who’s back to defend their crown?
The Money List
Let’s refresh from 2017, as this is the final list we came up with a year ago:
Quarterback: Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders
Runningback Andrew Harris, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Receiver: Adarius Bowman, Edmonton Eskimos (now Winnipeg Blue Bombers)
Offensive line: Jovan Olafioye, Montreal Alouettes
Defensive tackle: Ted Laurent, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Defensive end: Charleston Hughes, Calgary Stampeders (now Saskatchewan Roughriders)
Linebacker: Solomon Elimimian, BC Lions
Defensive back: TJ Heath, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (now Toronto Argonauts)
Kicker: Justin Medlock, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Punter: Rob Maver, Calgary Stampeders
The criteria is pretty simple and the same as we used last year. When selecting players for the 2018 Money List, we’re looking for the best player at his position right now, regardless of age or experience. Basically it comes down to this: what player would I want most at each position if I was trying to win a Grey Cup this season?
We’ll be doing this as part of the MMQB over the next few weeks, and we’ll start with the most important position of all.
Quarterback: Bo Levi Mitchell, Calgary Stampeders
Boy oh boy, we’re starting with one of the closest calls of all to start things off. Toronto’s Ricky Ray, who bested Mitchell in November’s Grey Cup and Edmonton’s Mike Reilly were tooth and nail here, but in the end, we have our first repeat winner. In the end, you just can’t argue with Mitchell’s resume.
56-10-2: that’s Mitchell’s record as a CFL starter since entering the league in 2012. Remember, we’re picking the guy with the best chance of winning a Grey Cup this season. Yep, I’m aware he’s 1-2 in the big game, but Mitchell has played in three of the last four Grey Cup games and I like those odds.
Sure, after winning in his first trip in 2014, Mitchell has been on the losing end of the league’s title game the last two years. That doesn’t diminish the accomplishment of being there three out of four years, though. For sake of argument, only the retired Henry Burris has appeared in multiple games during the same stretch, with two different teams.
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Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 4,700 yards despite what some are calling a ‘down’ year in 2017 (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
I’ll also address the perception that Mitchell can’t get it done with everything on the line. He was lights out in 2014 and, despite his final throw, was nearly perfect in the 2017 game, too. Yes, Mitchell struggled in the first half of the 2016 showdown with Ottawa, but the guy has performed well on the biggest stage more often than not.
Mitchell has a lot going for him here. The 2016 Most Outsanding Player has never had a completion rate under 63 per cent since assuming the starter’s role in 2014. Furthermore, Mitchell is the most durable starting pivot in the league; he’s started 17 games for three consecutive years. Mitchell’s only season spent “battling injuries” came in his first as the number one, and he still made 14 starts.
Both Ray and Reilly made huge cases here. The former had a resurgent season that culminated with an East Division MOP nod and a Grey Cup victory. All Reilly has done the last two years is cut apart opposing backfields with back-to-back 5,500-plus yard seasons to go along with a 2016 Grey Cup and a 2017 Most Outstanding Player win.
While you couldn’t go wrong with either of Reilly or Ray, it’s still Mitchell who gets the nod as Money Man for a second straight year. With his mix of consistency, durability, and, well, winning, Mitchell gives a team the best chance to win a Grey Cup right now.
Dual threat
Last week we detailed the interesting stretch teams are currently in leading up to the CFL Draft. With the combine in the books and the NFL Draft happening this week, teams have a lot to weigh prior to the CFL Draft on May 3.
With top prospects like Ryan Hunter, Dakoda Shepley and Trey Rutherford garnering NFL interest, their CFL stock might fall as a result. One player we didn’t mention last week, however, is Central Michigan receiver Mark Chapman. That’s mainly because he’s such a fascinating prospect and thus needs a section for himself.
So how is a player born in Port Huron, Mich. eligible to be drafted north of the border? Well, Chapman is truly the North American football dual threat. Think back to Alex Singleton’s situation two years ago; the California product learned late he was eligible for the CFL Draft as his mother was born in Toronto. Well, the situation is very similar with Chapman.
Mark Chapman has been slated by many to be a top-three pick in the May 3 CFL Draft (Jason Halstead/CFL.ca)
Chapman’s mother was also born in Canada, which prompted him to go through the citizenship process during his senior season at Central Michigan. As a result, or at least partially so, Chapman has vaulted up the Scouting Bureau ranks and enters the 2018 Draft as the second-ranked prospect.
Of course, citizenship isn’t the only thing that has Chapman so highly rated. We’re talking about one heck of a prospect here, too. Thanks to his combine performance in Winnipeg, Chapman went from 10th to second in the final rankings and is the highest ranked player in a skill position. No wonder CFL teams were so stoked when he became eligible for the Draft.
“I found out during the middle of the season that teams were interested in me,” Chapman told The Times Herald in Port Huron. “I got all of my paperwork done and the interest just poured in. I started seeing rankings toward the end of the season that was saying I could be drafted.”
Chapman will definitely be drafted, there’s no doubt about that. But, as it turns out, his situation might end up being similar to other Bureau top ranked prospects. Chapman worked out at Central Michigan’s pro day recently where 3 Down Nation reports all 32 NFL teams attended, as did the Riders, Alouettes, and Tiger-Cats.
With 54 catches and 805 receiving yards, Chapman led all Central Michigan receivers in 2017 and finished with five touchdowns. He may or may not get NFL interest over the next week or so, and that might affect his CFL Draft position. But knowing there are more than 300 receivers eligible for the NFL Draft, there’s a good chance Chapman is a top pick come May 3.
