Heading into week four of the Canadian Intercollegiate Sports (CIS) football season, LWOS takes a first look at some of the best Canadian university prospects heading into the 2015 CFL Draft.
The CFL released its initial Scouting Bureau Rankings two weeks ago, a list that includes NCAA eligible players. Teams may draft Canadians playing in the NCAA after their senior season, while CIS players may be drafted “three years after completing CIS eligibility”, so essentially in their fourth year of university too.
Here is an assessment for the top five CIS draft-ready players. We will be covering them every week or so for the CIS season, and periodically until the draft.
1) Danny Groulx, Offensive Lineman, Université Laval
Standing at 6’6″ and weighing in at 335 lbs, Groulx is one of the most athletic lineman in the CIS and fits the description of a perfect tackle. He is versatile on the offensive line and can block at the tackle position. With left tackle being one of the more important positions in football, protecting the quarterback’s blind side, Groulx would be a great security tackle for any quarterback in the league right now. The CFL might need some good guards considering how all starting QBs from the start of the season have missed games due to injury at some point except Ricky Ray and Drew Willy. Groulx has only allowed two sacks in three games for Laval this season, and his pivot, Hugo Richard, couldn’t be any happier. Any of the top three players could be the first pick, but Groulx seems like he’s the best football player at this point.
2) Nic Demski, Wide Receiver, University of Manitoba
Demski was the top-ranked CIS player in the CFL’s rankings, but he might not have Groulx’s chances of gettinga starting role once he’s drafted. However, Demski is comparable to a player like Andre Durie; he’s one of the best in the CIS for yards after the catch. He has had only seven catches in three games for the Bisons this season, but went has collected 136 yards and a TD. The CIS doesn’t record YAC but he can get yards on the ground, too, as he played running back for Oak Park High School in Winnipeg. He is third on the team in rushing behind running back Kienan Lafrance and quarterback Jordan Yantz, with 40 yards rushing on five attempts. He even caught seven passes for 159 yards in May’s East-West Bowl, the showcase of the CIS’s top players. Demski, should he start next year will be a rare non-international receiver but he may be one of the most exciting in the game.
3) Daryl Waud, Defensive Lineman, Western University
At 6’4″, 291 lbs, Waud is one of the strongest players in the draft. At the East-West Bowl, Waud overpowered some of the best guards in the country, and he had 3.5 tackles, very good for a junior at the time. He’s had a weak start to the season for Western, only producing three solo tackles and two assisted, but he sacked the opposing QB 3 times for a total of 29 lost yards. Two of his tackles have been for a loss on the running back, pushing the runner back a total of 17 yards. The main job of a defensive lineman is to push the line of scrimmage backwards and he is fulfilling his role, pushing the ball back for a total of 46 yards. Forty-six! That’s almost half the field and is worth four first downs. If he can be that productive in the CFL, not many opposing teams will want to run against him.
4) Sukh Chungh, Offensive Lineman, University of Calgary
Another top offensive lineman heading into the draft, Chungh is far different than top-ranked Groulx. He’s small for his position at 6’2″ and 288 pounds, but Chungh plays bigger than his frame in terms of his physicality. Scouts have said he needs to improve his athleticism – he’s immovable on the line but he doesn’t move much himself. He easily knocks down charging defensive players if they come straight at him, but if the defensive player steps to the side, he will get past Chungh. However, Chungh plays guard, not tackle, and that’s why he is ranked so high up the list. Guards usually have the bigger, strong bodies and aren’t as versatile as tackles, so Chungh can make it as a guard in the CFL. He might need a year or so as a back-up to maybe put on some extra pounds, but other than that, any CFL team would love to have him on their roster.
5) Addison Richards, Wide Receiver, University of Regina
The second receiver that could be a high draft pick at the draft is this Regina product. At a tall 6’5″, Richards is easily comparable to fellow Canadian Jason Clermont or non-import Montreal player Duron Carter. He’s hard to cover with his size and his speed. Running a 4.65-second 40-yard dash, Richards is one of the fastest in his position. Studying biochemistry at the university, Richards needs to do a bit of homework on his route running as it is considered a weakness of his game. Nonetheless, after putting 614 yards (24 behind Demski) on 46 grabs last season and landing a single TD, Richards already has caught 22 passes for 447 yards and 4 majors in his three games this season. He has been slowly climbing the draft ladder since he grabbed some attention in the East-West Bowl. A simple but powerful receiver, he could get picked in the first two rounds of the draft.
Check back next week for the prospects ranked six through ten. Agree or disagree? Leave your opinion in the comments below.
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