Now that the major free agent signings have been finalized, the Last Word On Sports CFL department will be looking at the top three needs for each team heading into the 2016 CFL Draft. Today, the Montreal Alouettes are the focus. The Alouettes have eight total picks in the draft including the second overall pick.
Looking to improve from a 6-12 season, the Alouettes 2016 CFL Draft could be the perfect starting point for an improvement. The Alouettes made minimal moves during the off-season, but they were significant. The team lost veterans in defensive back Jerald Brown and offensive lineman Josh Bourke to rival Toronto, replaced by Jovon Johnson and Dominic Picard, respectively. After re-signing Nik Lewis, they re-acquired Kenny Stafford from Edmonton, and brought Duron Carter back from the NFL, leading to a very strong receiver core. General manager and coach Jim Popp will need to be focused on drafting lineman and improving their secondary next week. Here is a look at the Alouettes 2016 CFL Draft top three needs.
Montreal Alouettes 2016 CFL Draft: Top 3 Needs
Offensive Lineman
It seems to be a recurring theme for CFL teams heading into the draft, but an offensive lineman is seriously needed. Montreal has thirteen offensive linemen – including three internationals – on the roster right now, and after the plethora of injuries suffered last season, Popp will need to have depth at the position. He will not want to rely on players like Ryan White, James Bodanis and Quinn Lawlor in the starting line-up late in the season. Their weak line hurt the development of young quarterbacks Jon Crompton and Rakeem Cato, who both missed games with injuries last season.
With the second pick, the Alouettes will be in the prime spot to take a Laval University lineman in either Charles Vaillancourt, Jason Lauzon-Seguin or Philippe Gagnon. All three could earn playing time in 2016.
Defensive Back
The Alouettes have a thinning secondary, with a mix of injury-prone veterans and inexperienced players. Montreal had only 17 interceptions in 2015, third-least in the league, and opposing quarterbacks weren’t losing sleep the night before a game against the Alouettes.
With Mitchell White, Dominique Ellis, Billy Parker, Marc-Olivier Brouillette, Daryl Townsend and Johnson all locked into the starting line-up, if the Alouettes were to take a defensive back, he would be playing special teams, ready to play in case of injury. Taylor Loffler, Anthony Thompson and Elie Bouka are good choices in the second and third round.
Defensive Lineman
Sticking with defence, the Alouettes defence line is an ageing one, but hasn’t lost its touch. With 33-year-old John Bowman, 26-year-old Gabriel Knapton, and 28-year-olds Aaron Lavarias and Alan-Michael Cash swallowing up quarterbacks for a second-best 55 sacks last season, Popp does not need to be worried about the present. He does, however, need to start planning for his future sack masters.
Only three of his current 13 defensive linemen are Canadian, and a late-round gamble on a defensive lineman could pay off in the future. Mehdi Abdesmad, signed to as an undrafted free agent with the Tennessee Titans, and David Onyemata, drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fourth round in the NFL Draft, could both be possible considerations, if the Alouettes are willing to gamble on them in the early rounds. Should either fail to make an NFL team, they will become very valuable for a CFL club.
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