Today is the day. The CFL Draft is finally here, and all of your draft questions are about to be answered. After drafting an offensive lineman in the first round for 5 straight years it is one of many big questions many have if the Ottawa Redblacks keep that streak going tonight.
From everything said by Marcel Desjardins and the rest of the Ottawa Redblacks front office this off-season, I don’t see that streak going on. If it doesn’t, who do we draft? Right now it looks like the best players available by the time Ottawa is on the board are offensive lineman, both Ketel Asse from Laval and Buffalo’s Tomas Jack-Kurdyla but there will definitely be a good group to choose from at number 6. With the Redblacks’ biggest needs from last year being at defensive line and defensive back, it wouldn’t be too bad if they went for North Dakota’s Mason Bennett or Noah Hallett from McMaster and even if they want to get stronger on the offense there is a strong chance Dejon Brissett falls to 6 where he’d play a big role in the receivers room in Ottawa.
Who ever the Redblacks pick in the first round will be a big part to the team’s future like previous first rounders Alex Mateas and Antoine Pruneau but taking a look at the talent that the Redblacks could get later in the draft is crazy. With the chance of Adam Auclair, Jordan Williams and Isaac Adeyemi-Burgland dropping to the later rounds, the Redblacks can easily steal the draft with a couple of big picks.
Drafting first in the second round, the Redblacks have two top 10 selections and then a 19th overall territorial selection they could have hands on some real talent that could help them out like QBs Adam Sinagra and Nathan Rourke, receivers Brendan O’Leary-Orange, Tyler Ternowski, or even Trivel Pinto, running backs Kaden Johnson and Dion Pellerin and then on defense they can pick some top players in Matt McConnell and Kurtis Gray.
All in all, the Ottawa Redblacks look to make a major impact for their future in tonight’s draft so stay tuned. Turn on your TV, watch the draft on TSN at 8:00 PM EDT and get ready for some big moves by Marcel Desjardins and the Ottawa Redblacks.
Through this coronavirus outbreak, there has been very little for sports fans to look forward to. On the top of the list is the weekly ESPN documentary about the 1997 Chicago Bulls The Last Dance and after that would’ve been last weeks NFL Draft. With no sports being played, all we can do is look forward to the future and having the NFL Draft now behind us we can look forward to the CFL Draft coming up.
Looking forward to this Thursday’s CFL Draft is what many Canadian sports fans are doing in their quarantine but what some people don’t necessarily know is that it will be different than what they might expect it to be. Months going into this week’s draft the CFL headlined both Neville Gallimore and Chase Claypool as the top dogs in the CFL Draft which of course they are, but the chances are that neither of them play a snap in the CFL in their careers. Being picked in rounds 2 and 3 of the NFL Draft last week, Gallimore and Claypool are without a doubt the best two players available to a CFL team in Thursday’s draft but there’s more great players. So take a look…
Outside of Ottawa native Neville Gallimore and Abbotsford’s Claypool there were another few players to the group of Canadians taking the road to the NFL. They weren’t all drafted but 6’7 wideout from Simon Fraser Rysen John is headed to the New York Giants, Michael Hoecht out of Brown signed with the Los Angeles Rams, Marc Dequoy is headed to the Packers while Alberta’s star offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell is going to Indianapolis. The group all wasn’t drafted but each have good chances at making NFL rosters and with that in mind, CFL teams might stay away from them in the first round in this Thursday’s CFL Draft.
Even though they all are bound to be impactful players with no matter CFL team drafts them, CFL teams might want to hold off from drafting them in the first round. That way, they can use their first pick to get someone that has first round talent, who like the others will make an impact on the roster and you know he will play for you in 2020.
Below you’ll see three articles, the very last one, “Lil’ Z’s scout sheet” will give you a real good look at the top players in this draft on Thursday. Stay tuned!
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With eyes on next week’s CFL draft, theres a chance the Ottawa Redblacks end up picking Neville Gallimore with their territorial selection or even a late round pick but before Gallimore hears his name called by the Ottawa Redblacks he will likely get drafted by an NFL team, maybe even the first round. Gallimore grew up in Ottawa before heading out to St. Catherines to attend Canada prep where he would set himself up for a division-one scholarship with the university of Oklahoma.
At Oklahoma, he helped the Sooners to three straight playoff appearances. Playing alongside two first overall picks in both Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, Gallimore led the defensive pack with 148 tackles, 9 sacks and 5 forced fumbles in his 46 career games.
The totals put up in college have him going early in the NFL draft which kicks off this Thursday. Many analysts have him going in the first second or third round, where do you have him?
In the 2020 CFL draft the Ottawa Redblacks have the opportunity to select an Ottawa native with their first ever territorial selection. The CFL agreed on installing these selections last year where it was tested by both the Toronto Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes. When asked about it last year commissioner Ambrosie mentioned, “At the same time, (CFL fans) told us they deeply value our Canadian players and they especially love seeing local kids become ‘hometown football heroes.’ We’re listening to those fans with this change.”
The Ottawa Redblacks have their own hometown heroes on the roster now with Alex Mateas, Ettore Lattanzio, Brendan Gillanders and Nolan MacMillan but this year they have the chance to add to the list with their territorial selection.
The selection is for a team to pick a player from their own territory, so as of now the mock drafts have the Redblacks picking up Neville Gallimore with the selection but since Gallimore will likely never play a snap in the CFL (potential first round pick in the NFL) they might want to get a different player with the selection.
From the CFL’s constitution it quotes the regions the Ottawa Redblacks can draft from with their territorial selection. It quotes, “Ottawa – That portion of the Province of Quebec situated within 120 kilometres of the Peace Tower; the Cities of Kingston, Belleville, Quinte West, Brockville, Pembroke and Ottawa; the Towns of Smith Falls, Gananoque and Prescott; the United Counties of Prescott and Russell; the Counties of Frontenac, Hastings, Lanark, Leeds and Grenville, Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry, Lennox and Addington, Northumberland, Prince Edward, and Renfrew, all in the Province of Ontario”
With that said, look forward to the 2020 CFL Draft next Thursday, April 30th as they kickoff the first round on TSN at 8:00.
This off-season, the Ottawa Redblacks have done a fantastic job of staying busy, signing players and bringing in a new coaching staff are two major things to bounce back from a 3-15 season, but the team isn’t done working. The offices may be closed due to the corona-virus, but the teams front office personnel continues to work as they get closer to the CFL draft.
Coming off the 2019 season, the Redblacks owned the first overall pick in the 2020 CFL Draft, but after acquiring quarterback Nick Arbuckle and Calgary’s first round pick (6th overall) for both the teams first overall and third round pick the Redblacks dropped to 6th overall. Many would say the CFL Draft isn’t the most important part of the CFL off-season as the majority of players come from free agency, but taking a look at the Redblacks history, the draft is still very important. Entering the league in 2014 the Ottawa Redblacks drafted both Antoine Pruneau and Nigel Romick who remain with the team, the following year they drafted Alex Mateas first overall while bringing in both Jake Harty and Kienan Lafrance who played big roles with the Redblacks for a couple of seasons and then through the past few seasons the team has also brought in Jason Lauzon-Seguin, Evan Johnson, Mark Korte and Alex Fontana.
With those names being called and most recently the Ottawa Redblacks have gone for an offensive lineman in the first round for 5 consecutive years, there’s many questions to ask. Will they go for another lineman? Will they go out and get a weapon for Arbuckle? Will they go defense? Well, lets take a look at their options.
Receivers
Taking in consideration that the Redblacks have lost receivers Dominique Rhymes, Caleb Holley, and Nate Behar this off-season, it wouldn’t be too bad to get a receiver in this years draft, but after bringing in Jalen Saunders I can’t see them drafting a receiver early. This year’s draft has a couple of Canadian play-makers but since the Redblacks have been able to bring in both James Tyrrell and Malcolm Williams this off-season the team, should they get a receiver the later rounds would be the best option. Looking at the receivers in this years draft, all eyes are on Rysen John and Dejon Brissett. The two Canadian-born receivers are looked at to be first or second round talent in this years draft as they have each put together solid careers in the NCAA. Taking a receiver in the first two rounds might sound like a good idea considering the situation we are in at receiver, but like the NFL this year’s CFL draft is deep in the receiver position. Like the two top receivers, Brendan O’Leary-Orange is also available for the Redblacks.
O’Leary-Orange is another Canadian, born in Toronto and then went on to play at the University of Nevada where he went on to catch 61 passes for 941 yards and 8 touchdowns in 18 starts. The numbers coming from him aren’t record breaking but given the experience at that level, at 6’4 he has a shot at replacing Dominique Rhymes out wide and him being a Canadian would be a huge ratio breaker.
Although the NCAA talent looks good and typically translates well into the CFL, there is still a few of great receivers coming out of the CIS/U Sports. At the top of the list coming from the U-Sport department is Tyler Ternowski. The 6-foot tall receiver from Waterloo is expected to go high in the CFL Draft after being named 16th best prospect on the CFL’s top 20. Reasoning behind being put into that conversation is the totals he put up at Waterloo. Making a name for himself to be one of the best receivers in OUA, he caught 164 passes going for nearly 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns. His career highs went in 2018 when catching 63 passes for 1,159 yards and 14 touchdowns. If Ottawa looks to take a receiver in this year’s CFL Draft, Ternowski may be one of the best options.
Along with Ternowski, in this years draft the Ottawa Redblacks will be able to have eyes on Trivel Pinto, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Colton Klassen. Out of the three listed, Trivel Pinto sticks out the most. He was originally going to be drafted last year but due to a drug possession issue he was listed ineligible, although he is back on the draft boards for the 2020 CFL draft. Just last week he participated in his own virtual pro day to get his name back on CFL team’s boards, and running a 4.47 40 yard dash, he may have done it. He is fast off the field, but he is also able to make plays with that speed. At the University of British Columbia he was able to put together a solid 4 year career having over 3,000 receiving yards in the 4 years sticking out in his senior year where he caught 75 passes for 1,040 yards and 7 touchdowns. The Toronto native will be drafted by a CFL team on April 30th, will it be Ottawa? Ottawa might draft Pinto, but they also could get Kian Schaffer-Baker from Guelph. The 6’4 receiver is coming out of a 28 game career with Guelph where he caught 95 passes for 1,544 yards and 8 touchdowns. The numbers put up aren’t too fancy, but standing at 6’4, like O’Leary-Orange he has a shot at replacing Dominique Rhymes out wide. Schaffer-Baker is tall at 6’4, but when looking at Colton Klassen, its a different story. Making his ways out of Saskatchewan, Klassen is looking to get drafted. He’s not the flashiest player on the field but he does what the coaches as from him. The 5-foot-8 200 pound offensive weapon has done everything he can to help his team win games in the past. With nearly 1,000 career rushing yards and 1,950 receiving yards with a total 23 touchdowns he has proven to be a jack of all trades and hopes to do it at the next level and considering coach LaPolice was able to do something similar with Nic Demski over the past two seasons in Winnipeg he could like to have Klassen on the team with Anthony Coombs.
Canadian QBs
Sure the receiver position is important and the Redblacks could use some help there, but they need someone to throw to them. The team has Nick Arbuckle locked up as the starter, but after that the only other notable quarterback is Dominique Davis. Davis, taking a pay cut earlier this off-season looks to be coming back as a backup although Ottawa could always go younger by drafting a quarterback and this year would be the year to do so. The Canadian quarterbacks available in this years draft could be the best the team will see in a while.
Taking the lead of the pack is Nathan Rourke. He has the chance of getting drafted by an NFL team this week, but if he isn’t selected to the NFL the Oakville, Ontario native has a shot at being a future starting quarterback in the CFL. Being a starting quarterback is something Rourke can do, and being brought in to Ottawa he could do so. The team does have Arbuckle who they just brought in this off-season and sitting at 26 years old Arbuckle has a lot left in him but if Rourke is brought in, it can only affect the team in a positive way for the future. Rourke has made a name for himself for NFL and CFL teams as a dual-threat quarterback at the University of Ohio, throwing for over 7,000 yards and rushing for 2,000+ yards in 3 years as a starting quarterback.
To pair with Rourke, this year’s CFL draft will also see Adam Sinagra from the University of Calgary. Playing in a career total 31 games, Sinagra was able to throw for over 8,000 yards and 60 touchdowns while even running for 487 yards and 2 touchdowns. The Canadian star first made a name for himself in the 2018 U-Sports season when he threw for 3,233 yards in just 8 games. In those games he was able to throw 23 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions. Seen in the two athletes named, the Redblacks have a shot at getting a good young Canadian quarterback to add to the team.
One running back?
The Ottawa Redblacks offense is pretty set going into the 2020 CFL season, and their running back situation has no problems to it. Ottawa’s probable starter is John Crockett who in 6 starts was able to get over 500 yards on the offensive side of the ball and behind him the team also has both Brendan Gillanders and Timothy Flanders. Although the Canadian Gillanders is listed as a running back, he is mostly used on special teams so if the team can workout the ratio the Redblacks would be able to dress two American running backs for games this season. Yes, they can do that, but what if they had a super star Canadian running back? Well then they’d start him, wouldn’t they?
He may not be like him right off the bat, but right now Kayden Johnson a Canadian running back out of York is looked at to be the next Andrew Harris. His stats in college aren’t too crazy, but playing in 16 games he was able to gain 985 yards and 3 touchdowns on the offensive side of the ball. Johnson, a dual sport athlete was also named the 2018 York male athlete of the year after winning the U-Sports gold medal for the 60 meter hurdles in just 7.97 seconds. Johnson, the Saskatchewan native will be drafted in this years CFL draft, and if he is still on the board later on, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get picked up by the Ottawa Redblacks. The Redblacks have Crockett on the team right now, but with LaPolice’s experience in Winnipeg with Andrew Harris, the Redblacks could see Johnson go at the top of the team’s depth chart in future years and become a star runner for the CFL.
To go with Johnson, the CFL also will see Dion Pellerin available in the draft. Pellerin, like Johnson has a chance to be a starting running back in the future of the CFL but he might have a better chance at it thanks to his successful college career. Playing at Waterloo Pellerin was able to play 33 games in all 4 seasons, making the best of his senior season. In his senior year he rushed for 1,090 yards and 12 touchdowns which was only a small part of his 2,509 career rushing yards. He was a heavy runner with Waterloo but that didn’t stop him from getting involved in the pass game. He’s not quite a Le’Veon Bell in the pass game but he was still able to catch for over 400 yards in his career while scoring a touchdown catch as well.
No offensive linemen!!!
Sure, I understand the importance of the offensive line in the CFL but seriously, do we need another one? In 5 straight years, the Ottawa Redblacks have drafted an offensive lineman in the first round and given that we still have Alex Mateas, Nolan MacMillan, Jason Lauzon-Seugin and Evan Johnson on the team I have no worries that we need to draft another Canadian.
Defensive front
Going into the 2020 CFL season, the Ottawa Redblacks might have the strongest front seven they’ve ever had. Signing both Cleyon Laing and Don Unamba through free agency Ottawa’s front seven will have Michael Wakefield, Avery Ellis, Cleyon Laing, Avery Williams, Don Unamba, Jerod Fernandez and Kevin Brown who all have put together good careers and are in for big years in the future. With that said, Ottawa could only make their team better by drafting players to that front and this year’s draft like others before is filled with talent.
Breaking all news right now is Neville Gallimore who is an Ottawa native from the University of Oklahoma in the NCAA but given his chances of going in the first round of the NFL draft this Thursday the Redblacks should stay away from drafting him as he will most likely never play a snap in the CFL. The Oklahoma star would make an instant impact on Ottawa’s defense alongside Cleyon Laing but in reality the Redblacks should have Mason Bennett’s name circled on draft day. The Canadian defensive end, like Gallimore would make an instant impact on the Redblacks defensive line if he is put into the starting line up. Standing at 6’4-258 pounds Bennett has been able to get past offensive linemen with ease racking up 20 sacks in his career with the NCAA’s University of North Dakota getting a career high 9 in the 2019 season. Him lining up could be scary, to only sack quarterbacks in the backfield but even make plays in the pass game too. Running fast with a best 4.77 40 yard dash Bennett was able to make over 125 tackles, knock down 3 passes and even recover 3 fumbles in his NCAA career. Like I said, if Bennett is brought into Ottawa’s defense Mike Benevides would make sure to give him a big role with the team.
Also on the defensive line and available in this years draft is both Michael Hoecht and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund who just like Mason Bennett are Canadian born athletes coming out of the NCAA. Hoecht went through a 4 year career at Brown University, staring in his junior year where he added 69 tackles and 3.5 sacks to his grand total of 174 tackles, 16.5 sacks and he even helped the team win the turnover game with 6 fumbles and 1 pass break. Michael Hoecht put together a good career in the Ivy League, but what if there was another player with similar talent. Well there is; defensive lineman from Southeastern Louisiana University Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund was able to make more than half of the sacks Hoecht made but in just two seasons. The 3-time honor roll student made good on the field making 8.5 sacks in his 20 games which only was a little part of his 74 tackles and 9 takeaways. Both NCAA stars could be good Canadian linemen if given the chance, but theres also a couple of names to look out for in the U-Sport division.
Coming out of Canadian Universities are Sam Acheampong, Cam Lawson, and Andrew Seinet-Spaulding and from the list Seinet-Spaulding has to stick out the most. Coming from McGill he was able to run a one man show on the defensive line most recently getting a seven-sack season which only gave positives to his career total of 15 sacks and 90 tackles. The three linemen named can each put together good careers in the CFL but if given a chance the 4 year veteran from McGill is ready to make plays.
Defensive backfield
Along with the big defensive linemen in this year’s CFL draft Ottawa will also be able to get hands on a group of good defensive backs. Leading the pack is Montreal University super star Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Dequoy might be given a chance with an NFL team on a free agent contract following the draft this week but its likely he goes straight to the CFL.
With that said, to get NFL looks he must be a hell of a player and he sure is. Despite playing just one season while at the University, Dequoy put on a show making 37 tackles and forcing 3 interceptions but it wasn’t his stats that showed off. He did enough in that one season to score himself a spot in the East-West Shrine Bowl in Florida where he was able to play on the NFL Network. The game played in front of NFL scouts gave more film to study on him but what helps him the most is his “freaky speed” as NFL Network’s Daniel Jerimiah says with a 4.35- 40 yard dash the only NFL prospect at defensive back to run faster is Utah’s Javelin Guidry. With that stat behind him and the success that the 25 years old had at Montreal University I would respectively put him up against Antoine Pruneau for a pro-comparison. This comparison may help because both of them are french and from Montreal University but the two have speed. Coming out of college Pruneau ran a 4.49 at the combine and to beat that Dequoy ran a 4.35.
Behind Dequoy, there are a couple more stars coming out of Canadian schools. Starting with Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Tight End Anthony Auclair’s brother Adam Auclair from Laval there are a lot of eyes on him as he goes through steps to the next level. Even-though some NFL teams could be partially interested in the linebacker/defensive back his future lies in the CFL as it looks like. Right now he is coming off of a career high season where he had over 40 tackles while even making an impact with 3 interceptions and one sack. Auclair could end up being a big player for a CFL team but so can Noah Hallett. For the Redblacks with Hallett, he does have ties with the new defensive backs coach Greg Knox from the time he spent with him at McMaster. At McMaster Hallett did more than talk to coaches and thats a reason why he should be looked at by the Ottawa Redblacks. In 3 seasons he was able to make over 100 tackles, getting to the quarterback for 3 sacks, knocking down 16 passes while helping win the turnover battle with 8 interceptions and 2 fumble recoveries. All three defensive backs are good going into their CFL futures but Hallett looks like the guy for Ottawa to make a difference on the defense as a Canadian.
As we reach the one week mark until the draft all eyes are on the number one overall pick and who the Stampeders will select but looking deeper into the draft the Ottawa Redblacks could be helped out in a big way on both sides of the ball. Stay tuned for more!!
Going through this years off-season it was questioned many times if the Redblacks would attack their receiving core. Coming off a 3-15 season in 2019 where they only had one receiver go over 1,000 yards many would’ve thought they needed to bring in a big name receiver. With Derel Walker still available 2 months after free agency opened it makes Redblacks fans wonder why they wouldn’t try to bring him in for cheap but at the end of the day they did not. The Redblacks ended up signing Jalen Saunders who was made a free agent after the XFL suspended their operations.
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If you were to look onto an article posted earlier last week about the XFL players going into free agency, Saunders was one of the group of players I thought the Redblacks would have eyes on. Nearly predicting the deal, I’m excited to have him on our receiving core alongside RJ Harris and veteran Brad Sinopoli.
For many, Saunders is a new name but after spending a few seasons bouncing off NFL teams he ended up putting up big numbers for the Tiger-Cats in the CFL. In 2017 he had over 1,000 yards and in 2018 he had over 700 yards which added to his 1,909 yards and 6 touchdowns in the CFL.
If he is given a similar role in the Redblacks offense he can end up being a very good receiver in Ottawa.
Of course with the corona-virus and the world-wide pandemic going on right now, we are unsure when the CFL season will kickoff but looking into the Ottawa Redblacks’ future, many are worried about the receiver position. Coming off of a 3-15 season a year ago, a major worry for many Redblacks fans is at the receiver position and believe the team should bring in a big name receiver like Derel Walker. Considering we’ve lost both Dominique Rhymes and Caleb Holley to the B.C Lions it would be huge if Ottawa were to sign a big name target but throughout this years off-season, the team has made several hints that they are happy with who they have on the team.
In February after the free agency period, Marcel Desardins spoke about the receiver position on TSN 1200, “We have some other young receivers who were here last year, a couple of them played a little bit and some others didn’t. But we have good options and we’re confident we’re going to have a good offensive system and a team that can move the ball, obviously being led by the guy pulling the trigger in Nick Arbuckle.”
Moving the ball was something the team struggled with, as Desjardins said, they are confident with what they have but who do they have?
Well to start, the Ottawa Redblacks have Brad Sinopoli. Sinopoli as everyone knows is one of the best Canadian receivers in the game. Playing over 130 games in his career catching for over 5,500 yards he is a solid veteran for the Ottawa Redblacks offense going into the team’s future. Back in November Sinopoli was signed to a two-year extension and like fellow teammate RJ Harris will be back in Ottawa as veterans. Harris has spent the past two seasons in Ottawa, playing 30 games, catching passes for over 1,400 yards itching the 700 yard mark each season, most recently he got over it with 774 yards and 2 touchdowns in just 14 of the team’s 18 games. Seeing what he’s been able to do in the past two seasons, its clear that the Redblacks have a good player with Harris and he aims to have his breakthrough year in 2020 so he can get off of the one year deals and be a franchise guy in Ottawa.
Anthony Coombs, Photo: Johany Jutras
Similar to Harris, newly acquired receiver/running back Anthony Coombs has a good amount of CFL experience. The 6-year veteran has played for the Argonauts and Tiger-Cats, playing a ratio breaker role at the flex/slot position. Most recently, the Canadian featured as a running back with the Ti-Cats, but through his career he’s been able to get over 2,000 all-purpose yards mostly at receiver with 1,695 yards. With 1,695 yards already on his name in the CFL, he’s set to add more with him being brought in as a receiver and not a running back. Coombs is a very versatile player and could play a major role at the slot-back position for the Redblacks so given that he and Sinopoli will showcase as a top Canadian duo on Ottawa’s offense.
Paul LaPolice has been able to do some great things with both Nic Demski and Lucky Whitehead with the Blue Bombers and coming into Ottawa he has a similar opportunity with Coombs and Dedmon. Like Coombs, Dedmon is very versatile. Returning to Ottawa for year two, he looks to play a full season hopefully playing a big role on the offensive side of the ball, but if not he knows how to score on special teams as well. Dedmon last year played in 5 games, mostly playing special teams returning a total 38 kicks and punts for 881 yards and two touchdowns.
Yes Bob Dyce loves him on the offensive side of the ball, but with the Redblacks not signing a big name receiver it looks like Dedmon could see a lot of playing time on the offense too. Last year he had just 58 yards receiving but in total he was able to average 22.5 yards per touch. If he keeps it up, gaining over 20 yards each time he gets hands on the ball can be huge, like Diontae Spencer huge!
Jerminic Smith, Photo: Jordan Zlomislic
Obviously from the looks of it, DeVonte Dedmon has been affected by the Redblacks not bringing in a player like Derel Walker, but so has a lot of other players. Coming into the next season, the Redblacks will have back on their team both Wesley Lewis and Jerminic Smith. The two receivers spent last season with the team, mostly on the practice roster but when on the field as a couple they caught a total 10 passes for 100 plus yards. Smith is looked at highly from player personnel and got into 3 games playing a couple of roles with the team while Lewis played quite a bit of special teams in 6 games but given his 6’6 height at the receiver position he could play a major role out wide.
Out wide, there is still a big hole to fill with the team losing Dominique Rhymes in free agency, but out of the free agents signed in free agency, the team has a good group of candidates to fill the hole. Justin Hobbs a 6-foot-4 230-pound receiver from Tulsa could be looked at to fill the hole, but then there’s also Malcolm Williams. Williams, unlike the other free agent receivers brought in by the team has some significant CFL experience. Winning two Grey Cups in just 3 seasons, Williams is a 6 foot 3 receiver with close to 300 receiving yards in the CFL and what sticks out the most about him is the time he spent with the Blue Bombers last year a part of Paul LaPolice’s offense.
Malcolm Williams, Photo: Johany Jutras
LaPolice’s offense in Ottawa has a hole with Rhymes gone and standing tall at 6’4 you’d like to have a similar body type to take over his role, but LaPo could use anyone in the offense, so given that the team does have Jovon Durante, he is a speed wide out with strong NCAA experience with both West Virginia and FAU and then theres strong receivers with good football I.Qs like Joe Walker, Ervin Philips and even another big name going to Ottawa is Cortrelle Simpson. Simpson was able to perform at a training camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers which was after his college career with both Temple and Richmond. In college he’s been able to get under the 4.40 mark in a 40 yard dash while even catching for over 1,000 yards in a single season.
Jovon Durante
Joe Walker
Ervin Philips
Justin Hobbs
All in all, given the names coming back to Ottawa from the 2019 roster and the ones coming for a new opportunity, I’d say the team should be okay with who they have. In 2019, the Redblacks went 3-15 and started three different quarterbacks and the quarterback position was a major reason for the success we didn’t have therefore with Nick Arbuckle coming to Ottawa in Paul LaPolice’s offensive system with the receiving core we have, everything will be a-okay in Ottawa.
The last few weeks have been very tough for people world-wide. Corona-virus has postponed the start of the CFL season, meaning the players will not be able to star on the field but that hasn’t stopped them from being stars off the field.
Throughout the past days, JP Bolduc’s girlfriend has transitioned her Montreal based women’s clothing brand into a helpful company during these tough times. In the past couple of weeks, people all over the world have had their troubles finding masks and gloves to help prevent them getting the virus but with help from Melissa Desmarais (Bolduc’s girlfriend) who has added face masks to her store collections.
As he takes over the Ottawa Redblacks Instagram story on Friday, JP gives a little shout-out to the idea while he helps her make the masks from home.
Go checkout the link attached to the image below where you’ll be able to buy your face masks to help prevent the virus from spreading to you.
Like the others, this Ottawa Redblacks off-season has been full of transactions. A lot of new faces on the coaching staff, a couple of extended contracts, but most importantly a great group of free agent signings. Of course the team highlights the big names like Nick Arbuckle and/or Cleyon Laing although, as you look deep on the list you can find some hidden gems.
On the list of hidden gems on the Ottawa Redblacks roster is wide receiver, Joe Walker. With only 4 true receivers on the Ottawa Redblacks roster with CFL experience, there’s a couple spots to fill on the Redblacks roster, and given the film and profile put together on Walker he could very well be a big part to the team.
Obviously Walker will have to prove himself to the coaches at camp and really get a feel for the Redblacks offense but his past tells you a lot of great things. Joe Walker, born and raised in Philadelphia Pennsylvania is a dual threat on the offensive side of the ball. Playing both quarterback and receiver with the University of Delaware, the now 24 year old has a shot at the professional level in Canada.
Though it is his first time in Canada, it’s not his first pro opportunity, “My time at Delaware, I was a very respected person around campus and was a proven athlete which helped me go to the next level also.” Walker says, “I went to the Buffalo Bills for a short mini camp tryout where I really was put into some defensive back drills and then I went to Chicago for a pre-season. They wanted to see more of what I could do at receiver.” When talking about his NFL opportunities he mentions, “At my pro day at Delaware, I was put into all kinds of drills so the NFL scouts can get a look at me. Getting talking with the scouts at the pro day, I had a feeling they were interested and then to get those chances to play were really cool.” He also said, “It really hit me that I was at the NFL the first day I was in Chicago. We had like a “mock game” where all the fans showed up, packed the stands and it was mostly when we ran out as a team onto the field. The fans were allcheering and it was so surreal to have that opportunity to be in the NFL.”
Of course his NFL time sticks out the most, catching 5 passes for 30+ yards in the Chicago Bears 2019 pre-season, but the variety of things he can do on the field is huge. In his college days, he spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at quarterback, playing a mobile/dual threat quarterback role, passing for 2,256 yards and 8 touchdowns while rushing for 1,207 yards and 6 touchdowns and to finish off his career at Delaware Walker was put into the passing game more. Using his 6’3 height he was able to catch over 40 passes for 837 yards and 4 touchdowns. Looking at the numbers he put up, there’s no question to why he was so respected around the Delaware campus but as he moves on to the professional stage he looks to make use of his college talents.
When asked about what he can do with the Redblacks he goes to say, “When you take off your helmet, at the end of the day football is a business and that’s what I’ve really learnt through my time in the different teams, but with that said I really hope to prove myself in Ottawa. I’m very grateful for them giving me the opportunity and if they like what I show them on the field I hope to bring some big plays, contributing anyway that I really can and hope to bring a championship to the city of Ottawa.”
Making big plays is something Walker can do, he comments, “When I’m there in camp, I’m super excited to get on the field and compete with the guys. They can expect a high intensity player, I’m not exactly sure what I will be doing with them, but I have a good feeling they’d like to see me at more than just the receiver position.”
Playing more than receiver is what he has done in the past, “When I get to Ottawa, I’m sure they’d like to see what I can do in some trick plays/wildcat plays. I’ve done kick-returns in the past but all being said I just hope to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
To leave his mark Joe Walker goes to say, “I love the game of football, I’m always thinking about it. I’m the kind of guy that when walking in the house I make a football move to turn and I just am always thinking about it. I’m a hard worker, I’m always working on my craft so when I’m in Ottawa they can see the best version of me. I’m a competitor ready to set high goals for myself.”
This off-season, the Ottawa Redblacks have done a lot of different things to improve their team. From rebuilding their coaching staff to finding the new franchise quarterback, bouncing back from their 3-15 2019 season has been made easier. It may be easier than it would be with their 2019 roster, but the team still has a few notable weaknesses.
Starting with the biggest one that most Redblacks fans have worries about, is the receiver position. Yes, when asked about the situation Marcel Desjardins seemed happy with what he had at the position and it could very well be that the team is fine with the players they have although just one small addition could make a big difference. With long-time CFL star Derel Walker still on the market, many see him coming to Ottawa but how about the XFL players?
Just this past Friday headlines showed that the XFL will not return for a 2021 season which gives people thoughts that the players are without contracts and they can now sign anywhere as free agents.
With that said, here is a small list of receivers from the XFL and a few have ties to the CFL:
KD Cannon:
Cannon, a 24 year old wide receiver spent his XFL stint a part of the Seattle Dragons roster. He didn’t get to make any big plays to make a name for himself in the XFL although that was just a small part to his football career. Leading up to the time in the XFL, KD Cannon played college football with the Baylor Bears. At Baylor he played 38 games racking up over 3,110 yards for a total 27 touchdown catches. He was later invited to the NFL combine where he ran a 4.41 40 yard dash which earned him a spot at mini camp in San Fransisco. He was later cut by the 49ers but later got chances with the Jets, Rams and Cowboys before heading to Canada.
KD Cannon-Saskatchewan Roughriders- 20June2019: Photo Scott Grant
In Canada, he was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders where he spent 2018 and 2019. A part of the Roughriders, Cannon played 6 games, catching 16 passes for a total 220 yards. Unfortunately he was released by Saskatchewan mid-way through the 2019 season. He wasn’t signed else where and went on to the XFL. At just 24 years old and the experience he has in the CFL could make him a big target for the Ottawa Redblacks if given the chance.
L’Damian Washington:
Sitting at 28 years old, L’Damian Washington is a free agent once again.
Bouncing from league to league, Washington started his football career at Missouri where he made a name for himself, later going to the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2014 but ended up getting a good look at the NFL with the 49ers, Giants, Browns, Dolphins, Steelers and Chiefs before ending up in the CFL with the Edmonton Eskimos. With Edmonton he was on their 2017 practice roster for the majority of the season while playing one game with the team he was given looks by other CFL teams.
Among the teams looking at Washington was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers where he actually got to play in 7 games in the 2018 season. Playing 7 games in now Ottawa Redblacks coach LaPolice’s offensive system, Washington and his 6’4 height got himself 16 catches for 170 yards and one touchdown.
After his contract was up with the Blue Bombers, he was off to another league going to the AAF where he led his Birmingham Iron with 15 catches 250 yards and 2 touchdowns before the league folded.
Just like the AAF, he also spent time with the XFL before it folded, catching 21 passes for 252 yards and a touchdown with the St. Louis Battlehawks. Similar to Cannon, his CFL experience and experience in other leagues could help him get a spot back in the CFL with the Redblacks but what really sticks out is the 7 games he spent in Winnipeg with LaPolice so definitely look out to see where he lands.
Jalen Saunders:
Just like the two Cannon and Washington, Jalen Saunders has significant CFL time behind him, spending both 2017 and 2018 with he Hamilton Tiger Cats he was able to play in 25 games. In the 25 games spent in a Ti-Cat jersey he caught a total 140 passes for 1,909 yards and 6 touchdowns getting a high 1,170 yards in 16 games in the 2017 season.
His time in the CFL only happened after visiting with the NFL. Being drafted in the 4th round out of Oklahoma he spent his first year with the New York Jets before getting time with the Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots and the Chicago Bears.
In total his NFL career brought him 9 games where he caught just one pass for 7 yards while returning 3 kickoffs and 15 punts for a grand total of 264 return yards.
With all his NFL and CFL experience he was most recently with the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks, although he didn’t see any playing time as he was found on the team’s injured list.
Saunders is 27 years old, and with the NFL and CFL experience he has behind him he could be a big threat on the Ottawa Redblacks offense if he is signed.
Antonio Callaway:
Callaway, most known for the time he spent with the Cleveland Browns is a free agent.
After being released by the Browns mid-way through the NFL’s 2019 season he stayed a free agent all the way to the XFL opening up where he went to the Tampa Bay Vipers just to stay on the team’s injured reserve.
Antonio Callaway (photo: Tampa Bay Vipers)
Even-though he doesn’t have that much of recent stats to show, Callaway is still very young just turning 23 this January and in Cleveland he showed off catching 51 passes for 675 yards and 5 touchdowns after going in the 4th round of the NFL draft out of Florida. At Florida University, in his Gators uniform he played 26 games, catching 89 passes for over 1,400 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Seen taking a pay cut going from NFL to XFL, its very likely he can do it again to prove what he can do in the CFL. With him not on anybody’s negotiation lists him coming to Ottawa could improve the Ottawa Redblacks offense instantly with his 4.4 speed.
Along with the receivers position, the ones covering the receivers at defensive back could use some help. Although the team did sign a group of former NFL backs, the team could use some help after losing both Chris Randle and possibly Jonathan Rose.
Here are a couple of defensive backs from the XFL:
Dexter McCoil:
Just like a few of the receivers listed, McCoil had a good amount of time spent in the CFL. After spending his college career with Tulsa, McCoil found himself a part of the Arena football’s LA Kiss where he spent a small amount of time just before heading to the CFL. After the AFL, he was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos where he made a big name for himself as the CFL’s defensive rookie of the year in 2014 and making the CFL’s all star list in 2014 he was in for a great career for the CFL and he was. Coming back to Edmonton for year two, he showed off being named a CFL all star once again he became a Grey Cup champion and explored NFL opportunities. McCoil was with the LA Chargers after putting up 151 tackles, 6 sacks and 9 interceptions with the Eskimos in two years.
With the Chargers he was able to put together a solid 2 and a half seasons racking up over 30 tackles, playing a force in the defensive backfield with 5 pass deflects and an interceptions. Unfortunately after half of his 3rd season had gone by, McCoil was cut and brought into the 49ers practice roster where he spent just a few weeks before playing a few games with the 2019 Calgary Stampeders.
With the Stamps he was only there for a few weeks as by the time he was brought in there was just a small time left in the season, so after becoming a free agent following the 2019 season he was off the spend time in St. Louis with the XFL’s Battlehawks.
The 28 year old defensive back/safety showed what he had left leading his XFL team with 33 tackles, 2 tackles for loss and one quarterback sack. At 28 years old, McCoil could still play a big role on a CFL defense and from the time he spent with Ottawa Redblacks defensive coordinator in Edmonton there could be a connection there. Keep tabs on Dexter McCoil.
Ahmad Dixon:
Like McCoil, Dixon has ties with Mike Benevides from time spent in Edmonton, but his CFL time was just a small piece to his football career. The Baylor standout was drafted by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys in round 7 of the 2014 draft and in Dallas he was able to spend his rookie year ahead of spending two stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Bears and Dolphins where he played a total of 5 NFL games where he made just 3 tackles. After spending time in the NFL, he was brought in twice by the Eskimos of the CFL where in his second stint he played in two games.
Yes he has NFL and CFL experience but his most recent stint in the XFL is what really gave a good look on him. At 28 years old Dixon was able to lead the XFL with 44 defensive tackles while making 3 tackles for loss and 1 pass deflection. Taking a look at what he has been able to accomplish, Dixon could be a good piece to the Ottawa Redblacks or any other CFL team’s defense in 2020.
Edmonton Eskimos defensive back Ahmad Dixon during team practice at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton on Thursday June 8, 2017. (PHOTO BY LARRY WONG/POSTMEDIA) Photos for Gerry Moddejonge stories running Friday, June 9.
JZ MEDIA 