First "Top 20" rankings released today.......

https://www.sportsnet.ca/cfl/article/iowa-offensive-lineman-tops-cfls-first-scouting-bureaus-top-prospects-list/

TORONTO — Alaric Jackson, an offensive lineman at the University of Iowa, has the No. 1 spot in the first edition of the CFL scouting bureau’s top-20 prospects for the 2021 draft.

The six-foot-six, 315-pound Jackson is a native of Windsor, Ont. He’s entering his senior season at Iowa, which kicks off its ’20 campaign Oct. 24 at Purdue.

 

Jackson started 10 of Iowa’s 13 games last season at left tackle. He redshirted in 2016 but has started for the Hawkeyes since 2017.

The CFL released its top-20 list Thursday.

Calgary’s Amen Ogbongbemiga, a senior linebacker at Oklahoma State University, was the second-ranked prospect. The six-foot-one, 235-pound Ogbongbemiga has registered a team-high 22 tackles (12 solo) and 1.5 sacks in three games for the No.10 Cowboys (3-0).

Ogbongbemiga had 100 tackles last season and was named the Cowboys’ top defensive player.

Vancouver’s Terrell Jana, a receiver at Virginia (1-1), is at No. 3. The six-foot-one, 200-pound Jana has nine catches for 84 yards and a TD this season after registering 74 receptions for 886 yards and three touchdowns in 2019.

Josh Palmer of Brampton, Ont., a receiver at Tennessee, holds down the No. 4 spot. The six-foot-two, 210-pound senior has 10 receptions for 156 yards and two TDs for the Volunteers (2-0).

At No. 5 is Ottawa’s Liam Dobson, a six-foot-three, 340-pound senior offensive lineman at Maine. Dobson’s ranking comes despite the Bears not starting their season until the spring due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dobson enjoyed a stellar ’19 campaign, earning All-CAA first-team honours and being voted as Maine’s top offensive lineman. He was the school’s highest-graded offensive lineman for every game and averaged 12 knockdowns per contest.

 

Dobson contributed immediately upon arriving at Maine in 2017, appearing in six contests (one start) as a freshman. He became a full-time starter in 2018.

The remainder of the top-10 includes, in order, includes: New Mexico State offensive lineman Sage Doxtater (Welland, Ont.); North Carolina State defensive lineman Daniel Joseph (Toronto); North Carolina defensive back Patrice Rene (Ottawa); Maine linebacker Deshawn Stevens (Toronto); and West Virginia defensive back Alonzo Addae (Pickering, Ont.).

The first 10 selections were all from NCAA programs, not a surprise given U Sports cancelled its 2020 season due to the novel coronavirus outbreak. The top Canadian collegian was Montreal offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage, of Saint-Eustache, Que., at No. 11.

The other U Sports selections included Calgary Dinos offensive lineman Logan Bandy of Calgary (No. 12), Saskatchewan defensive back Nelson Lokombo of Abbotsford, B.C. (No. 14), British Columbia linebacker Ben Hladik of Vernon, B.C., (No. 16), Calgary linebacker Grant McDonald of Tsawwassen, B.C. (No. 19) and U.B.C. linebacker Nick Cross of Regina (No. 20).

Defensive back Deane Leonard, who helped Calgary win the Vanier Cup last year before transferring to Ole Miss for 2020, was ranked. No. 13.

Just now, GCn20 said:

Love and hate the Dobson pick....but closer to loving it. He is a bluechipper. Best OL in the drsft and has a mean streak a mile long. I dont mind taking the futures approach to the 1st 2 rounds.

Idk the last time we saw an OL prospect in the draft with his size and athleticism, little on his pedigree.  Its a risk, but this is the type of guy who could start day 1 as a guard imo. Worst case scenario, both our long shot picks never come north and we dont move their rights, but we still end up with a boost to our back up lb/dbs and immediate special teams play as well as an extremely versatile athletic back who can back up and contribute at the same time. 

If either (little on both) of rene and dobson come north its an A+ draft imo. 

Just now, wpgallday1960 said:

I suspect it’s Patty Nuefelds  last year in football in 2021 so Dobson should have an opening in 22 after college.

Unless this year is a disaster for him in college he will be in the nfl in 22.  Even then, if hes healthy at next years combine he is the type of guy who can move up very far very fast. 

Dobson will have NFL interest after Texas they think... So we'll see. If he comes north, he's gonna have to drop some weight. That seems about 40lbs too heavy for our field... 

5 minutes ago, Noeller said:

Dobson will have NFL interest after Texas they think... So we'll see. If he comes north, he's gonna have to drop some weight. That seems about 40lbs too heavy for our field... 

Doesnt matter when you move like he does. See larry allen running down a db on what shouldve been a pick 6. But if he does drop a bit say good night.  320-325 range would probably make a big difference for him. 

3 hours ago, Noeller said:

Dobson will have NFL interest after Texas they think... So we'll see. If he comes north, he's gonna have to drop some weight. That seems about 40lbs too heavy for our field... 

I thought in a year or two we are moving to NFL size fields 😭

7 hours ago, Brandon said:

I thought in a year or two we are moving to NFL size fields 😭

BANNED! 

I don't need that kind of negativity in my life right now.

11 hours ago, wpgallday1960 said:

I suspect it’s Patty Nuefelds  last year in football in 2021 so Dobson should have an opening in 22 after college.

For sure. Lots of competition for Neufeld's spot though. Gray, and Eli are not chopped liver.

11 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Idk the last time we saw an OL prospect in the draft with his size and athleticism, little on his pedigree.  Its a risk, but this is the type of guy who could start day 1 as a guard imo. Worst case scenario, both our long shot picks never come north and we dont move their rights, but we still end up with a boost to our back up lb/dbs and immediate special teams play as well as an extremely versatile athletic back who can back up and contribute at the same time. 

If either (little on both) of rene and dobson come north its an A+ draft imo. 

Unless this year is a disaster for him in college he will be in the nfl in 22.  Even then, if hes healthy at next years combine he is the type of guy who can move up very far very fast. 

I agree. I view the Dobson pick as very risky. The NFL loves to keep a lot of OL around a lot longer than any other position. Dobson is a guy we may never see. Far riskier than DB future picks. In my mind this pick is just a hair less risky than a pick that we destroyed Joe Mack about.....Andy Mulumba.

Edited May 5, 20214 yr by GCn20

I trust Kyle's judgement on Dobson.....I'm sure he's done his homework on his availability ...There are plenty of O Line guys in the states looking for work and they'll get priority....Unless he's super,super good I think he might be here sooner than you think...'The Roadgrader' ....I like his nickname 

46 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

For sure. Lots of competition for Neufeld's spot though. Gray, and Eli are not chopped liver.

I agree. I view the Dobson pick as very risky. The NFL loves to keep a lot of OL around a lot longer than any other position. Dobson is a guy we may never see. Far riskier than DB future picks. In my mind this pick is just a hair less risky than a pick that we destroyed Joe Mack about.....Andy Mulumba.

The futures picks like mulumba werent what sunk mack, its that the none futures guys were awful picks. We have a lotto ticket on a ni ol who is a generational athlete and would want to be here mulumba never wanted to be here imo. We have a better shot at the db  Rene who is also a big ratio breaking blue chipper, and a bunch of useful pieces. Also with the stocked offensive line depth we have we can afford the risk. 

Edited May 5, 20214 yr by wbbfan

1 hour ago, wbbfan said:

The futures picks like mulumba werent what sunk mack, its that the none futures guys were awful picks. We have a lotto ticket on a ni ol who is a generational athlete and would want to be here mulumba never wanted to be here imo. We have a better shot at the db  Rene who is also a big ratio breaking blue chipper, and a bunch of useful pieces. Also with the stocked offensive line depth we have we can afford the risk. 

Jade Etienne? All 150lbs of him. Its his 10th year draft anniversary!

Edited May 5, 20214 yr by Bubba Zanetti

32 minutes ago, Bubba Zanetti said:

Jade Etienne? All 150lbs of him. Its his 10th year draft anniversary!

But hey he could really run. He lacked the hair of addison richards though. That hair wouldve maid up for the missing 70lbs. 

9 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

But hey he could really run. He lacked the hair of addison richards though. That hair wouldve maid up for the missing 70lbs. 

Sure but a stiff breeze would blow him off his route.

Didn't Jade at least have a couple of TDs, where Richards it was like 1 catch?

9 minutes ago, rebusrankin said:

Didn't Jade at least have a couple of TDs, where Richards it was like 1 catch?

I think Jade had at least one TD.

39 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

I think Jade had at least one TD.

2 TDS in 45 games played with the Bombers.... or 0.044TDs per game

3 hours ago, Bomber_fanaddict said:

2 TDS in 45 games played with the Bombers.... or 0.044TDs per game

More TD's than Kito Poblah

11 minutes ago, MOBomberFan said:

More TD's than Kito Poblah

....who is probably labouring in a cubicle, somewhere....

Just now, do or die said:

....who is probably labouring in a cubicle, somewhere....

...probably dropping his pen

5 minutes ago, do or die said:

....who is probably labouring in a cubicle, somewhere....

Kito was doing alot of work with youth in the city. Basically helping them get better at football and school. 

8 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Kito was doing alot of work with youth in the city. Basically helping them get better at football and school. 

If only it were the kids who taught him in the end amirite?

24 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

Kito was doing alot of work with youth in the city. Basically helping them get better at football and school. 

He was an awesome person, and easily the best of the 3 wrs. Its too bad injuries derailed his career. 

On 2021-05-04 at 10:28 PM, wpgallday1960 said:

How many NI Dbs to the Bombers need?🤠

Always good to have them on STs.  Exume was such a gem in 2019 maybe hoping for some of that form these guys.

I could very well see the Bombers starting Two in the secondary in the near future.  Rene can play CB.  Kramdi was a SLB in college, but can play anywhere in the secondary at the pro level.  Weekes is supposedly a natural safety.  Add in the Halett brothers and the Bombers probably have the deepest national DB room in the CFL.

On 2021-05-05 at 10:09 AM, wbbfan said:

The futures picks like mulumba werent what sunk mack, its that the none futures guys were awful picks. We have a lotto ticket on a ni ol who is a generational athlete and would want to be here mulumba never wanted to be here imo. We have a better shot at the db  Rene who is also a big ratio breaking blue chipper, and a bunch of useful pieces. Also with the stocked offensive line depth we have we can afford the risk. 

That's the biggest difference here.  We couldn't afford to hit and miss in the draft back in the Joe Mack days.  Thanks to Kyle Walter's we now have the best Canadian depth in the league so we can afford to take some risks trying to get a couple of high impact players down the road.  On top of that we've got another draft class from last season coming in to compete with the guys we drafted this year. Also this was a futures heavy draft due to the pandemic.  A lot of eligible players opted to hold off on the draft this season and go back to college so the league expended the availability of nationals who are playing in thr ncaa and added some guys to the draft who we know are going back to school for one more year.  There is no comparing this to what Joe Mack did imo.

33 minutes ago, Colin Unger said:

That's the biggest difference here.  We couldn't afford to hit and miss in the draft back in the Joe Mack days.  Thanks to Kyle Walter's we now have the best Canadian depth in the league so we can afford to take some risks trying to get a couple of high impact players down the road.  On top of that we've got another draft class from last season coming in to compete with the guys we drafted this year. Also this was a futures heavy draft due to the pandemic.  A lot of eligible players opted to hold off on the draft this season and go back to college so the league expended the availability of nationals who are playing in thr ncaa and added some guys to the draft who we know are going back to school for one more year.  There is no comparing this to what Joe Mack did imo.

Imo just the guys we will have in camp from the last two years of drafting is a grade A batch. We have a bunch of very athletic canadian mafia guys coming in to scrap for spots. If we get one futures guy its gonna be a big win fall.  And honestly Dobson and the mafia sound very confident that he will end up in blue and gold. Usually they talk about guys very tentatively.  Stuff like, the can do this and they can bring that. They have opportunities down south but we think they'd fit in really well if that doesnt pan out etc. 

Both groups have been saying when he gets here, he is gonna be a road grader etc etc.  And instead of talking about potential to make and impact they talk about him like hes a vet and you know what to expect. I dont think any shenanigan's are a foot, I suspect hes the surest thing, highest graded guy theyve picked thus far. 

13 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Imo just the guys we will have in camp from the last two years of drafting is a grade A batch. We have a bunch of very athletic canadian mafia guys coming in to scrap for spots. If we get one futures guy its gonna be a big win fall.  And honestly Dobson and the mafia sound very confident that he will end up in blue and gold. Usually they talk about guys very tentatively.  Stuff like, the can do this and they can bring that. They have opportunities down south but we think they'd fit in really well if that doesnt pan out etc. 

Both groups have been saying when he gets here, he is gonna be a road grader etc etc.  And instead of talking about potential to make and impact they talk about him like hes a vet and you know what to expect. I dont think any shenanigan's are a foot, I suspect hes the surest thing, highest graded guy theyve picked thus far. 

Dobson flat out said that he will pursue the NFL so I'm not sure where you get the notion that he exuded confidence at being blue and gold. He said all the right things after being drafted and was very complimentary to the Bombers but he made it very clear he desires to play the highest level of football he can. That doesn't mean he is a shoe-in for the NFL, but he will keep that option open as long as he can. He is a very similar type of pick to Dakoda Shepley imo.

Edited May 7, 20214 yr by GCn20

40 minutes ago, GCn20 said:

Dobson flat out said that he will pursue the NFL so I'm not sure where you get the notion that he exuded confidence at being blue and gold. He said all the right things after being drafted and was very complimentary to the Bombers but he made it very clear he desires to play the highest level of football he can. That doesn't mean he is a shoe-in for the NFL, but he will keep that option open as long as he can. He is a very similar type of pick to Dakoda Shepley imo.

I got the exuded confidence from the bomber brass, from dobson more than the basic platitudes that we saw from the likes of  the mulumba picks. As I said I dont think any thing crazy is going on, and I dont think hes going to forego the NFL. It just seems different from the usual futures pick, especially the vybe from bomber brass.