08-01-2019, 12:51 AM
With the 2014 CFL Draft set to take place Tuesday in Toronto, CFL on TSN analyst Duane Forde breaks down the top prospects. Today, he looks at running backs and linebackers. RUNNING BACKS 1) Anthony Coombs (RB, Manitoba) You Should Know: His coming out party was a 14-carry, 147-yard game against the United States Under-19 National Team as a member of the World Team in the 2012 International Bowl.The Good: He has averaged at least seven yards per carry in each of his four CIS seasons and that average improved every year, leaving him with a career average of 7.5 yards/carry.The Bad: Durability may be a concern, as he has missed time with minor injuries each of the last three seasons. 2) Pascal Lochard (RB, Laval) The Good: This versatile 60”, 215 lbs. back rushed for 184 yards – three yards shy of his career high – en route to earning MVP honours in the 2013 Vanier Cup. The Bad: Its not a knock on his ability or potential but, with the very crowded Laval backfield, he has rarely played more than half of the offensive snaps in a game. 3) Alexandre Dupuis (FB, Montreal) The Good: He battled back from surgeries on both knees in 2012 to become an RSEQ All-Star last season.The Bad: No one will question his toughness or work ethic but he might be a little limited athletically. 4) Robert Farquharson (RB, Guelph) The Good: Over the last two CIS seasons, his average of 112.9 rushing yards per game ranks first among Class of 2014 running backs, just ahead of Coombs (112.7).The Bad: A hamstring injury suffered during training camp limited him to only four regular season games in 2013. 5) Aaron Milton (RB, Toronto) The Good: He “plays faster” than he tests, and, considering that his 63”, 215 lbs. frame has room to carry more weight, he could eventually contribute as a fullback.The Bad: Hes coming off a shoulder injury that has left him a little behind in terms of upper body strength. Other Contenders: Guillaume Bourassa (Laval) – career high 66 carries, 402 rushing yards in 2013; 4.71 40-yard dash at CFL Combine was 2nd fastest among RBs behind Coombs Jordan Botel (Mount Allsion) – 2013 AUS nominee for Hec Crighton Trophy; has averaged 102.3 rushing yards/game over the last two seasons; played FB for CJFLs Vancouver Island Raiders in 2008-09, blocking for current B.C. Lion Andrew Harris Mackenzie Sarro (Calgary) – 64”, 245 lbs.; tied fellow FB Dupuis with 23 bench press reps at CFL Combine; had only one carry, seven receptions in two years with the Dinos Also On The Radar (alphabetically): Connor Anderson (York), Jeremy Andrew (Saskatchewan), Jean-Christophe Beaulieu (Sherbrooke); Errol Brooks (York); Zack Clarke (Acadia), Zack Davis (York), Sean Murphy (McGill), Raul Thompson (Concordia); Kurt Tonowski (Saint Marys); C.J. Zsoldos (Waterloo / London Beefeaters) LINEBACKERS 1) Casey Chin (Simon Fraser) You Should Know: He was a four-year starter and three-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Star during his career with the Clan.The Good: He increased his tackle totals significantly each season, capping his career with an average of nearly 12 per game as a senior.The Bad: Listed at 510”, hes not physically imposing. 2) Max Caron (Concordia) The Good: He won the Presidents Trophy as the Top Defensive Player in CIS football as a sophomore and possesses a very high football IQ.The Bad: His physical upside may be limited, as hell turn 25 this summer. 3) Jesse Briggs (McGill) The Good: Ranked among the top LBs in all testing categories at the CFL Combine, with his 4.57 40 being the key to boosting his stock.The Bad: Hes not seen as a particularly physical player, and his on-field productivity hasnt necessarily matched his athletic ability. 4) Beau Landry (Western) The Good: He offers versatility, having been named a First Team All-Canadian as a defensive halfback in 2011 and again as a linebacker in 2013.The Bad: At the next level, he may find himself as a “tweener”, not possessing the speed of top defensive backs or the size of most linebackers. 5) Travis Bent (Concordia) The Good: Physical and aggressive, he had his best season in 2012, leading the Stingers with 61.5 tackles.The Bad: As highly touted as his teammate Caron when they entered the Stingers program in 2010, he hasnt yet reached that potential. Other Contenders: Christopher Johnson (Toronto) – 510”, 220 lbs.; compares well physically and athletically to drafts top LBs Sam Sabourin – was among the drafts elite prospects until he chose to retire due to concussion concerns; three-time All-Canadian could still be a late selection Thomas Miles (Manitoba) – second on Bisons with 39 tackles in 2013; also long snaps Also On The Radar (alphabetically): Aram Eisho (McMaster); Cody Kezama (Regina); Matt Lalande (Saint Marys); Pier-Yves Lavergne (Montreal); Eric Noivo (Concordia); Stephen Osman (McGill); Omar Smith-Jackson (Bishops); Richard Zacharias (Saskatchewan) Analysis: Ill discuss these two position groups together, as there are a number of similarities in terms of how theyre evaluated for the draft. While Jon Cornish, Andrew Harris, Shea Emry, and Henoc Muamba are household names for CFL fans, the reality is that the vast majority of the leagues non-import running backs and linebackers are depth guys, who will play far more snaps on special teams every week than they will on offence or defence. Since its difficult for teams to justify using first round picks for players who arent projected to play regularly on offence or defence, you generally dont see a lot of RBs and LBs selected in Round 1. In fact, in the last ten years, there has only been one draft in which the first round included more than one player from either of these two groups (Keep in mind that while Mike Edem, Shomari Williams, and Justin Phillips may have been listed as LBs, they were all drafted to play another position). In 2005, Akron LB Cam Yeow went second overall, McMaster RB Jesse Lumsden was chosen sixth, and Kentucky fullback Alexis Bwenge was the eighth overall selection. A significant factor leading to that anomaly was that the Class of 2005 was strong at neither offensive line nor receiver, the usual “marquee Canadian positions”. Coincidentally, a similar dynamic exists in this years draft class, which should open the door for the top running back and linebacker prospects to be among the first nine picks.At running back, the obvious choice is Coombs. In his eight Canada West games last season, the Winnipeg native rushed for 100+ yards four times and had 100+ receiving yards three times. The CFL Combine revealed both his willingness to pass block and his ability to compete as a receiver. All things considered, he is the best non-lineman in this draft class. On my board, Chin also ranks among the top three non-linemen available and projects as a potential future starter. Last season, the Simon Fraser product racked up 119 tackles in 10 games (11.9/game) to lead the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Four years ago, another 510” linebacker finished second in the GNAC with 96 tackles in 11 games (8.7/game). That player was current B.C. Lions star Adam Bighill, whose 196 tackles over the last two CFL seasons equals Montreals Chip Cox for the most in the league during that span. Granted, the number of tackles made can be a misleading statistic but, given his range and productivity, Chin should be given every opportunity to contribute on defence as well as special teams. Jay Novacek Womens Jersey . Curtis Davies and Robert Koren secured the victory with goals inside 35 minutes of the fifth-round replay against the second-tier side. 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A team with loads of forward depth, the Philadelphia Flyers have fantasy options ranging from proven veterans to rising stars and if you are in a league that rewards penalty minutes, they have some of those too. Top Picks: Over the last three seasons, C Claude Giroux has put up 216 points, the fourth-best total in the league. Even with an offseason finger injury, Giroux is a good bet to be among the top scorers in the league, making him a No. 1 centre option for fantasy owners. RW Jakub Voracek had a breakout season in 2013, scoring 46 points in 48 games, and while hes not likely to score on 17.1% of his shots like he did last season, paired with Giroux on the Flyers top line, Voracek is going to have significant value, enough to fit as a No. 2 fantasy right winger. Offering similar value, though he doesnt score as much, Wayne Simmonds adds a physical dimension, with hits and penalty minutes supporting his increased scoring numbers over the last couple seasons in Philadelphia. Value Plays: There hasnt been any great decline in production for C Vincent Lecavalier, who has scored between 0.77 and 0.87 points per game in each of the last five seasons, but injuries have started to have an effect on how often he plays, as hes missed 44 games over the past three seasons. Still, hes going to have solid linemates as the Flyers second-line centre and has value as a No. 3 fantasy pivot, even with injury expectations. Prior to last season, LW Scott Hartnell was a bit of a fantasy darling, particularly for leagues that count penalty minutes, as he has scored 20 or more goals six times and recorded 100 or more penalty minutes eight times in his career. The normally durable winger had injuries and finished with just 12 points in 32 games, but that brings his value back to a more reasonable level. Though RW Matt Read doesnt necessarily have the highest upside, he does have 71 points in 121 games over the last two seasons and he plays 18 minutes a game for the Flyers. His versatility allows him to move from line to line, but if Read is going to have sustainable value, hell need to secure a regular spot in the top six. Brought in to upgrade the Flyers puck-moving skills on the blueline, D Mark Streit has been a productive point producer, but he comes with some concerns, notably that hes minus-41 in the last two seasons and is going to turn 36 midway through this season, so its likely that his performance is due to decline.dddddddddddd. Streits arrival takes some pressure off Kimmo Timonen, a 38-year-old who has been durable, consistent and productive throughout his career. Both Streit and Timonen can provide value if they are selected as No. 3 fantasy defencemen. Sleepers/Breakthrough: Part of the challenge facing C Sean Couturier is that hes such a good defensive player that he doesnt necessarily get the linemates or opportunity take advantage of his offensive skills, but the Flyers are deep enough that Couturier, as the third-line centre, could be quite productive. He didnt score much last season, with a low 5.3% shooting percentage, but hes a 20-year-old who has 192 points in 126 games in last two junior seasons and tallied 28 points in 31 AHL games last year. LW Brayden Schenn has been coming along slowly since he was the fifth overall pick in 2009, but scored a career-high 26 points (in 47 games) last season and figures to get a shot on Lecavaliers left wing to open the season, a decent spot for 22-year-old Schenn to build his offensive numbers. Braydens brother, D Luke Schenn, hasnt scored more than 22 points in a season, yet has value in leagues that count hits and blocked shots because he has 881 and 501, respectively in the last four seasons. The goaltending situation basically leaves the Flyers with two sleepers. Ray Emery should have the edge, but hes played more than 40 games only once in his entire career. Steve Mason, on the other hand, has played plenty but, among the 26 goaltenders to play at least 200 games since 2008-2009, Masons .905 save percentage is the worst. Rookies: The Flyers dont have a lineup with great openings for rookies, but C Scott Laughton started last year with Philadelphia for five games before returning to the Ontario Hockey League, where he had 56 points in 49 games for Oshawa. Hes a gritty, physical player, but not likely to have fantasy relevance. Scott Cullen can be reached at Scott.Cullen@bellmedia.ca and followed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tsnscottcullen. 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