2020 Draft

Currently the Als have 4 picks in the first three rounds … 14, 16 (from Saskatchewan), 20 (from Toronto and 23 … so sad there is no #1 (especially since it was wasted getting Johnny Football) but overall not a terrible situation … looking at the December CFL Prospect rankings:

[tr][td]13[/td]
[td]Adam Auclair[/td]
[td]LB[/td]
[td]Laval[/td]
[td]Quebec City[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]14[/td]
[td]Adam Sinagra[/td]
[td]QB[/td]
[td]Calgary[/td]
[td]Pointe-Claire, Que.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]15[/td]
[td]Cameron Lawson[/td]
[td]DL[/td]
[td]Queen’s[/td]
[td]Caledon, Ont.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]16[/td]
[td]Tyler Ternowski[/td]
[td]REC[/td]
[td]Waterloo[/td]
[td]Hamilton[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]17[/td]
[td]Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund[/td]
[td]DL[/td]
[td]Southeastern Louisiana[/td]
[td]Dartmouth, N.S.[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]18[/td]
[td]Jesse Lawson[/td]
[td]OL[/td]
[td]Carleton[/td]
[td]Vancouver[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]19[/td]
[td]J.J. Molson[/td]
[td]K[/td]
[td]UCLA[/td]
[td]Montreal[/td]
[/tr]
[tr][td]20[/td]
[td]Jack Cassar[/td]
[td]LB[/td]
[td]Carleton[/td]
[td]Mississauga, Ont.[/td]
[/tr]

There are three Quebecers rated in the 13-20 range as well as one DL … in some ways Molson is initially most interesting as a Canadian kicker would be a nice roster ratio change … but it seems he has never punted for UCLA and not a stellar career % wise in his four season (60% - 81% - 74% - 57%)

I’m not sure who said it (must have been DM) but I got the gist that (obviously) there would be a real commitment to getting Quebec players

Basically DM said that all else being equal they will have a preference for Quebec players.

Jack Cassar would be a good backup to Muamba, especially if you guys part ways with Plesius.

Auclair is a from Quebec, I don’t know if he played Will or Sam at Laval, but they will probably make him a Will at the CFL level or ask him to backup at safety.

If their is one area of you defense you could improve, it would be on the Dline.

Nothing prevents him from trading up either especially when you have a surplus of mid-round picks.

D-line, receiver, O-line are the priorities to me, in that order of importance.

True … but especially in his first draft with the Als I fear he might be tempted to overpay to make a splash

Agreed … but also important not to “reach” for need if a better player is available

He was constantly destabilizing his roster in Edmonton with ridiculous trades. One of my major concerns… How else is he going to claim He is successful if he can’t pick coaches or roster…

For sure. Generally you draft BPA. But if there’s opportunity to trade up to snag a good player at a position of need, that might be worth considering.

If Maciocia is smart he will be hands-off this year and maybe even next year. Listen to Jones and Deslauriers, let the bird dogs bring in fresh talent, and keep the trades and splashy free-agent signings to a minimum. He does that and the team will keep him winning, which will make him look good. If he tries to wheel and deal, it will end about as well as it did for him in Edmonton…

I didn’t know Montreal has the Argo 20th overall pick (3rd round). That was a bad trade by Kavis Reed giving up two 1st round picks for Johnny football.
But of the players listed if Montreal were able to pick LB Auclair, DE Berglund and either K Molson or LB Cassar with those 14th, 16th and 20th picks they would be good additons. WR Osei-Kusi who they picked last year and went back to University for his 5th year might be considered by some as a 1st round talent. Chris Ackie is a Canadian FA who they need to re-sign.
Don’t see a lot of American players on their roster who will be eligible for the new three National spots. OT Tony Washington, RB Jeremiah Johnson, CB Tommy Campbell and DE John Bowman look to be it. They will need to find some depth there.

IMO, he will need to move up. I doubt Tyler Johnstone will be invited back or he may retire, Matte is another year older, so they need to draft one or two offensive linesmen or their pipe will be below acceptable levels.

Agree … like D in hockey, never a bad thing to have “too many” OL … Als do have SamuelThomassin in the pipeline, who they drafted last season but went back for his final year atLaval … but Matte, Jamieson and Rice are free agents