Via twitter; former Indiana State Sycamores CB Johnny Towalid has agreed to a 2 year deal with the Roughriders.
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Here is a player a few years back would have almost would have been signed to a rookie free agent contract with an NFL team with credentials like that from the DI FCS level but his size being under 6’0" NFL teams are looking for much bigger CB now to cover the bigger receivers.
So the CFL will breed the benefits of top football players like this who are shunned by the NFL by there size. Especially at a position of CB where there are still a large gap between canadian an US players. Also with the CFL now using 5 REC sets as the norm teams need 5 import players who can cover as CB to start.
the average height if an NFL DB is still supposedly a little over 5-10, though I think it is getting pretty close to 5-11.
SS/FS are generally over 6ft, while it is less common to find a CB over 6ft, and a lot are 5-10 and down (I would blindly speculate that 90% of NFL CBs are 5-11 or under).
That is very true but the NFL is now looking for bigger CB so while the avg may still be at 5’10" it is a position that NFL teams are looking towards getting taller players there is just not enough out there yet but teams are mindful that taller CB are in order in the future.
So as the NFL is looking towards this the CFL will be getting a lot of very talented CBs that would not have been available 5-10 years ago.
Could be a reason why we still see the CB/HB position with such a big gap between Canadian’s and imports.
Where as we look at receivers and DTs getting closer. RT is also a position in which Canadian players are just beginning to evolve to be equal with any import RT that may be available to the CFL.
As we see teams developing Canadian RTs we see more teams looking to the Arena football league for OTs that are there awaiting the call. Last year and the year before we saw quite a few OTs also coming from the defunct UFL
well duhh…of course they are going to take the taller guy if he is fast enough. There is no “shift” that they are seeking for in height…it has always been there, in most positions. Generally in sports taller is better. You would be hard pressed to find a GM who is not going to look at the 6-4 athlete before the 5-9. Sorry man, but saying that teams are looking at players with better natural genetics is just stupid…if you didn’t you wouldn’t be a GM…that doesn’t change the fact that the average DB height has only went up about a 1/2" (actually a little under) in the past decade…question…how much has the average WR height went up…almost an inch in the same time period.
Exactly the height of the WR has gone up and now and has been the trend of the last decade and now the CB will be trending in that direction over this decade.
The best receiving groups two decades ago were known as the smurfs and short quick and fast came in only small packages. Kellen winslow came along and was known as a WR in a TE body so the idea was why not begin moving these tall guys to WR
I hadn't noticed that Brooks Foster was let go. Rather disappointed....I was a pretty big fan. Crazy speed and knows how to extend his frame like very very few do!
The reason that Canadians don't cover as well as imports is because it is a very difficult skill set that is not trained well in Canada. The level of competition in CIS not very comparable to that of the massive player producing machine that is the NCAA. Man to man coverage is extremely difficult and can only really be mastered by playing week in week out against top talented receivers who are being thrown to by top talented QBs. The CIS doesn't have that. In fact most NCAA div I DBs still need a year or 2 of cutting their teeth in the pros before being considered a top cover guy.
It's nothing about he genetics or the birth certificate of Canadians. They're not lesser athletes, they just rarely get the training to play DB at a top level (much like QB).
I agree 100%. Canadian players who play the cover CB/HB spots will need to begin to work there way into US DI schools. You can see it happening with Canadian O Lineman. There are many who are now playing in the NCAA at DI schools at the OT position. Those who do play the OT spot that have the size are signed by NFL teams and brought to the NFL for at least a few seasons on practice rosters at this time. A big body with great athletic ability like Matt Sewell is an example as you can not teach size so he may spend two or so seasons on an NFL practice roster which is just fine with a player like Sewell since his pay will be 100K quite a bit more than if he were to come straight to the CFL.
Th same may have to be done foe Canadian DBs the differences is that there are already so many US players coming out of HS that are that size and just as many coming out of US schools so the shear number of players of this size will make it one of those positions in the CFL that will continue to be one of those positions that are dominated by imports.
Canadian players, hwoever, are catching up at many other positions which is great for the CFL.
Another position for much of the same reasons is DE. I like what the Ridrs have done in bringing in Canadian Ricky Foley tho be the Rush end specialist in the 3 man DE rotation Chanblain is planning. Also they have brought in a local young prospect in Ryan Wellman who is still very young in starting the season at 23 and turning 24 can be mentored and trained through a couple of practice roster seasons. Similiar to what was done with DT Zack Evans who everyone beleives after two seasons on the PR his first while still playing for the Thunder got some game action last year and now in his 4th year should be ready to be a full part of the DT rotation.
While everyone is looking at the Riders big free agent signings the last tow seasons they are doing a lot of other things in way of developing young Canadian Talent that often misses the Headlines