Third Round

Zack Evans, another hurt, just not as bad as Keith Shologan!!

They picked our bloody pockets bare.............holy cow.

I was thinking Hurl, Watman,...............wow. The RB's are pretty solid at D-line with depth. They got a starter and a backup, crappy for us.

Hamilton loses Hage...........big hole to fill.

Stamps lose Fraser as starting safety. But they have a younger backup from U of S huskies, McDougall likely gets a good look now.

I cannot believer they plucked two tackles from us.................

Oh well. Looks like that spot is an American one now. There was going to be some hurt no matter what. I'm thinking they may have put 1 more rule in there that a team can't lose more than one player at a specific position, but ces't la vie, bring on some stud Americans to fill it out. Or who knows. Maybe the Riders will dangle a different carrot at Ottawa via trade to get one of them back.

They have said they are willing to trade, maybe we get Keith back, can only hope!!

WHAT THE HELL! We have two Canadian DTs and you protect neither of them? WTF are the Riders thinking.. Shologan was a massive part of our defense and Zach Evans was the only thing that made that not hurt as much, so they leave him available too! Would have rather seen Foley, Hurl, or Newman go over Evans.. Would have rather seen those guys plus Bagg and Getz go over Shologan.. I am pissed right now..

Yikes…shocker that no DT was protected! Sucks losin local guys for sure…that said, they may be gone for the season and then back as FAs in 2015. They were doing a nice job of grooming Evans…Steinhauer’s stock just went way up, because there is not a lot of depth in the DL draft this year.

McElveen and George as starters and a high draft at DT this year I guess

A shocker to lose Evans too..
That leaves Chick, McElveen, George and Foley on the D-Line. And the rights to Alex Hall if he does not make it in the NFL.

Now that an American has to fill a spot there, you will likely see Newman or Hurl become starters somewhere to keep ratio intact. Or make a trade to get someone back?

On a positive note, our Special Teams is not impacted at all, and I thought our teams played exceptional this year.

And now, the first key free agent signing is Butler! Have to pay him what it takes to stay a Rider!

Perhaps they will be going after a guy like Laurent

Alex Hall is a free agent so we won’t have his rights if he makes training camp in the NFL.

Our d line took a hit but I think we are still in good shape.

They will definitely need to go after DL guys in a big way, and obviously potentially a RB and a replacement for Dressler, but this team is overall looking good. It is a bit scary that Foley and Chick are the only regular starters remaining, along with George, who was amazing when he played. There is not much for NI DL on the market, and not a pile of depth in the draft, so it is going to take a long time to fill that void, and it means a big shift in ratio mentality. 4 on the O-line, 1 SB, one DB/LB and one other…hoping that can be Alex Anthony, making the 7th a WR rotation of he and Bagg, throwing McHenry into the mix now and then. I hope there are larger plans for Anthony.

If they can not get McElveen back, I could see them packaging a couple guys and a draft pick for a DT. As much as I would hate to see it, that could be a combination of Weldon Brown (who was sensational), Kromah and a 1st or 2nd round draft…hopefully for this year, as they will draft 9th. After that I could see them putting Macho Harris in there. With Williams and Williams back, someone in the secondary likely has to go anyways.

If they really want Evans back, he can likely be picked up for a draft pick. The RBs picked up 4 DT, 3 of them Canadian, and of those 3, Evans likely lands at 3 on the depth chart between them.

Good DTs aren’t that hard to find south of the boarder. Most teams only have one Canadian d lineman anyway. John Chick showed he can do well at dt with Hilee Taylor coming back to rotate at end if need be.

IMO the Riders should try to sign Rory Kohlert. The RedBlacks picked him up from Winnipeg in the 3rd round, and he is a free agent.

He is from Regina, so would be coming home to play. As a Canadian, he could seriously compete for a starting position (if Dressler or Taj Smith are gone), or, he would be an excellent back up to Bagg and Getzlaf. He has shown promise to be a decent receiver.

IMO Chick was passable at DT…not great…George was better. The fact that Imports are available and that most teams use 1 NI was exactly my point…the Riders have none, as there is no backup for Foley, so it is a big hit on the ratio. The only way that changes is if they have some grown confidence in Steinhauer PLUS they pick up another NI (which are few and far between this year), or move Foley inside (which is unlikely). “only use one” sounds good, until you follow that up with “which helps meet 14% of their ratio requirement for starters”

There is rumors in Winnipeg he wanted to come here anyways, Might be a look!

Really good point. This would seem a smart move.

Also, as far as NI DT, I did think of a guy who is a local product and I believe in the draft this year. He is a guy who should fly under the radar, but is better than his projections sit IMO. So, if they can pick up a starting NI DT or believe Steinhauer is ready…who knows…maybe they pick this guy up in the 3rd-4th round. I’ll avoid his actual name for the time being.

You only need 7 starting ni. Foley, Butler, Picard, Heenan, LaBatte, Best, Getzlaf, Bagg puts us 1 over.

Foley will not be a counter, same as 2013, because he has no NI backup…Steinhauer aside, who I don’t think actually played a down at end in 2013. That’s why Butler is great at LB/S…there were 2 NIs that could rotate in well.

If they do not sign Butler it will be a problem though. Still workable but a problem. Using 6 on Offense as part of the ratio would need to keep one of Foley, Hurl, or Newman on the field on defense.
Need a 3rd Canadian receiver for sure Getz and Bagg with H-Back McHenry emergency is doable but McHenry plays great in the H Back Package for him.
I just thin that Butler will be a hott sought after comodity. A starting Candian WIll LB really gives a team a lot of flexibilty. He would be an 8th Canadian Starter and Non Counter depending on who teams have at reserve Will LB a Canadian or a DI
( I am thinking if Ottawa targets him for this scenerio)

Butler has adamantly said he desires to remain a Rider on multiple occasions.

IMO Hurl is a better LB, but not sure about rotating at Safety.

Yes I am aware that Butler has said on more than one occassion that remaining a Rider is what he wants.
Butler also fit into the defensive scheme nicely being able to move he and Brak around.
Hurl however is a better Will LB no doubt and with now Sholo and Evans gone will most likley work his way into the defensive scheme a lot more as there will be roster space.
Count Newman in on that scheme as well at safety most likley coming in on the cover two packages as one of the safeties.

My point is that both Hurl and Heenan will both be free agents after next season and although both may also want to stay in Regina they will both be very hott in the free agent market.
When we talk about better Canadian players these are the three guys that we are talking about. They are not depth guys or special teamers they are or will be bonified starters.

Foley may probably go after next season with a combo of age and salary in order to keep the Hurls, Heenans, and Butlers if possible. Also cannot forget the superstar Canadians the Riders have in Getz and Labatte and if Milo can be re signed this year and blossom into a long term CFL place kicker he will carry a heavy price tag for a Kicker. ( A dome in Regina might help for Milo though :wink: )

Oh back to Butler. As soon as the shock wears off for Sholo and Evans who knows how good things are in Ottawa, and if what Kevin Glenn is selling it looks to be pretty good. getting some former teamates that are FAs to come to Ottawa, especially a young guy like Butler, They could be GC contenders within 3 years and Butler could have a nice hefty contract as well as some fringe benfits through the OSEG connections