Do we go Bull? Played tackle in college, but is 350lbs and coming off a season ending injury. Some say he doesn't have the footwork to play tackle in the pros.
Do we go Grohovak? I believe he is from out west, but played at Western. Was a Right guard, in a run heavy offense.
Do we go Lake Korte-Moore or Anthony Bennett? Both successful defensive ends in college and it looks like we will be going Canadian at strongside defensive end. Not a big fan of the NCAA defensive linemen outside of Robinson.
Do we go with Bagayogo? We need more depth in the secondary. He's tall at 6'3 and has the same athleticism as Tyrell Ford from last years draft. It would help with depth, if we start both Adeleke and Katsantonis in the secondary.
Do we go reciever? We might just start Kiondre Smith or both Smith and Ternowski.
I won't give any specific names as I'm honestly not that familiar with who is available for this draft . I will though give the positional groups where I think we are a little thin and in other cases aging and in need of upgrading .
So with saying all that I'm looking at these three groups as priorities in this years draft...O-Line , D-Line with major emphasis on the interior at tackle and lastly in the secondary .
Reasoning for the O-Line is a simple one of never having enough in depth plus the factor of age creeping in when it comes to a guy like VanZeyl who has slowed down considerably the past two seasons dealing with injury issues and also the fact that he will be 40 halfway thru this upcoming season .
I'm also not sold with Fontana as Beards backup at center to be honest and feel an upgrade could be in order .
Reason for the D-Line , especially in the interior is also a case of a lack of depth and also an ageing Ted Laurent who is basically on his last legs with his best performances clearly in the rearview mirror . Big Teddy just turned 35 and the only other Canadian we have at that position at the moment is Mo Diallo .
So if we can somehow draft an available prospect or two in this department I think it would be a high priority .
Lastly my reason for the secondary is basically a simple one of more depth needed as we already have two studs in Adeleke and Kats but depending how the ratio goes this year and with all the changes and losses that have occurred back there due to FA it would seem a no brainer to see what is out there in the upcoming draft .
We have had horrible success drafting receivers. Our last 2-1st round receiver picks (1st over all) have been Burt and Chapman.
About as close to zero as you can get for production.
Unfortunate we could not land either of the Philpot's as they seem to be all stars in waiting National receivers.
With the play last year of Garand-Gauthier and the re-signing of Manalo who can also play LB in free agency I wouldn't be at all surprised if Burt doesn't make the team this year .
Honestly there is no need to carry 3 players at that position and of the 3 currently on the roster Burt has done the least by far in his two seasons here considering he was a number # 1 pick as opposed to the other two who were both late round picks .
I think Beamer or the other centre might fall to round 4. Fontana will hopefully surprise people this year and hopefull steal the job from Beard.
I also think we may be able to grab a developmental defensive tackle later in the draft. Not too excited about the interior talent at the top of the draft. I know stats aren't everything, but who knows, a one technique is most there to fill a gap and let the linebackers clean up. While a three technique is more of a pass rusher. Their is a kid out of Mount Allison who isn't as tall as his teamate, but big and can play that one tech.
I'm excited about the two halfbacks and I think the highest rated fullback is more suited as a halfback. All three could be gone by the time we pick in round four.
I do think we're set at linebacker. Feltmate, Sopik, McDonald, Cross and the kid we drafted last year are good depth.
6. Hamilton Tiger-Cats — OL Dontae Bull, Fresno State
The six-foot-seven, 320-pound blocker was a four-year starter for the Bulldogs and is coming off a broken leg he suffered late last season, which may hamper his potential NFL opportunities. Orlondo Steinauer has strong ties to Fresno State and the Ticats need to add depth along an offensive line that is chock-full of aging veterans and pending free agents.
What, exactly, have you seen in Fontana the past two seasons for this prediction?
He's a backup player at best. He was completely outmatched when he was physically able to play, and outright LOST his job to Beard.
An interesting '23 draft comparison of the 4th in the East RedBlacks and the 3rd place TiCats -- Ottawa picks first overall, Hamilton picks 6th, then Ottawa picks five more times before the Cats get to pick again.
Big change from when we had those extra first round picks from the Manziel trade. If you think about it, instead of outright cutting someone like Cariel Brooks they probably could have snagged at least a third round pick for him.
It's a free country... as long as he doesn't make an effort to offend people then live and let live. It's called a democracy and a right to freedom of thought.
I'll be more concerned with his play game day and his locker room persona than how he chooses to spend his free time.
Draft has been so poorly managed over the years and it is just such a small part of Ticats roster building.
If you draft a good player, he learns the ropes, goes through the growing pains, and they are a FA in 2 years.
Arguably our best National is Adeleke who was acquired in free agency.
Of all the other draft picks the Cats have made in recent years you could say Revenberg is the most valuable National.
He has resigned a couple times with us in Free Agency but had the option to leave.
What other National on the roster is irreplaceable?
If done wisely, might draft picks be more valuable currency used in trades than as picks?
Like how we acquired Beard and Saxelid and the rights to BO.