May 6, 2017

Eskimos Pick Fifth In Cfl Draft

For the fourth straight year, the CFL Scouting Bureau’s top prospect is likely to fall to at least the third round, maybe lower, in the 2017 CFL Draft, which starts Sunday at 5 p.m.

Mississippi State Bulldogs offensive lineman Justin Senior, who has been listed at No. 1 since the Scouting Bureau’s first rankings were released in September 2016, was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the sixth round of last weekend’s NFL Draft. The six-foot-five right tackle from Montreal started 39 games with Mississippi State during the last three seasons and was invited to the NCAA’s Senior Bowl and NFL Combine.

He could be joined in the second half of the CFL Draft by the second- and third-ranked prospects – UCLA Bruins defensive lineman Eli Ankou and Manitoba Bisons offensive lineman Geoff Gray, who weren’t NFL Draft picks, but quickly signed priority free agent contacts afterwards. Ankou, an Ottawa native, had 46 tackles, three quarterback sacks and five tackles for a loss during his senior season while Gray is a U Sports first-team All-Canadian who played in the NCAA’s East-West Shrine Bowl.

Laval Rouge et Or tight end Antony Auclair, the CFL’s seventh-ranked player, also signed a priority deal with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the NFL Draft.

Will there be anyone left for the Edmonton Eskimos to pick with their fifth overall draft choice in the first round?

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers acquired the No. 1 pick in last year’s trade of quarterback Drew Willy to the Toronto Argonauts, but that draft choice hasn’t been used on the Scouting Bureau’s top prospect for at least five years. Four recent No. 1 prospects were taken in the NFL Draft and still haven’t played in Canada. Linebacker Boseko Lokombo, who played the last three seasons with the BC Lions, didn’t get drafted by an NFL team, but still fell to the third round in the 2013 CFL Draft because of possible interest south of the border. Lokombo is now with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders, BC Lions and Hamilton Tiger-Cats are the next three teams in line in draft.

The Eskimos choose fifth every round with two exceptions – they have an additional pick in the fifth round courtesy of their upgraded conditional seventh-round pick initially acquired for trading QB Matt Nichols to the Blue Bombers in 2015 and traded their seventh-rounder to the Ti-Cat for offensive lineman Brian Simmons, also in 2015.

Rounding out the top five prospects are McMaster receiver Danny Vandervoort and Iowa defensive lineman Faith Ekakitie, who may still be a target of NFL teams.

Overall, there are six offensive lineman listed among the top 20 players, according to the Scouting Bureau, which includes CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from all nine teams. There are seven defensive lineman, two receivers and two defensive backs plus one linebacker, one tight end and a running back.