After three hours and seven minutes of fun on Sunday, the 2010 CFL Draft is over and the newly drafted players are getting used to the fact that they are no longer college football players. They are now professional football players. Here is a closer look at the winners and losers of the draft.
Toronto – A
Toronto made several trades in the days before the draft and in doing so ended up with with a league-high nine picks (BC also had nine picks). They were able to address needs on both sides of the ball, with all nine players projected to have an almost immediate impact.
Montreal – A
Montreal was fairly quiet on draft day, opting to stay put and make solid picks. The defending Grey Cup champions obviously didn’t need to fill many holes, but made smart choices, choosing to flesh out their already strong roster.
BC – B+
After a massive pick swap with Toronto, BC had nine picks to try to re-tool their team in an effort to keep up with the rest of the West. The biggest problem I saw with BC’s draft is their first pick. The rest of their board looks good, but to draft a 26 year old guy who still has one year of NCAA eligibility is a bit of a stretch.
Saskatchewan – B
With only four picks, the Riders didn’t have a lot to work with, but they were able to swing a trade for the first overall pick to get the player they wanted in Shomari Williams, without giving up their season to do so. The downside to their draft day was the number of picks between their third and fourth pick, but since this was a rather deep draft it shouldn’t hurt them. Their tendency to go for home grown talent over the best player at the position is liable to hurt more than only having four picks.
Hamilton – B-
Hamilton had a strong showing last year, with a relatively young team and thus could afford to make trades to drop back a few places and still get the guys they wanted. Looking at the guys they picked up, they should have another good year in 2010.
Winnipeg – C+
Winnipeg had a solid draft, but failed to grab anyone that stands out from the crowd. Given the reaction in several fan forums, I’m not the only one who feels that way.
Edmonton – C
Edmonton, like Winnipeg, picked up a few good players and addressed their needs on the defensive line and at safety. Moving up to sixth overall for Bulcke and 12th overall for Borhot were reaches on both counts.
Calgary – C
Most projections had Calgary choosing P/K Rob Maver in the first round, even though they had more pressing needs. The upside is that Maver was the best kicker in the draft and likely wouldn’t have fallen to them in the second round.
