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.

Round One

Pick

Team

Selection

Trade Details

1

2

3

-

4

5

6

7

Round Two

Pick

Team

Selection

Trade Details

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

Round Three

Pick

Team

Selection

Trade Details

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

Round Four

Pick

Team

Selection

Trade Details

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

Round Five

Pick

Team

Selection

Trade Details

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

Round Six

Pick

Team

Selection

Trade Details

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

[1] Toronto traded the 1st overall pick along with the 8th overall to Saskatchewan for the 2nd and 4th overall pick and veteran P/K Jamie Boreham.

[2] BC traded the 3rd, 18th, 26th, and 30th overall picks to Toronto for the 4th, 20th, 24th, and 25th with the promise that Toronto wouldn’t draft WR Shawn Gore.

[3] Hamilton forfeited their first round pick by selecting OL Zac Carlson in the 2009 Complementary Draft.

[4] Edmonton traded the 9th and 22nd picks overall to Winnipeg to move up to the 6th overall pick

[5] Edmonton traded the 19th and 27th overall picks to Hamilton for the 12th overall pick.

The Argonauts have already dipped into the free agency pool, signing cornerback Bryon Parker from the Edmonton Eskimos and offensive lineman Cedric Gagne-Marcoux from the Hamilton Tiger Cats

Parker has spent most of his career in Toronto, making brief stops in the NFL and with the Eskimos last season. In his time with Toronto, the Tulane product has recorded 18 interceptions and six touchdowns. Marcoux has been a lineman with the Tiger Cats since 2006.

Toronto has also been active in re-signing their players. The club has reached deals with receiver P.K. Sam (884 career receiving yards), linebacker Raymond Fontaine (69 career special teams tackles) and receiver Obed Cetoute (461 career receiving yards).

Other Signings

It has been reported that the B.C. Lions have signed coveted defensive lineman Keron Williams. Williams has had two breakout seasons in a row with the Montreal Alouettes, recording 18 sacks and 71 tackles.

A big name free agent is off the market, as receiver Kerry Watkins has reached a deal contract extension with the Montreal Alouettes. Many believed Watkins would be a coveted free agent this off-season. Watkins has 6,066 career receiving yards and was part of Montreal’s Grey Cup team last season.

The Alouettes also re-signed full back Kerry Carter and defensive lineman Jermaine McElveen. Carter scored a pair of touchdowns for Montreal last season, while McElveen has three career sacks and should fill in for the possibly departed Keron Williams.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have re-signed a handful of players. In the biggest move, the Riders have extended the contract of Tad Kornegay. The linebacker had a breakout season in 2009, recording 74 tackles and earning a West Division all-star selection. The team has brought back long snapper Jocelyn Frenette for his ninth season with the club, running back Stu Foord (297 career yards), fullback Chris Szarka (1,682 career rushing yards) and offensive lineman Marc Parenteau.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have re-signed receiver Aaron Hargreaves. Hargreaves has 142 yards last season in his second year in the league.

This just in… Hamilton and Edmonton have made a huge trade that saw the Eskimos send receiver Maurice Mann to the Tiger Cats for defensive back Chris Thompson. Mann had a breakout season in 2009. He was named an all-star and had nearly 1,000 yards receiving. Thompson was an all-star in 2008, and has 11 career interceptions. This will be his second stint Edmonton.
Check back for updates…