The best element of any draft is the human interest stories that can be found in every round.
That small-school lineman who came out of nowhere to make a roster or the linebacker who exploded at the combine and suddenly finds himself on the field in a short yardage situation in the first month of the regular season.
I love the CFL Draft because it allows us to project ahead to what could be fascinating fits. It gives us hope for our respective teams and, most importantly, it introduces us to the next wave of talent.
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This will, of course, not be a full breakdown of how each rookie could potentially fit with a team’s pass blocking scheme. You will find all over the sports media landscape the individuals who will try to fake their way their draft analysis after dipping their toe in the collegiate football scene.
I don’t watch every U SPORTS football game nor am I grinding though all the tape of the top prospects. For that you go to individuals like Marshall Ferguson, who was excellent on TSN’s coverage of the 2024 CFL Draft, or Chris O’Leary, who has done a great job telling the stories of so many players selected this year. There are plenty of draft experts out there for all your rookie analysis needs.
What I like to do is wait for the dust to settle, survey the CFL landscape after defensive back Vincent Delisle out of Laval was the final selection of the draft and try to pinpoint some sneaky good picks. The players outside the first round who could wind up making an unexpected impact on their new team. Here are eight of those players.
DANIEL OKPOKO
DEFENSIVE LINE | 2ND ROUND | 11TH OVERALL | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Daniel Okpoko was selected by the REDBLACKS in the 2024 CFL Draft on Tuesday (San Diego State Athletics)
I’m always a sucker for the player that everyone goes nuts for during the draft. On the media side, the entire CFL on TSN crew was applauding the pick by Ottawa for taking a player that Marshall feels “can be a true star.”
Okpoko also took the award for the player who created the sincerest “we can’t believe he was still on the board” cliché line that every general manager is contractually obligated to say. Maybe I’m naïve, but I believe that Shawn Burke was genuinely surprised the former Aztec was available.
The REDBLACKS need help up front defensively after giving up 378 yards of offence last season. This is a nice landing spot for Okpoko, who can learn the ropes from fellow Canadian and a dude who’s been getting it done for nearly a decade in Cleyon Laing. I read that his future goals are to go full Jock Climie and pursue a career in law after his football days are done. My message to Okpoko is he must start working on some legal themed catchphrases after taking down the quarterback.
Something about “dispensing justice on the field” or “Fajardo you’ve been found guilty of holding onto the ball too long.” Okay, I admit these are exactly home run lines, I’m just spit balling here.
LUKE BRUBACHER
DEFENSIVE LINE | 2ND ROUND | 16TH OVERALL | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Important Note: I am going to try and stay away from players who will be getting extended looks by NFL teams and may find themselves on an NFL roster.
The 2023 second-team OUA All-Star for Wilfrid Laurier will be a part of the New Orleans Saints rookie camp so his Tiger-Cat career could be pushed back. From a football perspective, this pick by general manager Ed Hervey makes sense as only Edmonton and Saskatchewan had fewer sacks in 2023 and you can’t go wrong stockpiling your system with athletics pass rushers.
From a story perspective, I am all about following the journey of a near 250-pound defensive linemen with a good 40-time who didn’t start playing football until three years ago because they were too busy with boxing. While I am not rooting for excessive violence on the field, I am curious about Luke’s pass rush technique early on as he adjusts to CFL life and how many flags are thrown his way if he reverts make to his former athletic pursuit.
GABE WALLACE
OFFENSIVE LINE | 2ND ROUND | 17th OVERALL | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
I could wax on about positional versatility and how Gabe Wallace gives the Bombers flexibility as he played both left tackle and left guard with distinction at the University of Buffalo. My excitement over this selection is every draft needs a couple good maulers and Wallace at six-foot-six and nearly 350 pounds fits that bill. There is something so perfect about a lineman this large at some point opening holes for Brady Oliveira.
TYSON HERGOTT
DEFENSIVE LINE | 3RD ROUND | 24th OVERALL | TORONTO ARGONAUTS
How will Tyson Hergott fit into the Toronto Argonauts defence this season? (Andrew Mahon/CFL.ca)
Super productive 2023 year at Waterloo, Tyson took home the J.P. Metras Award as the OUA’s lineman of the year after finishing with 11 sacks for the Warriors. I don’t expect to see much from Hergott early on with Jake Ceresna, Shawn Oakman, and Folarin Orimolade all over the Argonauts defensive line.
However, with the free agency departures of Brandon Barlow and Dewayne Hendrix to Hamilton it was a wise move by Pinball and company to pick up three defensive linemen. Hergott is your classic all-effort player who would see plenty of single blocking with all that current talent soaking up some much attention of opposing offensive lines.
GEORGE IDOKO
DEFENSIVE LINE | 3RD ROUND | 28TH OVERALL | CALGARY STAMPEDERS
From an outsider perspective this pick makes a ton of sense when you consider the Stampeders lost a couple Canadian linemen in Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and Derek Wiggan, both of which played in every game for Calgary last year.
Idoko had the collegiate All-Star career you would expect for someone taken so high and has the measurables that at least give him a chance to stick with the pro team. What got my attention was his quote when asked by the website NFL Draft Diamond what he loves most about football. George said: “I love how honest it is and all the smoke and mirrors go away once the whistle blows and you just have to compete and at the end of the day it’s about what happens on the field and it’s a beautiful sport.”
How can you not root for a player with that sort of perspective?
MELIQUE STRAKER
LINEBACKER | 4TH ROUND | 32ND OVERALL | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Melique Straker joins the Roughriders after being selected in the fourth round of Tuesday’s CFL Draft (Arkansas State Athletics)
2023 was a rough year for the Roughriders defence after ranking at the bottom in total yards allowed and second last in rush defence. A torn ACL injury last year will mean the team’s second round pick Nick Wiebe won’t be counted on soon, but I wonder about the other linebacker they drafted.
Melique Straker was used all over the field during his days at Arkansas State and is going to a team with a new defensive-minded coach in Corey Mace. The most likely scenario is special teams duty early on. Melique is one of those prospects whose productive college career do not match his recent pre-draft numbers. There is diamond in the rough potential here.
JAHQUAN BLOOMFIELD
RECEIVER | 4TH ROUND | 35TH OVERALL | OTTAWA REDBLACKS
This is my hipster selection as the obvious choice would be the second overall pick of Nick Mardner, but this article is about identifying potential sleepers who could surprise.
With Nate Behar gone, the REDBLACKS aren’t exactly teaming with established productive National wide receivers. Let’s see what the local kid can do at training camp.
AJOU AJOU
RECEIVER | 7TH ROUND, 59TH OVERALL | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Who doesn’t love a good “mystery” pick near the end of the draft? Clearly Ajou has talent after starting his college career as a member of the Clemson Tigers. But his early football days then took him to South Florida and Garden City Community College in Kansas. This is someone who has known plenty of chaos in his life now trying to get into a sport that demands stability.
Ajou will have strong mentors in Saskatchewan, sharing a room with Samuel Emilus and Kian Schaffer-Baker. An ankle injury at the CFL Combine did not help his draft stock, but his size gives him a chance to stick with the Roughriders. This is a great low risk pick by Jeremy O’Day.
Maybe I’m just excited about someone from TSN bellowing out “Ajou Ajou” after he catches his first touchdown. Dare to dream.