The annual C-F-L Draft will be held Thursday night via virtual means.
Calgary has the first overall pick while the Saskatchewan Roughriders hold the seventh overall selection.
As for who among the U of S Huskies might be taken, head coach Scott Flory pointed to the five players who took part in last year’s East-West all-star game as possibilities…offensive linemen Matt Riley and Nick Summach, defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly plus receivers Sam Baker and Colton Klassen. He said more Dogs, beyond those five, are hindered in having their names called by the lack of a regional combine that was cancelled just before it was to be held by COVID-19 concerns.
Meanwhile, Flory and the other five Canada West Conference football head coaches released a list of 12 players they feel are the best prospects for the Draft. That dozen included four Huskies…second-ranked Riley, No. 4 Dheilly, Summach right behind in fifth spot and Klassen is rated seventh amongst Canada West hopefuls.
Thursday’s C-F-L Draft is set to run eight rounds. The Riders have no picks in the second or third round, but have two selections in the fourth. Following is the news release from the Huskies and the Canada West Conference with the coaches’ rankings…..
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 29, 2020
Huskies place four on 2020 CW CFL Draft Rankings
Huskie Athletics with files from CW Communications
EDMONTON – A total of four members of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies football team were ranked among the 12 best Canadian Football League Draft prospects in Western Canada today, as voted on by Canada West’s six head coaches. Alberta Golden Bears offensive lineman and newly inked Indianapolis Colt Carter O’Donnell is the top-ranked Canada West prospect. O’Donnell sits atop the annual rankings, which were released Wednesday ahead of Thursday night’s CFL Draft. The six-foot-six, 315-pound O’Donnell was a first-team All-Canadian in 2019 and participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in Florida, where he garnered interest from NFL teams. After going undrafted in last week’s NFL Draft, O’Donnell immediately signed a deal with Indianapolis. The fourth-year Education student was the lone CW player in the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings released earlier this month, and was the top-ranked U SPORTS player coming in at No. 3 on the 20-player list. Lineman dominated the CW rankings, including a trio of Saskatchewan Huskies. Offensive linemen Mattland Riley (No. 2) and Nick Summach (No. 5), along with defensive lineman Nicholas Dheilly (No. 4) all earned respect from conference coaches. Both Riley and Dheilly were conference all-stars in 2019, with Riley also earning All-Canadian status for the second year in a row. Rounding out the top five was Manitoba Bisons defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock. A pair of CW all-star receivers slot in at No. 6 and 7 respectively, as Manitoba’s Macho Bockru and Saskatchewan’s Colton Klassen were part of a logjam in the middle of the rankings which saw four players earn 39 points. A pair of Huskies were selected in last year’s draft, with 2019 CW Most Outstanding Lineman Evan Machibroda going to the Edmonton Eskimos and linebacker Ben Whiting being selected by the Montreal Alouettes. In total 13 Huskies have heard their name called on draft day since the 2010 CFL Draft. A total of 17 CW players were selected in last year’s CFL Draft, including former UBC Thunderbird and current Toronto Argonauts quarterback Michael O’Connor (Round 3 / 20th overall). The 2020 CFL Draft is set for Thursday, April 30 at 6 p.m. MDT and can be seen live on TSN. 2020 CANADA WEST CFL PROSPECT RANKINGS
- OL – Carter O’Donnell / Alberta – 5 (unanimous)
- OL – Mattland Riley / Saskatchewan – 10
- DL – Brock Gowanlock / Manitoba – 21
- DL – Nicholas Dheilly / Saskatchewan – 24
- OL – Nicholas Summach / Saskatchewan – 28
- REC – Macho Bockru / Manitoba – 39
- REC – Colton Klassen / Saskatchewan – 39
- OL – Theren Churchill / Regina – 39
- LB – Aaron Chabaylo / Alberta – 39
- OL – Andrew Becker / Regina – 40
- OL – Ryan Wengelinski / Manitoba – 44
- OL – Spencer Roy / Calgary – 56
NOTE: First-place votes were worth 1-point, second-place 2 points etc. Ties were broken by the greater number of higher-placed votes.
