CFL Scouting Bureau: McGill’s Duvernay-Tardif still No. 1 prospect, 13 CIS players on Top 15 list

Photo credit Yan Doublet

OTTAWA (CIS) – Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, an offensive tackle from McGill University, is still the number one prospect for the 2014 CFL Canadian Draft.

The CFL’s Scouting Bureau released its second Top 15 list of the season on Tuesday. Duvernay-Tardif, who was also voted No. 1 back on Sept. 11, remains atop the ranking which includes – like last fall – no less than 13 CIS players along with two members of the NCAA’s Simon Fraser Clan.

Duvernay-Tardif added a number of honours to his impressive resume at the end of the 2013 CIS campaign, his fourth with the Redmen. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound medical student was named a first-team all-Canadian for the second straight year, received the J.P. Metras Trophy as the country’s top down lineman, was the RSEQ conference nominee for the Russ Jackson Award (football, academics & citizenship) and, last but not least, was selected as a Top Eight Academic All-Canadian out of over 11,000 CIS student athletes.

Last month, Duvernay-Tardif was one of two CIS standouts invited to the 89th edition of the prestigious East-West Shrine Game, the longest running university all-star game in the United States, which is set for this Saturday at Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg, Florida. He will be accompanied by University of Manitoba defensive tackle Evan Gill, who is now considered the sixth best prospect for this spring’s draft after being left off the CFL Scouting Bureau list in September.

Other CIS players included on the January list are Laval offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu (No. 2 / up two positions), Montreal offensive lineman David Foucault (No. 3 / no change), St. Francis Xavier wide receiver Devon Bailey (No. 4 / down two), Western linebacker Beau Landry (No. 7 / down one), Queen’s defensive back Andrew Lue (No. 8 / no change), Manitoba running back Anthony Coombs (No. 9 / previously unranked), Concordia linebacker Max Caron (No. 10 / down three), Queen’s linebacker Sam Sabourin (No. 12 / down three), Laval defensive back Adam Thibault (No. 13 / down eight), Queen’s defensive lineman Derek Wiggan (No. 14 / down four) and Western defensive lineman Dylan Ainsworth (No. 15 / previously unranked).

Last May, University of Calgary defensive tackle Linden Gaydosh became the seventh CIS player in as many years – and the 11th in the past 14 years - to be selected first overall in the CFL Draft when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats called his name at No. 1. He had been ranked second, third and third on the three Scouting Bureau lists of 2012-13.

The 15 players who were on the winter list a year ago ended up being selected in the draft, including seven in the first round.

The CFL’s Scouting Bureau is comprised of CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.

CFL release: http://cfl.ca/article/cfl-scouting-bureau-releases-september-2013-rankings

CFL SCOUTING BUREAU JANUARY 14, 2014 LIST:

Rank - Name - University - Hometown - Pos. - Ht. - Wt. - Prev. 

1. Laurent Duvernay-Tardif McGill  St. Hilaire, Que.  OL 6-5 315 (1)
2. Pierre Lavertu  Laval  Quebec City, Que. OL 6-3 300 (4)
3. David Foucault  Montreal LaSalle, Que.  OL 6-8 320 (3)
4. Devon Bailey   StFX  Mississauga, Ont. WR 6-5 202 (2)
5. Matthias Goossen  Simon Fraser Richmond, B.C.  OL 6-4 294 (15)
6. Evan Gill   Manitoba Winnipeg, Man.  DL 6-3 280 (NR)
7. Beau Landry   Western Kitchener, Ont.  LB 5-11 201 (6)
8. Andrew Lue   Queen’s Markham, Ont.  DB 6-2 210 (8)
9. Anthony Coombs  Manitoba Winnipeg, Man.  RB 5-9 190 (NR) 
10. Max Caron   Concordia Kingston, Ont.  LB 6-2 213 (7)
11. Casey Chin   Simon Fraser Port Moody, B.C. LB 5-10 214 (12)
12. Sam Sabourin  Queen’s Stittsville, Ont.  LB 6-2 225 (9)
13. Adam Thibault  Laval  Quebec City, Que. DB 6-0 195 (5)
14. Derek Wiggan  Queen’s Toronto, Ont.  DL 6-1 254 (10)
15. Dylan Ainsworth  Western Delta, B.C.  DL 6-3 225 (NR)

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