Edmonton is on the clock, with Ottawa selected second in the 2024 CFL draft

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If past history is any indication, it’s a good bet that the Ottawa Redblacks will select an offensive lineman with the second overall pick in the Canadian Football League draft on Tuesday night.

But let’s not go to the bank on that just yet either, because according to general manager Shawn Burke, he and his staff weren’t 100 percent decided on their pick less than 31 hours before the decision was made.

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“We’re getting to that point,” Burke said in a phone conversation Monday afternoon. “We postponed it until after the NFL draft (over the weekend), so we didn’t talk in circles and had more clarity. We’re going around now. “I think we’re close to who we’re going to decide (to take), but we still have a couple of minor things to go through.”

The Redblacks have selected offensive linemen with their first-round pick in each of Burke’s two years at the position.

In 2022 it was Ottawa’s Zack Pelehos, and in 2023 they took Fresno State’s Dontae Bull with the No. 1 overall pick.

This year’s class is once again loaded with big men who protect quarterbacks and open holes for running backs.

“There’s been a lot of talk that the O-line is definitely a good group this year,” Burke said. “There are some good receivers in the draft, and then I look at the linebacker types and it’s a good group, where there are some high-level guys.

“I think there are several groups that have pretty good talent, and then, like in all drafts, there are other groups that are maybe a little less so, where there are a couple of top-tier guys and then everything bottoms out from there. .

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“But overall, it’s a very good draft.”

Top players who almost certainly won’t be drafted early include the four Canadians who were selected by NFL teams over the weekend: Ajax OL Isaiah Adams (Arizona Cardinals, third round), Windsor WR Theo Johnson (New York Giants , fourth round), UBC tackle Giovanni Manu (Detroit Lions, fourth round) and Lethbridge TE Tanner McLachlan (Cincinnati Bengals, sixth round).

Others likely to be passed over with early picks on Tuesday are three players who signed with NFL teams after the draft. North Vancouver’s Theo Benedet, a tackle from UBC who was the top lineman in Canadian college football the past two years, was signed by the Chicago Bears, Toronto’s Kyle Hergel, an offensive lineman from Boston College, joined the New Orleans Saints, and Brampton’s Anim Dankwah, a Howard tackle, agreed to a deal with the Philadelphia Eagles.

There is much speculation that Edmonton will take linebacker Joel Dublanko out of Cincinnati with the first pick and that the Redblacks, who have the second pick in every round except the fourth (when they will have the sixth pick) and the fifth (when they have no picks) – will continue to make Laval wide receiver Kevin Mital the second option.

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However, don’t be surprised if the Redblacks go in a different direction.

“We always base our draft on our board,” Burke said. “I think if you get too hung up on needs instead of the best players, you get into trouble. So we will look at our board of directors and make decisions based on that.”

Likely on Ottawa’s radar are offensive linemen Gabe Wallace (Buffalo) and Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay (Laval).

“The reality is, that’s where a good portion of our Canadians play,” Burke said of the O-Line. “We’ve been trying to start four Canadian offensive linemen. We have selected three in the last two years with very high selections and that gives us the possibility of looking for other positions (for the Americans). “Then we’ll see what happens.”

This season will be important for both Bull, whose progression was limited in 2023 as he was coming off a broken leg that interrupted his college career, and Pelehos, the Gananoque product who played in 14 games last season.

“By not having an offseason, it prevents you from being able to do the things you want to do as an athlete to prepare for the season,” Burke said. “So it was a learning season for (Bull). We believe that he has a very high level of talent and there are some things that we have challenged him to improve and be a better professional, but we are excited to see him reach the second season.

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“(Pelehos) plays the same position as Bull and we are trying to develop that position, right tackle, as a Canadian starting position so that we can start with four on the offensive line. Zach will compete with Dontae and some Americans in that spot. Both Dontae and Zach also have the ability to play guard. I could see one of them starting, if we decided to go with the Canadian tackle, and the other as a backup offensive lineman to start. “They won’t beat the guards we have, but they can be the sixth man on our roster.”

Meanwhile, Tuesday night is important for Chad Hudson, the Redblacks’ director of Canadian scouting and analytics, as well as the rest of the scouts, coaches and, of course, Burke.

“It’s the culmination of a lot of work,” Burke said. “First for Chad, (whose job is) 365 days a year. Legitimately the day after the draft, he will drive to Waterloo to go East-West and focus on next year’s draft. He does a lot of legwork for us and the coaches. The rest of the scouts and I participated in the second half of the draft process and put in a lot of time, effort and discussion.

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“The reality is that the draft is the lifeblood of your Canadian football team’s ecosystem, so it’s an exciting time. I think all nine teams will come out of the draft and think they did very well, they hit it out of the park. We have to see the reality in the next two to four years. Our expectations are for progression from last year’s draft (selections). “We are excited to see last year’s draft picks and their leaps this year and then we are excited to welcome a new generation this year.”

The Redblacks also have the second pick in each round of the two-round Global Draft, which begins at 11 a.m. Tuesday.

Last year they had the first overall pick and selected Blessman Ta’ala, a Hawaii alumnus and American Samoa-born defensive lineman who had six tackles and two sacks while dressing for 12 games.

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