University of Calgary twin brothers rank high on CFL scouting bureau list | The Canadian News

Jalen Philpot earned the family bragging rights on Thursday.

The University of Calgary wide receiver was ranked No. 2 on the CFL Scouting Bureau’s winter list of the top 20 prospects for the 2022 draft. His twin brother, Tyson, also a Dinos wide receiver, was No. 5. .

Both made significant jumps, as Jalen Philpot took seventh place in the top rankings last fall, while Tyson Philpot took fifteenth place.

“I think maybe I have a superior lead just based on the 2019 season and Tyson only played two regular-season games because of injury, and then he later made the playoffs,” Jalen Philpot told reporters during a video conference call.

“I think we’re interchangeable, for sure, and Tyson is (deadly) eager to show everyone at the (CFL) combine (March 24-27) that there’s not a huge difference between us.”

Tyson Philpot was willing to support his brother, at least this time.

“I appreciate Jalen’s words, but he has the No. 2 position, so I’ll give him my respect,” he said. “But I definitely think we’re pretty close in position and skills.

“I would say there are a few things that separate us, he’s in the slot and I’m in the wide receiver position. The year I missed is definitely getting to me, but I’ll show it to everyone for sure.”

Ottawa’s Jesse Luketa, a linebacker at Penn State, was No. 1, up from No. 4 last fall. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound Luketa has recorded 53 tackles (30 solo), four tackles for a loss and an interception he returned for a TD this season.

READ MORE: Ottawa native Jesse Luketa tops CFL scouting bureau top 20 prospects list

Luketa has been selected to participate in both the ’22 Senior Bowl and the NFL Combine.

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Enock Makonzo of Lachine, Que., a defensive back at Coastal Carolina, moved up three spots to third overall while Syracuse linebacker Tyrell Richard, of Brampton, Ont., dropped two spots to fourth after not playing this year.

The rest of the top 10 prospects, starting at No. 6, include: Waterloo quarterback Tre Ford; western defensive lineman Deionte Knight, Mustangs offensive lineman Zack Fry; Waterloo defensive back Tyrell Ford (Tre Ford’s twin brother); and Saskatchewan offensive lineman Noah Zerr.

The scouting office consists of CFL player personnel directors, general managers, and scouts. It publishes its prospect rankings annually in the fall, winter, and spring editions.

Jalen Philpot had 35 receptions for 715 yards (20.4-yard average) with three touchdowns in 2021, earning All-Canadian first-team honors for the second year in a row. During three seasons in Calgary, he has 113 receptions for 1,889 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Tyson Philpot had 41 receptions for 746 yards and a U Sports-leading nine touchdowns on his way to being named Canada West’s best player. He was also a first-team All-Canadian and has 77 receptions for 1,574 yards and 14 touchdowns in 16 career games at Calgary.

Both eight-foot-tall Delta, BC natives, the Philpots certainly have honest football acumen. His father, Cory, was a CFL running back with BC (1993-97) and Winnipeg (1999-2000), winning a Gray Cup with the Lions in ’94.

Cory Philpot also coached his sons early in their football careers. In fact, the brothers have been teammates throughout their time on the field and while they would love to play together professionally, they would also like to blaze trails of their own.

“I would love to look across the field and see Tyson there and say, ‘I’m going to beat you in this game,’ and just have that friendly rivalry game,” Jalen Philpot said. “We would love to play together but it wouldn’t hurt if we parted ways.

“We’re super close…if we were both in training camp, we’d definitely be facetiming and talking every day. We can talk about anything between us.”

But make no mistake, the Philpots are very, very competitive. Always has been.

“I think I’m the best Madden player in Western Canada,” said Tyson Philpot.

Added Jalen Philpot: “I think Tyson has had me a little bit in school, his grades have been a little bit better… video games for sure, we’re super competitive. I’ll give him Madden but I’ll beat him in NBA 2K so he’s tradable. But I also think that’s what helped us get to where we are in our careers, just because we’re constantly pushing each other. If I see Tyson doing really well at something, I’ll look at myself and say, ‘I want to do better than him.’

Knight broke into the top 10 after not making the list last fall. The 6-foot-4, 275-pound native of Ajax, Ontario had 52 tackles (17 solo), 13 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, two forced fumbles for the Vanier Cup Western champion.

“Obviously it would have been nice to be on the list last time,” Knight said. “I just took that as a challenge to myself to get better and sure enough, I was able to have a pretty good year and help my team to a national championship after a year of pandemic.

“It was definitely the most memorable year of my life and I am very happy that I was able to share it with an incredible team and incredible coaching staff.”

But Knight’s season is not over. He will be the only Canadian to participate in the East-West Shrine Bowl on February 3 in Las Vegas.

“The mental aspect is definitely the part of my game that I’ve focused on the most this last month,” Knight said. “Obviously staying flexible and fast have also been my top priorities in preparing for this game because the type of athletes I’m going to be up against are going to be the best athletes in the world.”