CFL: Heenan goes #1 to Riders but No Marauders Picked in Draft

As expected, Ben Heenan was the first overall selection in the 2012 CFL Draft but that was just one story on a day of intrigue. Al Dannity looks back on an eventful afternoon.

The right call
There was no mystery to the #1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Jim Hopson, president of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, revealed yesterday that the Riders would select Ben Heenan at the top of the draft. Picking a talented product out of the University of Saskatchewan made sense on multiple levels. Heenan, a 310 pound offensive lineman, is a safe pick and one that will go over well with Rider nation. The failure of the Riders to use the pick to address the defensive line will irk some but with Tyrone Crawford being selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the NFL Draft, the Riders had to go with the best available player. In the end nobody risked a pick on Crawford, with all eight teams electing to wait and see if he makes it through training camp with the Cowboys.

Every day I’m shufflin’
Joe LaTengo covered the BC Lions move up to the #2 pick yesterday and that move set off a chain reaction throughout the Draft. The biggest impact was felt by Shamawd Chambers. With a run on big men in the early picks, the Wilfrid-Laurier wide receiver fell to the #6 overall pick, where he was drafted by the Eskimos. This was a savvy piece of business by Edmonton who managed to trade out of the #2 slot and still land the second best player on the board.

The Lions didn’t stop focussing on big men after swapping picks with the Eskimos. After nabbing Westerman, BC added a big presence to their offensive line in the shape of Kirby Fabien, and then added yet another in Round 3 by drafting Matthew Norman.

No joy for Marauders
The McMaster Marauders lifted the Vanier Cup in 2011 but had nothing to show for their efforts at the end of the 2012 Draft. Quarterback Kyle Quinlan was the most prominent Marauder overlooked. He was invited to training camp with the Tiger Cats last year but, after missing out on being picked, will return to McMaster for his final year of CIS eligibility. Offensive lineman Jason Medeiros and receiver Brad Fochesato were also seen as possible draftees out of that championship team but, like Quinlan, they didn’t hear their names called.

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