ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
TORONTO – Whether the draft class is as strong as any other in recent years is still up for anyone to debate. Argos GM & Head Coach Jim Barker stressed that the CFL Draft, especially this year’s, is a process like none other in sports.
“The Canadian Draft is so different,” Barker said on Thursday. “It’s not like any other draft. It’s not like the NHL Draft or the NFL Draft. You don’t go out and [simply] say ‘go get the best player’. There are all types of scenarios that you get in this draft you don’t get in any other draft, anywhere.”
In the CFL, teams need to consider where they pick and who is available, as well as some other unusual scenarios that can only be answered by the prospect himself. For example, Barker talked about a prospect’s willingness to wait for a tryout down south – keeping in mind the current labour dispute in the NFL. Also, the way a player and his agent gauge interest from the NFL is different for everyone.
Another unique attribute of the 2011 edition is the fact that one of the top 10 prospects, Vaughn Martin, is finally draft eligible in Canada – but he’s under contract with the San Diego Chargers.
Given all the moving parts, Barker insists that it is difficult to predict what is going to take place once you are on the clock, especially if you don’t hold any of the top three or four picks.
“You can have trades, all kinds of things happen and, who knows, we could end up with a pick in the first five,” Barker said. “You just don’t know what’s going to happen so you have to prepare for that. The way we do it is we align our list based on what we want top to bottom. The way it should work is when our pick comes, we take the available guy at the top of our list.”
Understanding the unpredictability, Barker and his staff are preparing the best way they can for a draft where they don’t pick until the second round (12th overall). As of Thursday, the Argos coaching staff and player personnel department have held four mock drafts and will hold another one on Friday as they prepare for Sunday’s event.