January 18, 2022

Hogan: A look at 10 Negotiation List Players

#21 Ole Miss vs #11 Georgia on Sept. 24, 2016 at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, MS. Photo by Petre Thomas Chad Kelly, (10), QB, Senior, Buffalo, N.Y.

It was a list that was released during the last couple of shopping days before Christmas, so it may have been lost in the shuffle. The CFL released a list of 10 players from each team’s negotiation list. Each CFL team has a list of 45 players whose rights are exclusively held by that team.

In December 2020 the Argos public list included three current players; left tackle Dejon Allen and defensive backs Treston Decoud and Tavarus McFadden. Quarterback Kelly Bryant was also with the team for a short period.

Here is the list of players that was recently made public and a reminder, the negotiation list is fluid and changes on a regular basis.

Britain Covey: Wide receiver, Utah

Covey just completed his fifth season at Utah – he started three games in his junior season before redshirting. He’s an older college player (24) as he missed two years after his freshman season to complete a Latter-day Saints mission in Chile. Covey led the Utes this year with 49 catches. He’s best suited to play in the slot but will catch your eye as a returner. He certainly did that in this year’s Rose Bowl when he returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown against Ohio State. He had two punt returns for TDs this year and ranked third in the NCAA with an average of 14.7 yards per punt return. At 5’8” his height may hurt his NFL draft aspirations, though ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him listed as the fourth-highest returner available.

Willie Harvey Jr.: Linebacker, Iowa State

Harvey’s best attribute is his lateral movement, as he’s capable of covering sideline to sideline. He could be used as either a middle or weak-side linebacker.

The 5’11” 230-pound Iowa State product was signed by the Browns as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and was just waived on January 8. He played four games with Cleveland.

Brown played all three linebacker spots at Iowa State. He’s currently a free agent.

Hendon Hooker: Quarterback, Tennessee

He’s a starting quarterback at a top school in a Power Five conference, which should give you an indication of his pedigree. The 6’4”, 218-pound redshirt senior is coming off a tremendous season with the Vols where he threw for just under 3,000 yards and even more impressively finished with 31 touchdown passes against just 3 interceptions. He put an exclamation point at the end of his season with a 378-yard, 5-TD performance in the Music City Bowl against Purdue.

Hooker spent the first three seasons of his NCAA career – one of which was as a redshirt freshman – at Virginia Tech. He was recruited as a run-first type of quarterback who has taken positive strides as a passer. He’s a scrambler with dynamic running ability built to play on a big field.

He has yet to declare whether he will enter the NFL Draft this year or return for his true senior season. He would be considered a late-round prospect should he enter the 2022 draft.

Jonathan Hubbard: Offensive lineman, Northwestern State

In some ways, Hubbard will remind you of Dejon Allen. He’s solid technically, but at 6’ 4“, 313 pounds, he’s considered too small to play tackle at the NFL level.

Teams took note of his talent and tried to move him inside. He signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. Hubbard was released in August 2021 and then immediately signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was released by the Bucs September 30.

He’s athletic, physical, and seems tailor-made to play in the CFL.

Chad Kelly:  Quarterback, Mississippi

Kelly’s rights were acquired in the October 26 trade that sent fellow quarterback Nick Arbuckle to Edmonton. The Argos also received what turned out to be the 10th overall pick in this year’s draft. Kelly is known for a couple of things; he’s the nephew of Buffalo Bills Hall-of-Fame quarterback Jim Kelly, and he was also mentioned a few times in the first season of the Netflix series Last Chance U as the quarterback that had just transferred from EMCC to Ole Miss. In his two seasons with the Rebels he passed for 6,800 yards and 50 TDs.

He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the 7th round (253rd overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft, making him “Mr. Irrelevant” as the final person chosen in the draft. He was waived in 2018 and signed by the Indianapolis Colts, where he would spend the 2019 season.

Kelly has a strong arm, quick feet, and has the ability to improvise. He’s currently a free agent.

Javon Leake: Running back, Maryland

An extremely dynamic back who is equally adept at rushing the football and returning kicks. He was the Big-10 Return Specialist of the Year in 2019, also getting an Honourable Mention at running back. He was the first player ever named the conference’s Offensive Player and Special Teams Player of the Week in the same week.

The 6’0” 205-pound Leake signed with the New York Giants as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. After being released he was signed by Washington and then Detroit who released him in August. He is currently a free agent.

Ledarius Mack: Defensive lineman, Buffalo

A linebacker with the Chicago Bears, Mack projects as a defensive end on this side of the border.

He’s an interesting story as he didn’t play football in high school because his school didn’t have a team. He started playing at ASA College before transferring to the University of Buffalo, where he was named Second Team All-MAC defensive end as a senior.

The 25-year-old was on this list a year ago but spent the 2020 season on the Chicago Bears practice roster. He made his NFL debut this year and dressed for three games, recording three tackles.

As a Bear, Mack gets the chance to play with his older brother Khalil.

Jachai Polite: Defensive lineman, Florida

Polite knows how to do one thing exceptionally well; get to the quarterback. The 6’3”, 260-pounder is far from being a one-dimensional player though. The edge rusher was a third-round pick by the New York Jets in the 2019 NFL Draft and has also spend time with the Seahawks and most recently Rams, for whom he played 11 games in 2020.

In his junior and final season with the Florida Gators, he had 11 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss. He also forced 6 fumbles that year, most in the NCAA.

He’s currently a free agent.

Shedeur Sanders: Quarterback, Jackson State

This is perhaps the most interesting name on the list. He had a great year as a freshman in 2021, passing for 3,231 yards with 30 touchdowns and 8 interceptions. He also got a chance to play for a team where his father is the head coach, as Shedeur’s dad is Deion Sanders, the Hall-of-Fame cornerback. As mentioned, the 6’2” QB just completed his freshman season and is a long way from turning pro, but he’ll be fun to keep an eye on, especially with the arrival this season of receiver Travis Hunter, a cornerback/receiver ranked as the best high-school player in the country. Hunter stunned the football work in mid-December by committing to Jackson State after originally announcing he was heading to Florida State. Another 5-star receiving prospect, Kevin Coleman, committed to the program in early January.

Bo Scarbrough: Running back, Alabama

Selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the 7th round of the 2018 NFL Draft. He bounced around the NFL with stops in Jacksonville, Seattle, Detroit, Seattle again, and finally Las Vegas, where he was released in August, 2021. He started a total of 5 NFL games, all with the Lions. A big, physical downhill runner with the cache of being a back at ‘Bama, he rushed for over 1,500 and 20 TDs in his three seasons there before declaring for the NFL Draft.

Should he eventually make his way to Toronto he may have to work on the spelling of his last name. Scarbrough is currently a free agent.