The Saskatchewan Roughriders have brought a whopping 10 quarterbacks to mini-camp in Vero Beach, Florida, which began with a tryout camp on Saturday and features three days of team workouts through Tuesday.
Here’s a look at the 10 quarterbacks in camp.
Darian Durant
Age: 33
CFL experience: 11 seasons, 98 starts (54-43-1)
Where he spent 2015: On the Riders roster (mostly on the 6-game injured list)
Scouting report: Durant tore his Achilles in week one of the 2015 season, an injury that was a major factor in the team’s 3-15 season. At 33, there are questions about Durant’s health and durability (though initial reports are encouraging) and he’ll be learning a new system under offensive coordinator Stephen McAdoo, who came to Saskatchewan as part of the Chris Jones regime. Durant also re-worked his contract in the off-season and is now on a one-year deal: he’ll need to perform well if he’s to land another big pay day. Even with all those question marks and the wholesale front office and coaching changes, it’s hard to see a scenario where Durant isn’t the starter going into the season.
Brett Smith
Age: 23
CFL experience: 1 season, 18 games played, 8 starts.
Where he spent 2015: With the Riders.
Scouting report: Smith’s 2015 numbers don’t look too bad, given the team was something of train wreck: 63.4 completion percentage, 15 touchdowns against nine interceptions and 444 yards rushing on 57 carries (7.8 yards per attempt.) He did, however, surrender 35 sacks, going down on 13.5 per cent of his drop backs. A dual-threat guy, Smith has had some encouraging moments but opinions vary on whether he’s got what it takes to be a No. 1 guy in this league.
Dan LeFevour
Age: 29
CFL experience: 4 seasons, 44 games played, 4 starts
Where he spent 2015: Montreal Alouettes (mostly on the 6-game injured list)
Scouting report: If Dan LeFevour didn’t have bad luck, he’d have no luck at all. After serving as back up for most of two-plus seasons in Hamilton, LeFevour finally got a chance to start in 2014 after Zach Collaros went down and Jeremiah Masoli proved ineffective. He looked solid – and sometimes spectacular – before tearing a knee ligament in just his fourth start. After signing in Montreal for the 2015 campaign, LeFevour tore his shoulder in week one after coming in relief of Jonathan Crompton, again missing the remainder of the season. He signed with the upstart Major League Football in January, only to see the league cancel its inaugural season this month. LeFevour has shown plenty of potential as a dual-threat guy in his limited opportunities but health – obviously – is a concern.
B.J. Coleman
Age: 27
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: Arizona Rattlers on the Arena League.
Scouting report: At 6-foot-3, 230 pounds, Coleman is an NFL-style pocket passer with excellent arm strength who was drafted in the seventh round by the Green Bay Packers in 2012. Coleman was starting for the Rattlers in 2015 when he quit the team mid-season to “take an opportunity outside football” and he also left the Tennessee Volunteers after one season over frustrations with how the team was using him. He finished his college career at Tennessee-Chattanooga of the FCS. How quickly he can pick up the CFL game and how committed he is to football remain open questions as are his lack of mobility and accuracy (60.9 per cent his senior year, 51 per cent in the Arena League, 44.4 per cent in limited NFL season action.)
Jacob Huesman
Age: 23
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Scouting report: Huesman replaced the aforementioned Coleman as the starter for the Mocs and was a two-time All-American in three seasons as a starter. A legitimate dual-threat quarterback, Huesman owns the school record for rushing yards and is one of only four FCS quarterbacks with 40 rushing touchdowns (he had 43) and 40 passing TDs (64.) His completion rate of 67.3 also bodes well for the CFL game. Huesman was seen by some scouts as a potential NFL pick up as an undrafted free agent which makes his decision to try his luck in the CFL interesting.
Shane Austin
Age: 26
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: Cleveland Gladiators, Arena Football League
Scouting report: After three so-so years at the University of Hawaii (he earned a spot as a walk-on) Austin has three seasons of Arena ball under his belt, including a start in the 2014 Arena Bowl (he lost.) He has 61.8 per cent completion percentage in the pass-happy league. At 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, Austin is slightly undersized and does not appear to be particularly mobile. Still, he’s a guy that’s made the most of limited opportunities and continued to stay with the game.
David Watford
Age:22
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: Hampton University
Scouting report: Watford spent three uneven years at Virginia before transferring to Hampton for his senior season, where he threw for 2,088 yards and 21 touchdowns. At 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, Watford is another dual-threat guy who ran for 310 yards last season and ran a 4.56 at his pro day in March and actually ran some routes as a wide receiver.
Moses Skillon
Age: 24
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: Morgan State
Scouting report: Four years at Morgan State, with one-plus as the starter, Skillon is a big body – he’s 6-foot-5 – who can run (422 yards his senior season.) As with all FCS quarterbacks, his adjustment to the pro game will be a concern and his 52 per cent completion percentage in college is a red flag. And there appear to be very few – OK, zero – video highlights of his college football career.
Jameel Sewell
Age: 28
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: Nebraska Danger of the Indoor Football League.
Scouting report: Sewell is actually still playing in the IFL and was 11-for 22 with two TDs and three INTs in a win over the Billings Wolves on April 2. With good size (6-foot-3, 220 pounds) and decent speed, Sewell was the IFL MVP in 2013 and 2015. What kind of competition he’s been facing remains an open question, however, as the IFL is a tier below the Arena League and pays its players a maximum of $250 per game. And 28 is awfully late to start a pro career in the CFL.
Marquel Neasman
Age: Unknown
CFL experience: 0
Where he spent 2015: Not in football
Scouting report: Neasman appears to have played at the University of Central Florida, then Grand Valley State University, graduating in – I think – 2010. He does not appear to have played much football since then, though the above highlights are from the Professional Spring American Football League. Neasman is from Bradenton, about a three hour drive from where the camp is bring held in Vero Beach so… if he makes it training camp, it will be a hell of a story.
