Insider Talk: the ratio, positional draft needs, advice for prospects

Photo courtesy: CFL

Insider Talk is a weekly feature on 3DownNation that includes anonymous quotes from people around the CFL — players, coaches, personnel people, executives, agents, etc. — regarding the latest news around the league. It’s a combination of insight, analysis, rumours, and friendly gossip.

This week’s Insider Talk is full of discussion regarding the upcoming 2022 CFL Draft, the possibility of the ratio being changed under a new collective bargaining agreement, advice prospects should be given before the combine, future potential draft steals, and some feedback on this column.

Enjoy this week’s quotes and come back next week for another edition of Insider Talk.

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You’d be shocked how some of the people who are trying to dismantle the ratio behind the scenes aren’t Americans. They’re Canadians and some of them only played in this league because of the ratio.

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I think drafting solely based on positional needs is generally a bad idea but it’s especially bad this year. In a weak draft class, you have to take the most talented player each and every chance you get. There’s not many great players to begin with, so missing out on one of them because they don’t fit your ratio would be pretty short-sighted.

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The league put the national draft and the global draft on the same day, which already made for a long-ass day. Now the East-West Bowl is going on at the exact same time. I’d be fine with all that if our scouting department didn’t keep getting slashed but now there’s more work than ever and fewer people to do it. It sucks.

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I’m not married to the ratio, but I’ll say this: some of the best Canadians I’ve ever coached wouldn’t have made it out of their first training camp if it hadn’t been for the ratio.

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I was disappointed in the Philpots (twins Jalen and Tyson at the CFL Combine). Frankly, I thought they were better than what they showed. They haven’t improved since I watched them (at the University of Calgary) in 2019. The Ford brothers (quarterback Tre and defensive back Tyrell) looked way better now than when I saw them that same year.

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This draft class has a lot of long-term projects and most of them won’t pan out because that’s just the way things go. But there’s going to be at least one guy who gets taken in round five or six and years from now we’ll be saying, ‘Whoa, how’d that guy get taken there? What a steal!’

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The best advice I could give any prospect is to let your play do the talking. Look at (Texas State defensive back) Eric Sutton. He came into the combine with attitude and left with his tail between his legs.

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I appreciate your coverage of our league but I hate your insiders column. I’ll talk to you but don’t put anything I say in there. Actually, you can put that – put ‘I hate your insiders column.’ There you go. I’ve contributed.