By Jack Bedell,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Hammond, LA – This Mar. 12, Canada’s top 50 football prospects will have a chance to show off their abilities in front of CFL coaches and front office personnel at the CFL’s Evaluation Camp in preparation for the 2010 draft.
With well over 700 players eligible for this year’s draft, these players’ performances at E-Camp will be absolutely critical to their chances of being selected.
Out of the pack of athletes invited to Toronto for the tryout, several have ties to Quebec football. Here’s a quick look at the top five local players I’ll be keeping my eye on:
Cory Greenwood (6’2”, 235 lbs., LB, Concordia): 2009 CIS Defensive Player of the Year with great size and speed. Greenwood is a tackling machine capable of making an impact in the league quickly. He’ll be one of the stars of this E-Camp, guaranteed.
Christian Houle (6’3”, 240 lbs., LB, Montreal): A Conference All-Star and East-West Bowl participant, Houle is an every-down linebacker; strong against the run and more than quick enough to cover against the pass. With his natural agility and lateral quickness, he’ll be a solid special-teamer almost immediately.
Pascal Fils (5’8”, 211 lbs., RB, Sherbrooke): A QUFL All-Star, he led the CIS in rushing yards in 2009. Fils is a durable workhorse who can definitely play at the next level. Straight-ahead speed might be a concern in terms of his draft ranking, but he is still a quick back who’ll be a solid pick in this year’s draft.
Cory Watson (6’2”, 205 lbs., WR, Concordia): An excellent athlete with good quickness and exceptional strength for his size, Watson has the ability to move the chains working out of the slot and will catch what’s thrown to him – bank it.
Marc-Antoine Beaudoin-Cloutier (6’3”, 240 lbs., DE, Laval): An All-QUFL selection with plenty of upside, Beaudoin-Cloutier definitely has the goods to play at the next level. A lot will ride on his measureables at the combine, though, and on his ability to handle a size disadvantage against offensive tackles in the one-on-one drills.
This year’s CFL draft may not be as deep as in the recent past, but the top-end players are every bit as talented as ever, and catching a team’s eye might be more difficult at this year’s e-camp because of that fact. These five players, however, should come out of the weekend in great shape and headed toward bright futures in the CFL.
