CFL SCOUTING BUREAU: WINTER EDITION

National conference call with Bennett, Korte and Onyeka at 12pm; Nebraska offensive lineman David Knevel remains atop the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings as the top three keep their spots

TORONTO - The Canadian Football League (CFL) Scouting Bureau today published its second edition of the top 20 ranked prospects eligible for the 2018 CFL Draft. The first edition was released in September.

SCOUTING BUREAU RANKINGS CONFERENCE CALL DETAILS:

What: Teleconference with top prospects for the 2018 CFL Draft
When: Wednesday, December 13, 2017
12:00 pm ET
Call-In Number: 416.695.7806 / 1.866.696.5910
Passcode: 7939684#

On the Call:

Godfrey Onyeka (#6, DB, Laurier) - highest-rated U SPORTS player and highest-rated skilled position player.
Mark Korte (#12, OL, University of Alberta) - unrated in fall rankings, jump to #12
Jackson Bennett (#13, DB, uOttawa) - jump from #19 to #13

WINTER SCOUTING BUREAU RANKINGS
Rank	Name	Position	School	Hometown
1 (1)	David Knevel	OL	Nebraska	Brantford, ON
2 (2)	Trey Rutherford	OL	Connecticut	Markham, ON
3 (3)	Ryan Hunter	OL	Bowling Green	North Bay, ON
4 (6)	Peter Godber	OL	Rice	Toronto, ON
5 (10)	Julien Laurent	DL	Georgia State	Toronto, ON
6 (4)	Godfrey Onyeka	DB	Laurier	Brampton, ON
7 (12)	Rashaun Simonise	REC	Calgary/Okanagan	Vancouver, BC
8 (9)	Regis Cibasu	REC	Montreal	Kinshasa, Congo
9 (5)	Darius Ciraco	OL	Calgary	Burlington, ON
10 (-)	Mark Chapman	REC	Central Michigan	Port Huron, Michigan
11 (14)	Dakoda Shepley	OL	UBC	Windsor, ON
12 (-)	Mark Korte	OL	Alberta	Spruce Grove, AB
13 (19)	Jackson Bennett	DB	Ottawa	Cumberland, ON
14 (8)	Kene Onyeka	DL	Carleton	Brampton, ON
15 (13)	Andrew Pickett	OL	Guelph	Kitchener, ON
16 (15)	Alex Taylor	RB	Western	Winnipeg, MB
17 (20)	Nelkas Kwemo	LB	Queen’s	Montreal, QC
18 (16)	Ryan Sceviour	OL	Calgary	Calgary, AB
19 (11)	Chris Amoah	RB	Laval	Montreal, QC
20 (-)	David Brown	OL	Western	London, ON

TOP 5 PROSPECTS

Brampton native David Knevel remained in the #1 spot he occupied in September. The 6”9 senior at Nebraska has lots of experience as a starter at right tackle. He’s appeared in 31 games for the Cornhuskers, including eight in 2017.In 2016 he was named an Academic All-Big Ten.

Trey Rutherford also retains his spot, holding down the position of second. The Connecticut Husky started in all 12 games in 2017 on the offensive line, and has experience as a fullback during the 2015 season. The Markham, ON native helped UConn’s offence rush for 200 yards in seven separate games.

Bowling Green Falcons right tackle Ryan Hunter comes in third overall after starting all 12 games in 2016. Hunter, from North Bay, ON, helped the program get three of their players to 100+ yards in their last two games of 2016 for the first time in Bowling Green’s history.

Offensive lineman Peter Godber rose from sixth place to fourth after his senior year at Rice University. Godber has played 36 games in three years for the Owls, starting his most recent 23. The 6”3 Toronto, ON native has been a member of the C-USA Commissioner’s Honour Roll every year since 2014.

Georgia State’s Julien Laurent rose a striking five spots from tenth overall to round out the top five. The Dean’s List player from Toronto started nine games at nose guard, missing three due to injury. He collected a sack and 28 tackles in 2017, including a career-high eight in one game.

BY THE NUMBERS

The rankings include: ten offensive linemen, three receivers, two defensive linemen, two running backs, two defensive backs and one linebacker.

A total of 18 schools are represented on the list, with only two schools (Calgary and Western) having multiple players on the list.

2017 CFL Draft first overall selection Faith Ekakitie was ranked 11^th on the 2016 Winter Scouting Bureau.

Last year’s winter rankings saw 19 of 20 prospects selected in the CFL Draft, with five being selected in the first round.

The CFL Scouting Bureau releases its rankings three times each year: in September, December and April. The CFL’s Scouting Bureau is comprised of CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.