Catching Up With The Ticats' 2017 Draft Class At The End Of Its Rookie Season (Part 2 of 3)
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had a successful 2017 Draft. Of the Ticats’ seven picks, four are currently on the active roster, and two are on the practice roster.
The Ticats have seen great value from their draft picks, all the way from first-round pick Connor McGough through to eighth-round pick Sean Thomas-Erlington.
It’s time to take a look back at the rookie season of the Ticats’ 2017 draft class as the year draws to a close.
Read Part One here.
Kay Okafor (OL)
2017 CFL Draft: 3rd Round, 21st Overall
University career: St. Francis Xavier University
Kay Okafor generated a great deal of attention after the Ticats picked him up in the third round of the 2017 CFL Draft. Okafor’s unique path to football certainly helped intensify the hype. Okafor was born in Enugu, Nigeria and had never heard of football until he immigrated to Canada in high school for better educational opportunities. He took up football when he got to St. Francis Xavier University and played defensive line throughout his collegiate career.
Many scouts believed Okafor had the greatest upside of any player in the draft. His limited football experience meant that he would be a project for whichever team drafted him. The Tiger-Cats snagged the 15th ranked prospect 21st overall, a steal for the spot.
CFL rookie season (to date): Status – Practice Roster
Everyone knew Okafor would be a project, but few saw the Ticats’ next move coming. The Ticats decided to convert Okafor from a defensive lineman to an offensive lineman. In hindsight, the decision made a lot of sense.
Okafor has an enormous frame. There was a lot of space on his body to add mass, and his remarkable mobility for his size, partially the result of his defensive line experience, makes him a perfect candidate to play on the outside offensive line. Okafor is the only national tackle on the Ticats’ roster. He has spent the season learning the new position and maturing as a football player.
“The biggest thing I’d say is that I have so much respect for offensive lineman since I switched,” said Okafor mid-way through the season. “You have to be mentally in check, like, the whole game. On defence you go off the movement of the offence. But with the offence, you have to know the count, know the play, and know what the defence is doing. So it’s just a whole new position.”
Okafor is starting to understand his new position with almost a full season of professional football under his belt.
“I’m starting to enjoy it actually,” he said. “You know the more reps I get at it, the more it just clicks, and I’m starting to have fun with it.”
Converting from one position to another is difficult, but Okafor welcomes it.
“It’s a challenge for sure, but that’s football: a challenge. So I appreciate it,” he said.
Future:
National tackles are at a premium in the CFL, and if Okafor is able to develop to his full potential, he could be a key piece for the Tiger-Cats in the future.
The Montreal Alouettes started five Canadian offensive linemen for a large part of the Calvillo-era. The ratio flexibility afforded by the Als’ all-Canadian offensive line contributed to the team’s dominance during that span.
Okafor could become a valuable player for the Ticats in the coming years if he continues to grow into his new position.
Justin Vaughn (DL)
2017 CFL Draft: 5th Round, 38th Overall
University career: Fordham University
Justin Vaughn was born in Hamilton, Ontario into a football family. His dad had an impressive collegiate career before playing for the Tiger-Cats in the 90s. The elder Vaughn was a running back and only dressed for one game in Hamilton, but decided to make the city his home. His son, Justin Vaughn, was the captain of Sir Allen MacNab Secondary School in Hamilton and played his way into a spot with the NCAA Division One Fordham Rams.
Vaughn had a great playing career at Fordham and was named Fordham’s defensive player of the year in 2016. He returned to his hometown when the Ticats drafted him in the fifth round of the 2017 CFL Draft.
CFL rookie season (to date): Status –Active Roster
Vaughn has been listed on the depth chart in every game for the Ticats so far this season, but coming into camp, he was unsure he could crack the lineup.
“I mean, honestly I was a little bit scared coming in, being a rookie, and getting a chance,” said Vaughn. “I got some playing time in some key games throughout the year, so playing as much as I have been is definitely a confidence booster. It allows me to know that I can play at this level; I was meant to play at this level.”
Vaughn was able to crack the roster almost immediately, but the pace of the game was still an adjustment.
“Oh man, it’s so much faster,” he said. “Everything happens in the blink of an eye. Just adjusting to the speed of the game and how everyone in every position is great. Coach Lolley says, ‘it doesn’t matter what they are, what they do; they’re professionals too. They get paid just like we do.’”
It came down to a simple concept for Vaughn.
“Everyone is great at what they do or else they wouldn’t be here,” he explains.
If he could return to the start of the season and give his former self a piece of advice, it would be the following:
“Just believe in yourself. If you weren’t meant to be here, you wouldn’t be here. Kent [Austin] saw something in you and drafted you for a reason, so keep your head up, and keep grinding no matter what happens.”
Future:
Maybe it’s because he plays with a home crowd advantage in the truest sense of the phrase, but Justin Vaughn is definitely making a home for himself in the CFL.
Next Up: Jacob Scarfone, Brett Golding, and Sean Thomas-Erlington…