The 2018 CFL came and went on Thursday night with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats making the biggest splash of the nine teams. The highlight of the night for Hamilton wasn’t a single pick, but a collective effort to draft players who can make the team better come 2018. Two first round picks for Hamilton set the precedent of drafting the best player available and with that, got talented draft picks. Including:
The night started with the much-anticipated first overall selection of Wide Receiver Mark Chapman from the University of Central Michigan. Chapman expressed his excitement saying that “It feels amazing…just seeing the facility and it being close to home it just feels like everything fits in Hamilton”. The Chapman name looks to make another impression in TigerTown as Mark’s brother Jarett got a chance to dawn the Gold and Black. The Tiger-Cat franchise holds a special place in Mark’s heart “it feels good…I got some live experience when I talked to him and he said it was a great program and great people”.
When players translate form the American game to the Canadian, some players can get lost in the transformation process. But, Chapman is embarrassing this new career change “With the way coach (June Jones) runs his team in Hamilton, I think I fit well in the run and shoot offence… there’s a little more wiggle room for me”. There is no question that given space, Chapman can be a threat both in the deep ball and in the screen game as well.
Hamilton bench boss, June Jones, is excited with the selection of Chapman and his ability to play at the CFL level. “He’s got great catching ability, he’s smart, and he reminds me of some players I’ve had in the NFL”. With the exposure and level of competitiveness Chapman faced in the states, making the move up north with Jones at the helm will make life a lot easier in the Hammer for Chapman.
Along with addressing the Wide Receiver position in the first round, the Tiger-Cats selected Offensive lineman Darius Ciraco from the University of Alberta. With the departure of Ryan Bomben in the trade with the Montreal Alouettes, Ciraco comes to the organization with a chance to compete for a role with the team.
Head Coach June Jones spoke about the importance of drafting a big man up front “we lucked out because he’s a guard and a centre. And any time you can get a guy who can play both positions, its a real positive”. The attraction Hamilton had for Ciraco was very real as Jones noted that they had him ranked very high on their draft board.
Beyond the first round is where Hamilton bolstered their roster and added key pieces that can shift the narrative of the franchise. Second round selections were started off with the selection of star defensive back in Jackson Bennett. Later in the round, Hamilton addressed their defensive line position with adding another Dino in Brett Wade.
Bennett, is a 2016-2017 Second Team All-Star OUA, 2017-2018 Outstanding Stand-Up Defensive Player, OUA 2017-2018 First Team All-Star OUA, and 2017-2018 Second Team All-Canadian U SPORTS. Bennett’s awards reflect the excellent corner that he is as in 2017 he amounted 59 tackles and 3 interceptions in 8 games for the Gee Gee’s.
In Hamilton’s lone fourth and fifth round selections brought in two receivers in Marcus Davis from UBC and Justin Buren from Simon Fraser. These two picks strengthening Hamilton’s depth chart. The addition of both Chapman and Davis brings a fresh atmosphere along with a youthful presence to the Ticats offence.
Justin Buren (81) during the CFL Combine at the Axworthy Health & RecPlex Centre in Winnipeg MB, Sunday, March 25, 2018 (Photo: Johany Jutras)
With the 44th overall in the 6th round, Hamilton selected Michael Moore from Queen’s University. Moore started in eight games for the Gales in the Linebacker position making 44 tackles and a single sack.
Two picks 4 teams apart in the 8th round at 62 and 67 caped off Hamilton’s night. With the 62nd pick, Hamilton selected Joel Van Pelt and with the 67th, Nicholas Parisotto. With Hamilton selecting back to back defensive players in Van Pelt (OL) and Parisotto (DB) helped add to the stockpile of game ready personal Hamilton had on their draft board.
Post draft was a celebration of sorts with assistant GM Drew Allemang “we were definitely excited with all of our picks. And we gained some players who can come in and compete with the players we already have”
Hamilton seemed to have a genuine interest in the products coming out of the University of Calgary. Allemang noted that “the University of Calgary has been a good Football team for a number of years and have some good talent”. And the Ticats scooped up that talent as Hamilton made Tiger-Cats out of three Dino’s in Ciraco, Brett, and Van Pelt.
The CFL draft can be a real hit or miss for teams. But with the drafting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats did last night, it is without question that their roster got better from the bottom up. Coach June Jones and Drew Allemang made decisions last night that not only drafted excellent players but excellent people who will fit right in, in TigerTown.