Danny Maciocia could be drafted ninth overall in the NFL draft every year and he wouldn’t complain because that pick belongs to the reigning Gray Cup champions. The Alouettes find themselves in a special position a few days before the draft and the general manager wants to take advantage of it.
Maciocia, like observers, considers the 2024 vintage to be one of the most interesting and promising in recent years. “It’s probably the best vintage since my return,” said the general manager of the team for the last four seasons, Friday morning, during a media scrum at the Olympic Stadium.
In his opinion, we owe this resurgence of Canadian talent to the years of the pandemic. Because of this period of chaos and uncertainty, most players had to sacrifice a season of their college career, which most of them returned to later.
Thus, the hopefuls are more mature and better equipped when they knock on the doors of the professional leagues.
Obviously, Maciocia did not want to reveal his game in front of the media pack. The Alouettes hold the ninth pick, the last of the first round, for Tuesday’s draft.
“A lot of people would like us to choose an offensive lineman,” said Maciocia, aware of the shortcomings and the dissatisfaction of the last campaign with regard to his offensive wall.
“But we also want some [de la profondeur] as receiver and marauder. If ever [Marc-Antoine] Dequoy falls in battle, he said, knocking twice on the wooden panel placed behind him, who is our replacement? »
Luck may smile on Maciocia, even at ninth place, because several quality players may still be available.
Bet on the right horse
This talented vintage in question highlights several Quebec players. Linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, receiver Kevin Mital, defensive back Benjamin Labrosse and offensive lineman Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay all have the potential to hear their names called in the first round.
PHOTO YAN DOUBLET, LE SOLEIL ARCHIVES
Kevin Mital
Maciocia did not want to focus on a particular player, but his draft history shows that he has a bias towards Quebec prospects.
In fact, there is no indication that the team will still pick ninth overall on Tuesday night, as Maciocia himself suggested. “As we speak, we are drafting ninth…” he said during a moment of suspension, when asked about the advantages of drafting at the very end of the first round.
“The advantage is that if drafted players sign agreements in the NFL to go to camps or mini-camps, there are good players who will fall to ninth. Afterwards, do we want to select it and be patient? Or do we want someone to come to our camp this year? »
This dilemma will be crucial for Maciocia and his colleagues, because the Alouettes will have little room to maneuver.
The team will only speak twice during the first three rounds: to the 9e and 29e ranks.
However, the general manager is comfortable in this position and will not necessarily try the impossible to force a trade. “It’s not a priority for us, because we have 25 Canadians in the current roster and we are very happy with our Canadian content. »
However, without a second-round pick, “you have to be strategic.”
The last time the Alouettes had the right to speak in ninth place, in 2022, they drafted Tyson Philpot. A year and a half later, the pass receiver scored the winning touchdown in the final seconds of the Gray Cup.
Shawn Lemon: continuation and end
Shawn Lemon announced a few weeks ago that he was retiring from football, just four months after signing a new one-year contract with the Alouettes. A surprising decision given his still sufficient level of play and his recent agreement with the club.
Finally, on Wednesday, the CFL announced in a press release that the 35-year-old defensive end was suspended indefinitely for violating the League’s sports betting policies and regulations. In 2021, while playing for the Calgary Stampeders, Lemon reportedly bet on games, including one in which he was involved.
PHOTO JUSTIN TANG, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Shawn Lemon (0) celebrates after scoring a touchdown for the Alouettes last September
Two days after the announcement, Maciocia said he was “disappointed.”
Disappointed to lose a highly important player for his team, but above all disappointed to see that the league’s awareness-raising work regarding online betting did not have the desired effect.
“ [Les joueurs] should know, because everything is associated with money. There are opportunities where the league can make money and the players can make money. Whether it’s the NFL, the NHL, everyone benefits. Whether it is a player, a manager or a coach, we cannot afford to bet on our sport. It’s as clear as that. »
Lucky in his misfortune, Maciocia will at least have time to adjust before the start of the season to compensate for the loss of the man who was decisive during the playoffs. But in the short term, “no one in the draft can replace Shawn Lemon.”
With also the departure of Lwal Uguak – who is trying to obtain a position with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFL – a gap has formed in the Montreal defensive line.
Joel Dublanko and Tyson Hergott are the two most attractive defensive picks after Cantin-Arku heading into the draft, but they may be unavailable at No. 9 overall. Gabriel Royer, from Bishop’s, could be free with the Alouettes’ second choice.