The Montreal Alouettes will have to wait until the ninth and last place to choose their very first player in the Canadian Football League draft next Wednesday. It’s the price of glory after winning the Gray Cup, some will say. Danny Maciocia will, however, remain on the lookout, in case he can improve his situation.
“It’s perhaps one of the best vintages since I was general manager of the Alouettes,” he said of this 2024 draft. There are several players who have decided to return (to university football) to compete the year they lost to COVID-19. […] The talent pool was not the same over the last two years. »
It’s all the more tempting since after this ninth overall pick, Maciocia won’t speak until the 29th.e level, his second round pick having been sold to the Edmonton Elks. He also has selections Nos. 38, 47, 56, 65 and 74, the very last choice of this draft.
Whether he picks first or ninth, Maciocia always has the same approach though.
“We want to have everything: the best player available who meets one of our needs,” he says with a laugh. However, I always tend to lean towards the best player available. But this player, you have to be able to envisage what kind of impact he will have on your club, in the short and medium term.
“If at our selection, the best player available happens to play in a position for which we have a lot of depth, we will still choose him. It will be able to give us the flexibility to complete a transaction, at that time. It puts us in a position of strength,” he explained.
More than a dozen people have accompanied Maciocia since last year to establish the final list which will be used by the CEO on April 30. All Canadian players from RSEQ, U Sports and American universities were spied on by his staff (and those of all other CFL clubs). The players whose names appear at the top of the Alouettes list were met, interviewed, and their responses analyzed.
“We saw a bunch of matches all over North America. We spoke to the players. We spoke to their coaches. We even talked to people from the NFL, to see where some of them stood in relation to the players who could be drafted next week, Maciocia explained. We have done our homework, and we will be able to fish them out with full knowledge of the facts. »
All this will then have to start again a few weeks after the 2024 draft, in preparation for next year’s draft.
The elephant in the room
Maciocia, as indicated in the press release sent by the Alouettes on Friday, did not wish to discuss the indefinite suspension imposed on defensive end Shawn Lemon.
The ex-Alouette, who announced his surprise retirement from professional football two weeks ago, bet on CFL games in 2021, including those of the Calgary Stampeders, the team for which he was then playing.
But Maciocia was willing to talk about the new reality of professional leagues, which seek by all means to inflate their income, which most of the time happens through casinos and various sports betting sites.
“It’s a really delicate subject. But the reason we do it is about money. For owners and players alike. It’s a win-win for everyone. Now how do we do it? We are all affected by this, as we will all benefit from it. However, there are rules to respect, and those who do not respect them will face consequences. Here, we are talking about a player, but it could also be a team manager or an employee. »
However, he believes that in addition to sanctioning betting, leagues and players’ associations should ensure they educate their members, but also support them if they need help.
“It can happen to all of us, and we need to have internal solutions, not just suspend or ban. It could be an illness, such as alcoholism or drug addiction, he stressed. I hope, whether from the leagues or the players’ associations, that we put in place solutions to help those who need it. »