A month from now, for the first time since the Pandemic the CFL will be back to “normal.” CFL teams will report to training camp on May 15th, preseason games will return, the regular season will be back to its normally scheduled time and so will the draft.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have seven picks (#9,#18,#38,#47,#56,#68,#74) in this year draft.
What they need:
A Major Problem for the Blue Bombers is their lack of Canadian players on the team. In the CFL you need to have 25 Canadians on the roster. As of now the Blue Bomber only has 21 Canadian players on the roster.
The team also needs depth at the defensive line, linebackers, defensive backs, and the receiver position.
Bombers General Manager Kyle Walters needs to get a winner with the ninth overall pick because they might have to start or contribute in year one.
Some prospects that Blue Bombers may have their eye on are Offensive Linemen Zach Pelehos( 6’6, 304lbs), Defensive Linemen Nathan Cherry(6’3, 294lbs), and Wide Receiver Anthony Mahoungou(6’3, 209lbs).
Pelehos addition to the team would help the bombers protect Zach Collaros who was sacked 14 times, making him the tied at 10th in QB Sacks in the CFL according to The Football Database.
During his mature career at the University of Ottawa, Pelehos was lauded several awards such as the 2021 OUA First Team All-Star, 2018 OUA Second Team All-Star, 2018 OUA All-Rookie Team, 2018 Matt Anthony Rookie of the Year Award and the 2018 Gee-Gees Offensive Lineman of the Year Award.
Since losing Jonathan Kongbo who signed with the Denver Broncos in January, the Blue Bombers are lacking depth at the defensive line position.
Nathan Cherry is a player that can come in and add an immediate impact for the Bombers who are in pursuit for their third consecutive Grey Cup Championship. Cherry played in 41 games racking up 56 total tackles(12.5 TFL), and 10 sacks for 70 yards.
The Bombers are also in search of a kicker since Sergio Castillo left for the Edmonton Elks. The Bombers will be bringing in multiple pprospect to camp to comepete with Marc Liegghio and Ali Mourtada for the starting role.
Liegghio appaeread in 14 games in his first year with the Blue Bombers kicking and punting. During the season he punted the ball for Bombers 96 times totaling 3,275 net yards. He also attempted eight field golas and made five of them.
Ali Mourtada joined the Blue Bombers on August 30, 2021 and was the club’s placekicker for five games, beginning with his CFL debut in Edmonton on September 18. He finished the year connecting on 8-of-15 field-goal attempts (53.3 percent) and was 17-of-18 in converts. He also averaged 66.7 yards on 28 kickoffs, which ranked second in the CFL.
“We’ve got some names out there that we’ll kick the tires on,” Walters said. “The discussion is how many we would like to have at rookie camp and can we get eyes on guys prior to that, who’s interested and who’s not and are their Global prospects in the draft that might fit the mould. There are a lot of different options we’re discussing.”
