2011 CFL Draft (Round Two)

The Picks
1) Calgary - Junior Turner, DL, Bishop's
2) Hamilton - Moe Petrus, OL, UConn
3) BC - Hugh O'Neill, K/P, Alberta
4) Saskatchewan - Craig Butler, DB, Western
5) Hamilton - Maurice Forbes, DL, Concordia
6) Edmonton - Hugh Lopez, DB, Toronto
7) Saskatchewan - Matt O'Donnell, OL, Queen's
8) Montreal - Anthony Barrette, OL, Concordia

My Thoughts
The Stamps start off round two by taking the first Defensive Lineman of the 2011 Draft in Bishop's Junior Turner. Turner is the cousin of Steven Turner, whom the Argos selected in last year's draft (but who missed the season with an injury). D-Line depth is always valued very highly, so it was surprising to see it take so long to see the first D-Lineman go off the board.

The Cats make a "futures pick," grabbing Moe Petrus with their first pick of the 2011 CFL Draft. Very risky pick because he has NFL ability and one year of NCAA eligibility left. Could be huge if he plays; could be a waste if he doesn't. The Cats take big gamble.

The Lions take Kicker Hugh O'Neill. That's a lot of Kickers with Paul McCallum and Sean Whyte, and rumour has it that the Leos have dealt Whyte to Montreal.

The Riders make their first pick of the 2011 CFL Draft and select Craig Butler. Don't know much about him, but Duane Forde says he could be an impact player. That's good enough for me.

The Tabbies select again in the second round and take Maurice Forbes. Since the Cats lost Jermaine Reid, they needed Canadian depth on the D-Line. Eddie Steele was picked last year, so the Cats are doing their best to replenish their Canadian talent along the D-Line.

The Stamps traded their pick to the Eskimos for Defensive Lineman Brian Bulcke. Eric Tillman doing what he always does: load up on Canadian talent, and Edmonton needed their cupboard restocked and grabbed University of Toronto's Hugh Lopez. I go to UofT, so this was cool to see. The Blues have been pretty bad for most of my time there, but it looks like the program is about to turn the corner. Awesome to see!

Saskatchewan uses its second second-round pick on Matt O'Donnell from Queen's. Dude is huge at 6'7" and over 300 lbs. Could be a monster for the Riders.

The Als make the final pick in the second round and use it on Anthony Barrette. He apparently worked with Marwan Hage in preparation for the draft. The Als don't need impact players, but they add more depth to their O-Line.