Morning-After Thoughts (2011 CFL Draft)

Bringing it back. For the first time in 2011 I'm bringing you Morning-After Thoughts. For those of you that were reading me last year, you know what this is. For any new people out there, this is where I give some rapid-fire opinions on that week's goings-on. Last year I hadn't thought up the idea in time for the draft, so this year I bring you the inaugural Morning-After Thoughts for the 2011 CFL Draft:

1. Four Receivers in four picks (selections three through six), three trades in the span of five picks, and two absolutely surprising picks made the lack of intrigue about the first-overall pick immaterial. The first round of the draft was exciting.
2. As exciting as the first round was, the rapidness of the third through sixth rounds was stunning. Before TSN's live stream could get online, the entire third round and some of the fourth round was already over!
3. Anthony Parker, in my opinion, was the top prospect in the draft. The Stamps got a very good player who has the ability to be a great player.
4. I also have to give the Stamps a big thumbs-up for drafting University of Ottawa Quarterback Brad Sinopoli. Not only did they take him in the fourth round, they also drafted him to be a Quarterback. Awesome news. It's unlikely that Sinopoli will ever start for the Stamps (barring injuries) but the experience will get him ready to start for another CFL team at some point in his career.
5. The Hugh O'Neill pick seemed odd at the time, but then word got out that the Lions had traded Sean Whyte to Montreal. The Lions got Montreal's first-round pick in the 2012 CFL Draft in exchange for Whyte. A first-round pick for a Kicker!? Wally works his magic yet again.
6. I said it already, but it was great to see a University of Toronto product get drafted. I know Hugh Lopez will make all of us UofT students and alums proud. I might not cheer for Edmonton, but I will cheer for Lopez.
7. Montreal took a huge gamble on both Philip Blake and Vaughn Martin. However, it is a gamble that a team that has won the last two Grey Cups can afford to take. These are boom or bust picks.
8. It seems as if the Danny Watkins syndrome scared teams from selecting players like Philip Blake. No one wants to see their high draft choice go to the NFL, especially in the first round. Blake is said to have anywhere from first- to fourth-round potential, so it might be a very long time before he sees the field for the Alouettes.
9. All told, 34 players that were drafted came from the CIS and 13 came from the NCAA.
10. Grading drafts the day after is silly; we have no idea how these prospects will turn out. That said, I did like the draft the Stamps had. They came away with Defensive-Line depth, grabbed a fairly good Running Back in Matt Walter, and got the best player in the draft in Anthony Parker. Plus, they are giving Brad Sinopoli a chance. All in all, I like what the Stamps did on draft day.