Mace, Riders could send a message with CFL draft: Analyst

Mace was named the Riders’ new head coach this off-season. During free agency, the team brought in some key veterans, including running back AJ Ouellette.

With the team bringing in a bruising runner like Ouellette — who had 1,009 yards on the ground last season for the Toronto Argonauts — CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson believes the offensive line will be what the team will target during Tuesday’s draft.

“It could be a message-sender, it could be a positional need (or) it could be an upgrade. Whatever it is, I just feel like there’s a very specific model that Corey Mace is trying to bring to Saskatchewan and I believe that an offensive lineman will fit that model,” Ferguson said.

In a recent mock draft, Ferguson predicted Saskatchewan will take Gabe Wallace from the University of Buffalo.

The Salmon Arm, B.C. product was a three-year starter for the Bulls, starting 28 games at guard and also games at both tackle positions. Wallace is the 12th-ranked prospect for the CFL draft but with other offensive linemen ahead of him possibly getting NFL opportunities, his stock rises for the CFL.

“I enjoy (mock drafts) because they are very theoretical and they force me to wonder, ‘What is the temperament of this organization and what message do they want to send to their fan base and all the rest?’ ” Ferguson said. “With the quality of the top-end offensive line guys – at least five are likely to get those NFL shots – and you went out and got AJ Ouellette so that you can beat people up, if you want to beat people up, you should go get an offensive lineman who is going to clear holes to get him to the second level.

“I’m not saying it’s a plug-and-play immediate starter but I would say whatever offensive lineman they like the most that can help their running game without sacrificing much in terms of health for Trevor Harris, I just feel like that would be a good fit and it would send a message not just to the Rider fan base but also to the rest of the league that, ‘What you think we are building here by getting AJ Ouellette, we are absolutely building and you are going to have to stop it.’

“That’s a mentality that I think didn’t exist for the last couple of years and I think that is something Corey Mace wants to send a message about.”

Duane Forde, a TSN draft analyst and a former CFL player, also believes offensive line would be a good place for Saskatchewan to invest in.

“In Saskatchewan, I think over the last couple of years, there have been a reasonable amount of criticism – for lack of a kinder word – directed at the offensive line that I don’t know if they feel a pressure to respond to that specifically or not,” Forde said.

“When you look at (Mace) coming from Toronto, a lot of Toronto’s success had to do with the offensive line position. Where was he before that? In Calgary and a lot of Calgary’s success had to do with depth on that offensive line and always having a good group of Canadians on that offensive line and building around that.”

The Riders have added some Canadian depth to their line this off-season with the addition of Ryan Sceviour. But Saskatchewan lost Logan Bandy after the 24-year-old decided to retire.

The Riders have the third, 12th, 23rd, 32nd, 41st, 50th, 59th and 68th picks in this year’s draft.

While Ferguson believes Saskatchewan will go with the O-line in the first round, he expects the Riders to add a pass-catcher from what he believes is a deep draft at the position.

“They will be a team that I fully expect to take two, maybe three receivers in that depth area of the draft,” Ferguson said.