The final task of the Canadian Football League (CFL) off-season is a week away with the 2023 CFL Draft set for Tuesday, May 2. It will be a quick turnaround for teams as rookie camps begin the following week.
On Monday, Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson made his weekly appearance on the SportsCage with Michael Ball and discussed the final steps for the team.
Plenty of work goes into the preparation for the draft, says Dickenson, but added the players who are selected play a major role in determining if the team made a successful pick.
“A lot of it comes down to the work the players are able to put in and willing to put in once he does get into your building.”
The Roughriders head coach also noted luck is another factor.
“If he’s in place where he gets an opportunity to play and he plays well early, all of the sudden his confidence grows and he turns into a pretty good player.”
Dickenson admits the draft is a real “crapshoot” but it still requires extensive research.
Positional Need vs Best Player Available
The Roughriders philosophy heading into the draft is to select the best player available, but the team’s ratio plans are something they keep in mind when constructing the draft board according to the Saskatchewan head coach.
“We dress five (Canadians) on offence and we dress two Canadians on defence so we want to try and find the best player but the best player also fits what we’re trying to do ratio wise.”
Dickenson feels the strength of this year’s draft class is on the defensive side of the ball, especially up front and in the secondary.
Draft Activities
With the draft now only days away, the Roughriders football operations will take part in some mock draft activities with different personnel from the Riders acting as general managers from other teams. Dickenson believes it’s a good activity to discover the possible scenarios that could unfold next week.
“It’s a fun way to do a little exercise to see if the guys you like might be there when you think they will be.”
Compared to the NFL Draft that happens this weekend in Kansas City, the CFL Draft contains less glitz and glamour. Dickenson wouldn’t mind seeing more trade movement during the early stages of the CFL Draft.
“In the CFL there are not a lot of trades that happen, I wish there would be more to be quite honest, I think it would be a lot more exciting.”
Rookie Camp
A week after the draft concludes, teams will be back on the field with rookie camps getting underway. Dickenson is excited to see some of the first-year players up close for the first time, especially along the offensive line.
“We’re just looking to see if there are any guys who stand out. ”
Dickenson anticipates plenty of competitive battles on the o-line to continue when the main camp opens up on May 14.
“That’s something we know we need to better at and it’s something we put a lot of emphasis on in the off-season.”
620 CKRM will have full coverage of the 2023 CFL Draft beginning at 6:00.
