The CFL has dutifully announced the draft order for the Mexican… oh wait, no they haven’t. But luckily, PostMedia’s Dan Barnes has clued us in as to which team will pick first in Monday’s draft of players from the LFA.
This is, of course, deliciously ironic because Edmonton Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland was the lone CFL executive willing to give his honest assessment of the talent available in Mexico. He and head coach Jason Maas did not attend the combine in Mexico City Sunday, which produced six prospects who might hold their own at a CFL training camp.
According to Barnes’ preview story, “as many as 36 players will be drafted by the nine Canadian teams on Monday,” though it will be mildly interesting to see how that plays out now given the talent level.
What’s even more interesting is that the CFL doesn’t seem to know how it will account for the players who are selected on Monday.
In the off-season, the CFL sets a roster limit at 85 players, then cuts it to 75 players on May 1. Most teams aren’t anywhere near that number now and with everybody and their dog set to become a free agent in February, its unlikely a current player will be forced to walk the plank to accommodate a Mexican player.
At least for now. What Naylor is getting at is that the league hasn’t said whether the Mexican players will count as internationals, nationals or be subject to some new designation. Players are wondering too. And, as Dave says, it’s a likely topic at the upcoming discussions with the CFLPA on a new CBA. It seems unlikely that CFLPA will be interested in sacrificing the jobs of current members for the CFL’s new Mexican experiment. But by all means, let’s add another potentially contentious issue to the pile.
Well, at least the Mexican adventure will all be over soon and we can get back to the important stuff like the CBA, Halifax expansion, free agency, the CFL (Canadian) Combine and Duron Carter’s latest Tweet… wait, what?
