Corporate
Dakoda Shepley, an offensive lineman from the UBC Thunderbirds is the top-ranked U SPORTS player on the third and final prospect list released by the CFL’s Scouting Bureau in advance of the league’s 2018 Canadian Draft.
Thirteen U SPORTS standouts cracked the rankings unveiled on Thursday, compared to 14 on Dec. 13 list.
Shepley was listed at No. 14 in the initial rankings published back in September before moving up to No. 11 in December. In his fourth campaign with the Thunderbirds last fall, the 6-foot-5, 290-pound lineman from Windsor, Ont., was named a Canada West all-star, after playing in all eight games as UBC qualified for its third straight CW Hardy Cup.
The only players ranked ahead of Shepley on the Scouting Bureau’s April list are NCAA products Ryan Hunter, an offensive lineman from Bowling Green State and Mark Chapman, a receiver from Central Michigan.
Last May, McMaster receiver Danny Vandervoort was the first U SPORTS player selected in the CFL Canadian Draft when the British Columbia Lions called his name at No. 3. Vandervoort had been ranked fourth, seventh and fourth, respectively, on the three prospect lists released over the course of the season.
Fifty-six U SPORTS players were selected in the 2017 CFL Draft (out of 71 total picks), including six in the first round.
The CFL Scouting Bureau releases its rankings three times each year: in August, December and April. The Bureau is comprised of CFL scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.
CFL SCOUTING BUREAU LIST (Apr. 12, 2018):
Rank |
Name |
Pos. |
University |
Hometown |
Ht. |
Wt. |
Dec. 13 |
1 |
Ryan Hunter |
OL |
Bowling Green St. |
North Bay, Ont. |
6-4 |
325 |
3 |
2 |
Mark Chapman |
WR |
Central Michigan |
Port Huron, Mich. |
6-0 |
180 |
10 |
3 |
Dakoda Shepley |
OL |
UBC |
Windsor, Ont. |
6-5 |
295 |
11 |
4 |
Trey Rutherford |
OL |
Connecticut |
Markham, Ont. |
6-5 |
312 |
2 |
5 |
David Knevel |
OL |
Nebraska |
Brampton, Ont. |
6-9 |
315 |
1 |
6 |
Mark Korte |
OL |
Alberta |
Spruce Grove, Alta. |
6-4 |
285 |
12 |
7 |
Peter Godber |
OL |
Rice |
Toronto, Ont. |
6-3 |
300 |
4 |
8 |
Julien Laurent |
DL |
Georgia State |
Toronto, Ont. |
6-4 |
295 |
5 |
9 |
Rashaun Simonise* |
WR |
Calgary / Okan. |
Vancouver, B.C. |
6-5 |
200 |
7 |
10 |
Godfrey Onyeka |
DB |
Wilfrid Laurier |
Brampton, Ont. |
6-2 |
200 |
6 |
11 |
Jackson Bennett |
DB |
Ottawa |
Cumberland, Ont. |
6-0 |
214 |
13 |
12 |
Andrew Pickett |
OL |
Guelph |
Kitchener, Ont. |
6-4 |
300 |
13 |
13 |
Ryan Sceviour |
OL |
Calgary |
Calgary, Alta. |
6-4 |
305 |
18 |
14 |
Darius Ciraco |
OL |
Calgary |
Burlington, Ont. |
6-4 |
295 |
9 |
15 |
Regis Cibasu |
WR |
Montreal |
Kinshasa, Congo |
6-2 |
230 |
8 |
16 |
Bo Banner |
DL |
Central Washington |
Bellingham, Wash. |
6-2 |
241 |
NR |
17 |
Daniel Petermann |
WR |
McMaster |
Stoney Creek, Ont. |
6-0 |
203 |
NR |
18 |
David Mackie |
RB |
Western |
Jackson’s Point, Ont. |
6-3 |
246 |
NR |
19 |
Micah Teitz |
LB |
Calgary |
Calgary, Alta. |
6-2 |
225 |
NR |
20 |
Isaiah Guzylak-Messam |
DB |
Wilfrid Laurier |
Hamilton, Ont. |
6-3 |
205 |
NR |