The 2017 CFL Draft is less than a month away on May 7th. While teams around the league continue to scout for the big day, we have assembled lists for the top prospects on both sides of the football. There is some intriguing defensive talent at the top of this year’s CFL Draft led by UCLA defensive lineman Eli Ankou. Here is a look at the CFL’s top defensive prospects.
DL: Eli Ankou, UCLA
Ankou is a 6’3’’, 311-pound defensive lineman with the ability to make an immediate impact against both the run and pass. A native of Ottawa, Ankou put on a show at his UCLA pro day and is still in the conversation to go in the NFL Draft. A physical specimen with excellent burst at the point of attack and the ability to get after opposing quarterbacks, Ankou is the consensus top prospect on the defensive side of the football.
DL: Kay Okafor, St.FX
Okafor’s season ended with an injury in the Loney Bowl but his potential can’t be denied. He definitely has a high ceiling in terms of what he could turn out to be but the issue is the effort. Without hustle and enthusiasm, his potential will mostly go untapped and that’s the concern of some scouts. He is a very raw player but if everything goes right, he could be the top player in the 2017 CFL Draft. He’s a high risk, high reward type of player.
DL: Faith Ekakitie, Iowa
A pair of solid pro days have elevated Ekakitie in to the top-five overall in terms of the top prospects for this year’s CFL Draft. Ekakitie put up solid numbers in his workouts. Ekakitie is a little smaller than most defensive linemen but he is still very powerful and extremely quick at the point of attack. Ekakitie is the second defensive line prospect that should go in the top-10 in this year’s CFL Draft.
LB: Chris Mulumba, Maine
Mulumba ran a 4.77 40-yard dash at his pro day at Maine. His combination of speed and size should translate to him being the first linebacker off the board at this year’s CFL Draft. Some scouts are concerned that he didn’t show up to the CFL’s national combine in Regina for his full evaluation but at the end of the day he is the best available talent at this position. At 6’7’’, 237 pounds Mulumba isn’t the biggest linebacker but he makes up for it with his other attributes including his intelligence and pursuit skills.
DL: Junior Luke, Montreal
Luke disappointed a bit at his workouts after a dominant season at Montreal. However, the tape doesn’t lie and Luke’s speed off the edge was impressive throughout last year. Luke will need to continue to work on his game to become an elite defensive end at the CFL level but the raw tools are there for him to be successful. His consistency in college combined with his prototypical size should make him one of the top defensive players off the board.
DL: Kwaku Boateng, Laurier
It wasn’t long ago that Boateng was near the top of this list. However, he has slid down the CFL’s consensus rankings since September despite a strong performance in the Yates Cup Championship and at his workouts. Part of the problem might be that scouts are undervaluing his explosiveness at the point of attack and ability to get in to the backfield to disrupt. Boateng has remained a top-10 overall prospect since last year and he should be close to a lock as one of the top five defensive players off the board at the CFL Draft.
DB: Robert Woodson, Calgary
Woodson will be one of the top defensive backs in the 2017 CFL Draft. He had a solid performance at the combine where he did what he needed to do. He ran well and answered all the questions.
The CFL is a passing-oriented league and quality defensive backs are a hot commodity. As a result, Woodson should find his way into the first wave of picks.
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