A Look at The Potential Alouettes Draft Plans at the Secondary Position

Could the Montreal Alouettes have any interest in this year’s class of draft eligible defensive backs?

With the exceptions of selecting Matthieu Proulx, and Etienne Boulay with high picks
in 2005 and 2006 respectively. Historically, the team has used lower round choices on this position group.

In-fact, they haven’t selected a defensive back since the 2008 draft when Paul Woldu was taken in the fifth round.

Entering the 2011 season, it was thought by many experts that the team possessed the
most talented secondary in the league.

However, in the first game of the season against the B.C. Lions; Jerald Brown went down with a lower body injury. Shortly thereafter, Boulay, and Mark Estelle joined Brown on the injured reserve list. It seemed that the secondary never recoverd from the decimation of injuries.

The team could potentially look at replacing non-import, Paul Woldu who signed with his hometown Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Here are some players to keep an eye out.

Courtney Stephen, DB, Northern Illinois University: As illustrated in an old post, Stephen is a rare Canadian success story for the road he has taken to get to DeKalb, Illinois.

Initially he started out at Laurier University, where he was named to the second team All-Canadian as a sophomore. He simply had a nose for the football as he pilfered seven interceptions during his time in Canada.

After two years in Waterloo, Ontario he decided to transfer to NIU to test his skills against better competition.

So far his stay with the Huskies has been solid, in 2011 he was an important contributor to their special teams, and he is projected to have a bigger role in 2012.

As I mentioned before, Stephen possesses a “honey badger” (in reference to LSU star player, Tyrann Mathieu) mentality that he isn’t afraid to get his nose dirty to make a play for the team.

If available at the selections the Alouettes have, Stephen is a perfect replacement for Woldu. According to the official team rosters, they’re both listed at six feet, with Stephen weighing in at 195lbs compared to 170 pounds for Woldu.

Given his versatility, Stephen could be a backup to Boulay, and potentially play other positions in the secondary if called upon. The scenario is if he goes back for his last year at NIU it will give him another year to prep for the next level.

Even though Stephen will not be testing at E-Camp, his ability to play and excel in two different styles of football will be taken noticed by a lot of scouts.

Keep An Eye

Bryce McCall of the Saskatchewan Huskies, all season long he’s been perennially ranked in the top-10 on the CFL’s draft list. But buyers beware, because he might not be worthy of first round selection.

McCall will most assuredly get drafted, but he could be a better value pick as middle to late round selection given how deep this draft is at other positions. At 6’0, 200 pounds he has a great size to play safety and special teams.

Another player who could have a solid camp is Harrison Maloney of Bishop’s. For those who have followed the previous E-Camps, have seen former Gaiter stars such as Shawn Gore, Jamall Lee, and Steven Turner all excelled at this event.

Maloney could follow the long list of Gaiters who could have a fantastic weekend of testing, and interviewing.

With his size, he could make a lot of teams intrigued by his on-field ability.

The Alouettes didn’t sign any non-import defensive backs. But they could delve into the pool to look for Woldu’s replacement.

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