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This luxury of time is beneficial to both the player and the team. However, it is not a luxury that is afforded to the CFL due to the timing of our season and that of the NFL draft.

Years ago, the CFL held its draft as early as February, well before NFL teams made their selections. The challenge that CFL teams faced was guessing at which players would be available to the Canadian league and which players would garner NFL attention.

Even though the CFL draft is less than three weeks before the opening of training camps, teams are fortunate to have the hindsight of the NFL draft when making decisions about their own draft board.

Consider that in the last two weeks in this space I have identified four players whom the Saskatchewan Roughriders might consider taking with the first overall pick in next Tuesday’s CFL draft — Iowa receiver Tevaun Smith, Manitoba defensive lineman David Onyemata, Michigan state defensive back Arjen Colquhoun and Oklahoma tackle Josiah St. John.

Three of those four players have gained employment in the NFL over the past week. CFL teams will now hedge the athletes’ prospects of making it in the NFL against their CFL draft ranking.

I believe Onyemata is by far the best player in the draft, but I wouldn’t spend anything higher than a third-round pick on him because he is likely to never play another down of Canadian football.

On the other hand, I believe we will see Smith and Colquhoun in the CFL before too long — and they could still be CFL first-rounders — but look for the Riders to select St. John if they decide to use the first overall pick instead of trading down.