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The Redblacks have selected offensive linemen in the first round in five of the six years they’ve participated in the draft (MacMillan in 2013, Alex Mateas in 2015, Jason Lauzon-Seguin in 2016, Evan Johnson in 2017 and Mark Korte in 2018. Defensive back Antoine Pruneau was the exception in 2014).

This might be the year they deviate from the norm.

“Put it this way: We have some guys rated toward the top — some are O-linemen, some are not, it depends who falls to us,” Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins said. “We have always had three or four starting (national) offensive linemen). If you want to be able to maintain that, you need to have depth. You want to continue to have that, not only for the current year, but for future years. But we’re not going to reach in terms of how we have a player evaluated just so we can get an offensive lineman. There are a number of very athletic receivers, plus there are some guys on the other side of the ball.”

The Redblacks, who lost 27-16 to the Calgary Stampeders in last year’s Grey Cup, pick seventh in the first round of this year’s draft (Montreal forfeits its first-round pick after taking offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone in a 2018 supplemental draft). The Redblacks have been watching plenty of film on potential draft picks, plus will also utilize their observations from on-field performance and 1-on-1 interviews during the CFL Combine in March.

Said Desjardins: “We rely on film, but the combine is a chance to get to know the players within a limited time frame — basically it can be a tiebreaker when it comes to, ‘OK, we have two guys, but we like this guy better in terms of what he said.’”