THE TREND: The Tiger-Cats' recent struggles mean that Hamilton will pick first overall for the fourth time in the last six years. Their poor record since 2002 has also frequently put the Ticats in a position to trade veteran players for more high draft choices, including acquiring this year's third overall pick in last season's Zeke Moreno deal. The good news is that the Tabbies have historically drafted well in the early rounds, with a league best eleven of the thirteen players they've chosen in rounds 1 and 2 since 2004 currently playing in the CFL.
CURRENT NON-IMPORT ROSTER:
| Name |
Position |
| Barker, Dylan |
DB |
| Barrenechea, Agustin |
LB |
| Bauman, Chris |
REC |
| Bekasiak, J.P. |
OL |
| Beveridge, Sandy |
DB |
| Dyakowski, Peter |
OL |
| Gagne-Marcoux, Cedric |
OL |
| Gauthier, Alexandre |
OL |
| Glavic, Sasha |
LB |
| Hage, Marwan |
OL |
| Hudson, George |
OL |
| Kirk, Matt |
DL |
| Manning, Sean |
DB |
| Mariuz, Ray |
LB |
| Matechuk, Jordan |
LB |
| Nedd, Jason |
DB |
| Pavlovic, Robert |
FB |
| Reid, Jermaine |
DL |
| Rempel, Chad |
REC |
| Robichaud, Matt |
LS |
| Sadeghian, Andre |
RB |
| Williams, John |
RB |
POTENTIAL CANADIAN STARTERS: With homegrown running back Jesse Lumsden now in Edmonton, the Tiger-Cats will deploy their Canadian starters at more traditional positions in 2009. Four non-imports will start on the offensive line, led by tackle Alex Gauthier and centre Marwan Hage. The Tiger-Cats hope that receiver Chris Bauman and free safety Dylan Barker, chosen first overall in the '07 and '08 drafts respectively, will be ready for full time duty this season as well. The offseason departures of defensive ends Nautyn McKay-Loescher and Alain Kashama mean that the lone Canadian spot on the D-Line will be at nose tackle, where Matt Kirk, Jermaine Reid, and, hopefully, unsigned prospect Corey Mace will battle. Veteran weakside linebacker Ray Mariuz, a starter last season, and middle linebacker Augie Barrenechea, who started in '08 for Edmonton, are also options.
EARLY ROUND HISTORY:
| Year |
Overall |
Player |
Position |
School |
| 2008 |
1 |
Dylan Barker |
DB |
Saskatchewan |
| 2008 |
8 |
Samuel Giguere |
REC |
Sherbrooke |
| 2007 |
1 |
Chris Bauman |
REC |
Regina |
| 2007 |
4 |
J.P. Bekasiak |
DL/OL |
Toledo |
| 2007 |
12 |
Jordan Rempel |
OL |
Saskatchewan |
| 2007 |
13 |
Eric Ince |
OL |
Saint Mary's |
| 2006 |
8 |
Cedric Gagne-Marcoux |
OL |
Central Florida |
| 2006 |
9 |
Jermaine Reid |
DL |
Akron |
| 2006 |
1 |
Peter Dyakowski |
OL |
Louisiana State |
| 2005 |
6 |
Jesse Lumsden |
RB |
McMaster |
| 2005 |
15 |
Fabio Filice |
OL |
McMaster |
| 2004 |
1 |
Wayne Smith |
OL |
Appalachian State |
| 2004 |
14 |
Marwan Hage |
OL |
Colorado |
BEST DRAFT DAY DECISIONS: Hamilton selected Jesse Lumsden sixth overall in 2005, when no other team believed that he could be a feature back in the CFL.
LATE ROUND SUCCESSES: The Tiger-Cats have had so many high picks in recent years that there haven't been a lot of opportunities for late rounders to crack the roster. Versatile fullback/tight end/long snapper Rob Pavlovic, chosen in the fourth round in '07, is the closest that Hamilton has come to a “steal”.
MOST PRESSING NEED: Jesse Lumsden's departure leaves left tackle Alex Gauthier as the closest thing to an impact player that Hamilton has among their non-import starters. What the Tiger-Cats truly lack is a legitimate candidate for Most Outstanding Canadian. Filling that need may be best accomplished by trading one or both of this year's first round picks instead of adding more prospects to a team already loaded with young Canadians. Failing that, choosing the best available player, with an eye towards adding depth to both lines, would seem to be the answer.
PICKS IN 2009 DRAFT: Seven (1st, 3rd, 17th, 33rd, 38th, 41st, 46th)