Five Dinos selected in CFL Draft, including three by Montreal

CALGARY – Training camp at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal will have a distinctly Calgary feel when the Montreal Alouettes hit the field this summer.

The Alouettes took three University of Calgary Dinos in the 2013 Canadian Football League Draft Monday, including linebacker Mike Edem at No. 3 overall and running back Steven Lumbala at No. 5 in the opening round. Three rounds later, with the 32nd overall pick, the Als added a third Dino in defensive lineman Mike Klassen.

It was another banner draft day for the Dinos, with Linden Gaydosh selected first overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats – the first Dino to go in the top spot since Don Blair (1996, Edmonton). Gaydosh’s defensive line coach with the Dinos, Kent Warnock, was also a No. 1 overall pick back in 1986 when he was selected by the Calgary Stampeders.

Linebacker Thomas Spoletini rounded out the Dinos’ 2013 draft class with his selection at No. 49 overall in the sixth round by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, joining his father Tom and uncle Tony – both Dinos alumni themselves – as a hopeful CFLer.

The five players selected bring the Dinos’ total to 15 selections in the past three seasons, with six of those coming in the opening round. It’s a testament to the outstanding recruiting and development job done by the Dinos coaching staff led by Blake Nill, who has led the program to five straight Hardy Cup titles despite the turnover in players each year.

“This is what we try to achieve from a football aspect and in the program,” said Blake Nill, the Dinos’ head coach. “To be represented with three of the first five draft picks, it’s a great day for the program. It says a lot about the entire program from top to bottom from academics to therapy to training to assistant coaches that provide the skill sets, it just shows how much it means and that everyone is doing their job here.”

MIKE EDEM | Linebacker | 1st round, 3rd overall | Montreal Alouettes

Edem, the third overall pick, wowed scouts at the CFL Combine in Toronto and improved his draft stock significantly – jumping four spots on the CFL Scouting Bureau list to take the final spot in the top 10. He had a career-best season with the Dinos in 2012 and was recognized for it in the December CFL rankings.

The Canada West defensive player of the year, the Brampton, Ont. native led the conference with 55 tackles – 10 more than the next-best total – and 9.5 tackles for loss. He averaged nearly seven tackles per game, adding four sacks and an interception to anchor a Calgary defence that led the conference in every category. A converted defensive back, Edem played linebacker for the first time in 2012 and played a key role in the Dinos’ defensive scheme as both a run defender inside the box and a pass defender on the edge – requiring a varied and versatile skill set.

“I didn’t sleep much last night,” admitted Edem. “I probably turned my TV on and off ten times, trying not to think about it. If you want to make it you just have to put in the work with determination and focus to get there.

“(Coach Nill) has always been on my toes and keeping me on track. He’s a guy as the season went on I knew the play call before he even called it because that’s the relationship I had with him.”

Coach Nill: “Edem has more of a reputation as an athlete, but both will be asked to come on the field and play every special team and enhance their skills to play every down. Michael’s going to do a great job. I think they’ll keep him as a linebacker and utilize his speed and his rushing ability off the edge.”

STEVEN LUMBALA | Running Back | 1st round, 5th overall | Montreal Alouettes

Lumbala, who was ranked in that fifth spot in the initial Scouting Bureau rankings back in October, saw his stock drop through the 2012 season – despite earning his second consecutive first team All-Canadian selection.

He dressed for seven of the eight games in the 2012 season but played in six, recording 636 yards on just 79 carries to lead all starting tailbacks in the conference with an 8.1 yards-per-carry average. He posted a career-high 217-yard performance Oct. 12 at Alberta, scoring three touchdowns, then bettered that performance in the hardy Cup with a 22-carry, 251-yard effort that landed him national offensive player-of-the-week honours. Lumbala was ranked the No. 5 overall prospect for the 2013 CFL Draft by the Canadian Football League’s central scouting department. Through four seasons with the Dinos, he has 2,114 rushing yards – good enough for eighth on the school’s all-time list.

“It’s amazing,” said Lumbala, who will graduate with a degree from the Haskayne School of Business in June. “It’s a combination of all these years of hard work and sacrifices and everything that you’ve done to get to this point. And to finally see it benefit you is amazing. There’s no better feeling.

“I think this is a perfect time for running backs from across the country, whether CIS or NCAA, to come in the league. There are guys like John Cornish and Andrew Harris who are playing tailback and leading the way for Canadians to play. I’ve always thought that no matter if you’re Canadian or American that shouldn’t have to do with being able to play your position.”

Coach Nill: “I thought Steven was going to go to the Eskimos with the tenth pick overall, but to have him go five picks earlier again shows a lot of research was done by Montreal and they made a very good choice because Steven is going to be another guy that’s going to play right away.”

MICHAEL KLASSEN | Defensive Line | 4th round, 32nd overall | Montreal Alouettes

Klassen was the third Dino to go to the Alouettes as the 32nd overall selection in the fourth round – and he was thrilled to be joining his teammates.

“I’m ecstatic, I’m glad to be with two other teammates,” said the graduate of Rundle College in Calgary. “The last four months we’ve been training so hard together, I call them my best friends so it’s going to be awesome playing in Montreal with two of my best friends.

“Four years of hard work paid off and now football is my life and it’s my dream and hopefully I can play pro for a few years before the next chapter of my life.”

Coach Nill: “Klassen might be the best of all because he’s a kid who has physical skills that are unbelievable. He runs well, he’s big and strong, he moves well, his lack is just playing experience. Once he develops experience you have to think that his growth and potential is way up there.”

THOMAS SPOLETINI | Linebacker | 6th round, 49th overall | Saskatchewan Roughriders

Another product of Rundle College, Spoletini is headed to Regina, where he will rejoin Dinos teammate Sam Hurl in the Roughriders organization.

“It’s a dream come true and I’ve always wanted to play football since I was in grade four so it’s a great day,” he said. “Sam was like a big brother when I was a rookie and he took me in and showed me the ropes. It’s kind of cool that I’ll have my big brother there in Saskatchewan with me again and he can help with the transition.”

Coach Nill: “Tom is going to be a special teams player and he’s going to make his career on special teams as a Canadian linebacker that is a confident young man who has worked hard and deserves everything he has accomplished. When he went to E-Camp he raised his stock with this performance.”

The five-time defending Canada West champion Dinos now head into the summer break before returning for fall camp on Aug. 17. The 2013 season opens Saturday, Aug. 31 with a visit to the UBC Thunderbirds in Vancouver.

2013 CFL Draft – University of Calgary Dinos

DL Linden Gaydosh – 1st round, 1st overall – Hamilton Tiger-Cats

LB Mike Edem – 1st round, 3rd overall – Montreal Alouettes

RB Steven Lumbala – 1st round, 5th overall – Montreal Alouettes

DL Michael Klassen – 4th round, 32nd overall – Montreal Alouettes

LB Thomas Spoletini – 6th round, 49th overall – Saskatchewan Roughriders