Alouettes' next draft: With equal talent, “Carabin” before “Rouge et Or”?

The interview was about to end when the question was jokingly posed to Alouettes general manager Danny Maciosia: “Given equal talent, would you pick a Carabins player before a Rouge et Or player in the next draft?”

Masiocia did not bite.

“I will not embark on that slippery slope,” the Alouettes GM responded with a hearty laugh.

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Immediately, Masiucia also repeated the slogan among the Alouettes in light of the Canadian Football League draft scheduled for April 30. With equal talent, Montreal would actually select a product from Quebec before selecting a player from another Canadian province. His decade-long past, from 2010 to 2020, as the Carabins' big boss probably doesn't weigh in the scale.

“At the assessment camp in Winnipeg [du 20 au 24 mars], Concordia University was very well represented, and there was also a very good player from McGill, Macciocia pointed out, without wanting to reveal his game too much. “There were a lot of good athletes from the Université Laval and there were also a few interesting players from the Université de Montréal.”

“We don't give gifts”

If the Alouettes were given the opportunity, we believe the organization would recruit at least one or two Quebecers. Perhaps the most sought-after player remains linebacker Geoffroy Cantin-Arku, who played in the NCAA with the University of Memphis Tigers, but could be drafted before the Alouettes' first right to speak, at No. 9 overall.

“Since January 13, 2020, when I accepted the position of general manager of the Alouettes, I have talked about my desire to change the image of the Alouettes,” Maciosia recalls. Last year, 10 of the 21 players were Canadian [NDLR : le ratio imposé dans la LCF] Who were residents of Quebec during the Gray Cup game. We will continue in this direction, but we must be logical. We do not give gifts. Those who are there because they are good and deserve it. The fact that they speak the language [française]”It's an added advantage.”

Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Alexandre Gagné, Frédéric Chagnon and Vincent Desjardins were officially part of the Alouettes' defensive unit during the Gray Cup game while contributing was also notable on special teams. In attack, Christian Mattei and Philippe Gagnon were present, as were David Dallaire and Régis Sebasso. The picture was completed by kicker David Coote and long throw specialist Louis-Philippe Bourassa. In the case of attacking midfielder Pierre-Olivier Lestage, he missed the final due to injury.

Seven days a week

Outside of Cantin Arco, there is pass rusher Kevin Metal who represented the Rouge et Or in March in Winnipeg, as well as offensive lineman Nathaniel Dumoulin Duguay, among others. For the Carabins, linebacker Paul-Antoine Ouellette tried to impress, as did defensive back Kaylyn St-Cyr. Benjamin LaBrosse, who was inactive last year at McGill for academic reasons, also impressed many on the athletic level, as he can also play as a defensive back.

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Nathaniel Dumoulin Duguay, from Laval University

Archive photo, Mathieu Belanger

Among other Quebec players from the NCAA, the name of pass receiver Kevens Clercius is being bandied about. The Montreal native played at the University of Connecticut. Lots of apps for studying.

“We are there every day, seven days a week,” Masciocia confirmed. We know the importance of Canadian content to teams in our league.

We also know the importance of the Quebec content to the Alouettes. Incidentally, in the 2023 draft, the Alouettes selected two Quebec players, both from the Rouge et Or program: David Dallaire, in the second round, and Maxime Lavallee, in the eighth round.