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Unchangeable Success Strategy Remains Unaltered

Draft strategy of CFL's Maciocia remains consistent, with no alterations planned for the upcoming season, due to its past success.

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Unchangeable Success Strategy Remains Unaltered

In 2025, Danny Maciocia, GM of the Montreal Alouettes, plans to stick with his proven draft strategy. He'll focus on snagging the cream-of-the-crop players, seeing no need to hone in on a particular position or specific skill set. The 2025 draft is shaping up to be one of the best classes since Maciocia's return to the Canadian Football League (CFL), ensuring he isn't tempted to trade his first-round pick (5th overall). It would take a mind-blowing offer to budge him from his spot.

On Tuesday evening, the Alouettes will have four picks in the first three rounds (5, 14, 23, and 26) plus additional picks in the following five rounds. Some pundits have suggested that the Als might be eyeing Quebec native Christopher Fortin, an offensive lineman from the University of Connecticut. Though Maciocia doesn't reveal his draft intentions, he praises Fortin as an exceptional player destined for success in the CFL, especially if he lands on the Als' roster.

The CFL requires teams to maintain a minimum of 21 Canadian players, including at least one naturalized Canadian and one "international" player. To excel in the league, teams need to perform well in the draft to seed strong Canadian depth within their roster. Maciocia shares that the Alouettes have been quite fortunate over the past five years, as multiple drafted Canadians have established themselves within the club.

A bit of a sore spot for Maciocia is the CFL's regulation that considers a Canadian quarterback as such only if they are starters. Should they act as backups, their nationality no longer counts towards the Canadian roster ratio. Maciocia vehemently disagrees with this rule, believing that it could positively impact the rankings and flexibility for young Canadian quarterbacks in the CFL draft, as well as allow teams to strategically place American players in other integral positions.

Keep your eyes peeled for the 2025 CFL draft starting at 6 PM ET (18:00). The Calgary Stampeders hold the first overall pick. The scouting bureau's top five prospects are:

  1. Elic Ayomanor (Wide Receiver, Stanford University)
  2. Kurtis Rourke (Quarterback, Indiana University)
  3. Paris Shand (Defensive Lineman, Louisiana State University)
  4. Connor Shay (Linebacker, University of Wyoming)
  5. Keelan White (Wide Receiver, University of Montana)

In addition to these prospects, Quebec players like Jonathan Senechal (University of Montreal) and Arnaud Desjardins (University Laval) might also be in the running. It's worth keeping an eye on Eric Maximuik from Concordia University, a top-notch kicker/punter known for setting RSEQ records, such as a 56-yard field goal. For the Alouettes, the 2025 draft is a chance to bolster their roster with Canadian talent eager to make their mark in the CFL.

  1. Philippe, a fervent sports enthusiast, has expressed his admiration for the upcoming French-born talent, Christopher Fortin, an offensive lineman, in the 2025 CFL draft.
  2. As GM of the Montreal Alouettes, Danny Maciocia, appearing quite confident, holds onto the strategy he believes to be successful, emphasizing his intention to draft top players, regardless of position or skill set.
  3. Should the Alouettes opt for the Quebec native Fortin, his addition to the team could mark a significant step towards Maciocia's mission of building a strong Canadian depth within the team's roster, as per league regulations.
  4. Maciocia, feeling the CFL regulation on Canadian quarterbacks to be restrictive, advocates for a rule change that recognizes Canadian quarterbacks as such when serving as backups, to ensure equal opportunities for budding Canadian quarterbacks in the draft.
CFL's General Director Danny Maciocia, since 2020, has a consistent draft approach that's proved successful. He's stickin' to his guns and not deviating from this strategy in this year's draft.
In his CFL tenure since 2020, Danny Maciocia adheres to a consistent draft strategy that's yielded success, and he intends to stick with it this year, unwilling to alter his approach.
Maciocia, CFL general manager since 2020, sticks to his draft strategy that's proven successful; no changes planned for this year.

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