Prior to last week's draft day, Coach/GM Jim Barker asked Belli about his future with the club so the team could prepare their draft picks. I'm sure Barker knew Belli's decision before the draft, which is why the selections surprise me. The Argos picked an Offensive Lineman 7th overall (Tyler Holmes), then a Wide Receiver 18th (Djems Koname) and finally touched the D Line with an end 22nd (Alexander Robinson). The Argos would make another pick before possibly filling Belli's shoes at 35th overall (Gregory Alexandre). For me, Alexandre (left) is the key to the Argos' draft. Going in, the Argos had issues which required addressing. Those were, in my mind, the O-Line and the Receiving corps. The past number of years saw these two groups struggle immensely and with 3 WRs and 2 OLs, I think they're more than filled those roles. Assuming Holmes and Nill will be in the stance and Kuame, Jedd Gardiner and Julian Fuoli Gudino will be running routes opening day. Let's be honest, most of these guys are there for the future but Holmes and Kuame have a good shot at this season. Jim Barker admitted himself, this draft was about addressing team needs and building some competition in camp.
So what happens to the Belli-less D-Line?
Let's not forget, it still includes Rick Foley, Kevin Huntley and Ronald Flemons, all successful with the Argos in previous seasons. Even if Alexandre (or someone else) steps in, those 3 should be able to hold down the fort until experience and a knowledge of the playbook show up.
As I said before, the Argos had 2 major issues coming into the draft: Wide Receivers and their Offensive Line, 3 if you count replacing Belli. Did they solve those issues?
They drafted Wide Receivers, but they're all quite young. They need to have big training camps to see reps before week 5 or 6. Having said that, the Argos of late have seen a revolving door of receivers, some due to injury, some due to personality conflicts (*cough* Bruce! *cough*) and others simply due to lack of performance. These kids need to work hard in every practice and they may see time sooner, rather than later. For opening day though, no, the Argos did not solve this problem.
Again, their Offensive Line needed help and they got bodies on draft day. What can those bodies do? We'll find out. Expect Holmes to suit up early for the Argos. It's up to him to make his presence felt and keep his job. The draft didn't really fix the O-Line, but as Barker said, it will give some different looks in camp. The veterans may not be guaranteed a job this year. It's a good strategy on paper. If it plays out on the field, they fixed their O-Line issues on draft day.
Finally, did the Argos find a replacement for Belli? I ask you this, did they need one? Flemons, Huntley and Foley are strong candidates on the line. Adding Alexandre helps but I don't see him seeing much time. Historically speaking, the Argos have won games, and championships, with little offense but lights out defense. Part of that has been exceptional play, part of that has been depth. Don't forget, the Argos were without Belli for a few games last season due to a foot injury. It's time for someone to step up. They should be fine!
Draft day, in any sport, is all about planning for the future. Very rarely do players selected on draft day make an opening day lineup on the gridiron. Paired with some of last year's selections (including Vanier Cup leader, Danny Brannagan), the Argos are starting to look strong for years to come.
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