Concordia Stinger offensive tackle Maurice Simba is the biggest mover in the December scouting bureau rankings announced by the CFL today.
The six-foot-eight, 320-pound native of Kinshasa in the Democratic Republic of Congo moves up seven spots to No. 11 from No. 18 where he was ranked last August. He is the highest ranking offensive lineman from a Canadian university.
“I’m very happy and excited that the scouts view me as the top offensive lineman from U SPORTS,” Simba said. “I feel like I gave my best last football season and people saw my potential. I’m happy all the work I put into the season has paid off.”
Simba has been on the CFL radar for a long time, but in 2018 he also started to attract NFL interest. Ten teams have scouted him or reached out for information and asked to interview him.
“I’m humble about it,” said Simba of the NFL interest. “I’m just going to keep working hard and we’ll see what happens.”
He will participate in the NFLPA Collegiate Bowl at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif. on Jan. 19, 2019. The event was founded in 2012 by the National Football League Players Association and is the premier post-season all-star game for draft-eligible college football players.
It gives prospective NFL players like Simba an opportunity to showcase their talents. Nearly 200 scouts, player personnel staff, general managers and head coaches from all 32 NFL teams are expected to attend.
The fourth-year Leisure Sciences student is a two-time RSEQ all-star and in 2017 he was a U SPORTS second team all-Canadian. Simba also participated in the 2018 East-West all-star showcase last May in Quebec City.
The CFL Scouting Bureau releases a list of top 20 prospects eligible for the draft three times a year. For the 2019 draft, the final rankings will come out in April. The draft is traditionally held in early May.
The bureau is comprised of scouts, player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine teams.
