With the 2014 CFL Draft set to take place Tuesday in Toronto, CFL on TSN analyst Duane Forde breaks down the top prospects. Today, he looks at running backs and linebackers. RUNNING BACKS 1) Anthony Coombs (RB, Manitoba) You Should Know: His coming out party was a 14-carry, 147-yard game against the United States Under-19 National Team as a member of the World Team in the 2012 International Bowl.The Good: He has averaged at least seven yards per carry in each of his four CIS seasons and that average improved every year, leaving him with a career average of 7.5 yards/carry.The Bad: Durability may be a concern, as he has missed time with minor injuries each of the last three seasons. 2) Pascal Lochard (RB, Laval) The Good: This versatile 60”, 215 lbs. back rushed for 184 yards – three yards shy of his career high – en route to earning MVP honours in the 2013 Vanier Cup. The Bad: Its not a knock on his ability or potential but, with the very crowded Laval backfield, he has rarely played more than half of the offensive snaps in a game. 3) Alexandre Dupuis (FB, Montreal) The Good: He battled back from surgeries on both knees in 2012 to become an RSEQ All-Star last season.The Bad: No one will question his toughness or work ethic but he might be a little limited athletically. 4) Robert Farquharson (RB, Guelph) The Good: Over the last two CIS seasons, his average of 112.9 rushing yards per game ranks first among Class of 2014 running backs, just ahead of Coombs (112.7).The Bad: A hamstring injury suffered during training camp limited him to only four regular season games in 2013. 5) Aaron Milton (RB, Toronto) The Good: He “plays faster” than he tests, and, considering that his 63”, 215 lbs. frame has room to carry more weight, he could eventually contribute as a fullback.The Bad: Hes coming off a shoulder injury that has left him a little behind in terms of upper body strength. Other Contenders: Guillaume Bourassa (Laval) – career high 66 carries, 402 rushing yards in 2013; 4.71 40-yard dash at CFL Combine was 2nd fastest among RBs behind Coombs Jordan Botel (Mount Allsion) – 2013 AUS nominee for Hec Crighton Trophy; has averaged 102.3 rushing yards/game over the last two seasons; played FB for CJFLs Vancouver Island Raiders in 2008-09, blocking for current B.C. Lion Andrew Harris Mackenzie Sarro (Calgary) – 64”, 245 lbs.; tied fellow FB Dupuis with 23 bench press reps at CFL Combine; had only one carry, seven receptions in two years with the Dinos Also On The Radar (alphabetically): Connor Anderson (York), Jeremy Andrew (Saskatchewan), Jean-Christophe Beaulieu (Sherbrooke); Errol Brooks (York); Zack Clarke (Acadia), Zack Davis (York), Sean Murphy (McGill), Raul Thompson (Concordia); Kurt Tonowski (Saint Marys); C.J. Zsoldos (Waterloo / London Beefeaters) LINEBACKERS 1) Casey Chin (Simon Fraser) You Should Know: He was a four-year starter and three-time Great Northwest Athletic Conference All-Star during his career with the Clan.The Good: He increased his tackle totals significantly each season, capping his career with an average of nearly 12 per game as a senior.The Bad: Listed at 510”, hes not physically imposing. 2) Max Caron (Concordia) The Good: He won the Presidents Trophy as the Top Defensive Player in CIS football as a sophomore and possesses a very high football IQ.The Bad: His physical upside may be limited, as hell turn 25 this summer. 3) Jesse Briggs (McGill) The Good: Ranked among the top LBs in all testing categories at the CFL Combine, with his 4.57 40 being the key to boosting his stock.The Bad: Hes not seen as a particularly physical player, and his on-field productivity hasnt necessarily matched his athletic ability. 4) Beau Landry (Western) The Good: He offers versatility, having been named a First Team All-Canadian as a defensive halfback in 2011 and again as a linebacker in 2013.The Bad: At the next level, he may find himself as a “tweener”, not possessing the speed of top defensive backs or the size of most linebackers. 5) Travis Bent (Concordia) The Good: Physical and aggressive, he had his best season in 2012, leading the Stingers with 61.5 tackles.The Bad: As highly touted as his teammate Caron when they entered the Stingers program in 2010, he hasnt yet reached that potential. Other Contenders: Christopher Johnson (Toronto) – 510”, 220 lbs.; compares well physically and athletically to drafts top LBs Sam Sabourin – was among the drafts elite prospects until he chose to retire due to concussion concerns; three-time All-Canadian could still be a late selection Thomas Miles (Manitoba) – second on Bisons with 39 tackles in 2013; also long snaps Also On The Radar (alphabetically): Aram Eisho (McMaster); Cody Kezama (Regina); Matt Lalande (Saint Marys); Pier-Yves Lavergne (Montreal); Eric Noivo (Concordia); Stephen Osman (McGill); Omar Smith-Jackson (Bishops); Richard Zacharias (Saskatchewan) Analysis: Ill discuss these two position groups together, as there are a number of similarities in terms of how theyre evaluated for the draft. While Jon Cornish, Andrew Harris, Shea Emry, and Henoc Muamba are household names for CFL fans, the reality is that the vast majority of the leagues non-import running backs and linebackers are depth guys, who will play far more snaps on special teams every week than they will on offence or defence. Since its difficult for teams to justify using first round picks for players who arent projected to play regularly on offence or defence, you generally dont see a lot of RBs and LBs selected in Round 1. In fact, in the last ten years, there has only been one draft in which the first round included more than one player from either of these two groups (Keep in mind that while Mike Edem, Shomari Williams, and Justin Phillips may have been listed as LBs, they were all drafted to play another position). In 2005, Akron LB Cam Yeow went second overall, McMaster RB Jesse Lumsden was chosen sixth, and Kentucky fullback Alexis Bwenge was the eighth overall selection. A significant factor leading to that anomaly was that the Class of 2005 was strong at neither offensive line nor receiver, the usual “marquee Canadian positions”. Coincidentally, a similar dynamic exists in this years draft class, which should open the door for the top running back and linebacker prospects to be among the first nine picks.At running back, the obvious choice is Coombs. In his eight Canada West games last season, the Winnipeg native rushed for 100+ yards four times and had 100+ receiving yards three times. The CFL Combine revealed both his willingness to pass block and his ability to compete as a receiver. All things considered, he is the best non-lineman in this draft class. On my board, Chin also ranks among the top three non-linemen available and projects as a potential future starter. Last season, the Simon Fraser product racked up 119 tackles in 10 games (11.9/game) to lead the Great Northwest Athletic Conference. Four years ago, another 510” linebacker finished second in the GNAC with 96 tackles in 11 games (8.7/game). That player was current B.C. Lions star Adam Bighill, whose 196 tackles over the last two CFL seasons equals Montreals Chip Cox for the most in the league during that span. Granted, the number of tackles made can be a misleading statistic but, given his range and productivity, Chin should be given every opportunity to contribute on defence as well as special teams. Stitched Angels Jerseys . Patrick Kane and the Chicago Blackhawks were proof of that on Wednesday night. Los Angeles Angels Shirts . Charlottetown scored four times in the third period en route to a 5-2 win over the defending champion Halifax Mooseheads on Friday. https://www.cheapangels.com/. -- The Atlanta Braves added to their extensive wave of long-term deals with their young stars on Sunday by agreeing to a $42 million, four-year contract with All-Star closer Craig Kimbrel. Wholesale Angels Jerseys . -- Felix Girard scored on the power play in the third period to lift the Baie-Comeau Drakkar past the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada 4-3 in Quebec Major Junior Hockey League action Friday. Custom Los Angeles Angels Jerseys . James Erskine said Tuesday that Thorpe was "quite sick" in a Sydney hospital but dismissed media reports the swimmer might lose the use of his left arm. "Hes not in the intensive care," Erskine said.WASHINGTON -- General manager George McPhee and coach Adam Oates lost their jobs with the Washington Capitals on Saturday, about two weeks after the team failed to make the playoffs for the first time since 2007. "We were left with the overall impression that the team wasnt trending toward being able to compete for a Stanley Cup," Capitals owner Ted Leonsis said in a news conference at the clubs arena. "And that was just a clear signal and why it was time to make those changes." McPhees contract was up and the team announced it will not give him a new one after his 17 years as the GM, which included drafting Alex Ovechkin and Nicklas Backstrom in the first round. Oates was fired with one season left on his three-year deal. A former star player for the Capitals, he was in his first job as an NHL head coach. Washington finished this season with the ninth-most points in the Eastern Conference, one spot out of a playoff berth. "You have to do something to pivot the team to be an ongoing strong team," Leonsis said. "And I just felt that new leadership at this time was needed, and lets start it with a clean slate." Asked whether any player would be untouchable as part of upcoming changes -- a chance, perhaps, for Leonsis to mention captain and top scorer Ovechkin -- the owner replied: "Im not the general manager. So If the general manager comes with something, we would listen to the general manager." Ovechkin has won three league MVP awards and again led the NHL in scoring this season with 51 goals, but the Capitals havent made it past the second round of the playoffs during the Russian wings career. Dick Patrick, the president of the Capitals, said the team already has drawn up a list of potential GM candidates. "Typically, youd like to have a general manager in place and have him choose a coach," Patrick said. The Capitals reached the Stanley Cup finals in 1998, McPhees first year on the job, and were swept by the Detroit Red Wings. Later, MMcPhee oversaw a "rebuild" ordered by Leonsis, including jettisoning top players with big contracts such as Jaromir Jagr.dddddddddddd "Lets not forget that rebuilding process was dramatic. And I watched a great executive go through really, really hard times and really rebuild that team quickly. We just didnt get there," Leonsis said. "At some point, you just have to try something different." While McPhee eventually built a young roster filled with offensive stars, he never placed as much emphasis on constructing a rugged, defensive-minded blue line crop. He hired a succession of coaches with zero previous NHL experience running a team, including Glen Hanlon, Bruce Boudreau, Dale Hunter and Oates. Led by Ovechkin, the Capitals produced terrific regular-season results for a half-dozen seasons, without similar success in the post-season. Four years ago, Washington won the Presidents Trophy for having the most points during the season, then lost in the first round of the playoffs to the eighth-seeded Montreal Canadiens. Leonsis called McPhee, who built seven division-winning teams, "a talented man, a great friend," but that it was time for "a fresh set of eyes." The Capitals went 65-48-17 under Oates in his two seasons. In a brief statement released via the team, Oates called it "a tremendous honour to coach the Capitals these past two seasons" and said he was "grateful for the opportunity." In his first season in charge, which was shortened because of a labour dispute, Washington reached the playoffs with a late surge before losing in the first round to the New York Rangers in seven games. "We were a continuously improving playoff team until we werent. And the last two seasons showed us that we need to improve. And thats what it came down to," Leonsis said. "Dick and I said, We have to make that gut check. Do we have to change? And where do you start? And you start with the coach and the general manager." ' ' '