2017 CFL draft explained

2017 CFL Draft
Logosize:	250px
Logoalt:	2017 CFL draft logo
Sport:	Canadian football
Date:	May 7
Time:	7:00 PM EDT
Location:	Toronto
Network:	TSN/RDS
Overall:	71
Rounds:	8
First:	Faith Ekakitie DL, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Fewest:	Toronto Argonauts (6)
Most:	BC Lions (9) Saskatchewan Roughriders (9)
U Sports:	56
Ncaa:	15
Prev:	2016
Next:	2018

The 2017 CFL Draft took place on Sunday May 7, 2017 at 7:00 PM ET on TSN and RDS.^[1] ^[2] ^[3] 71 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA.^[4]

The draft was broadcast live on TSN for two hours and then subsequent coverage shifted to digital platforms on TSN.ca and TSN GO. The production was hosted by Farhan Lalji and featured the CFL on TSN panel which included Duane Forde, Chris Schultz, Dave Naylor, and Marshall Ferguson.^[3] Jim Lawson, the CFL's Chairman of the Board of Governors, announced the picks for the first two rounds at the TSN studios. This was announced following the resignation of current CFL Commissioner Jeffrey Orridge.^[5]

Top prospects

Source: CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.^[6]

Final Ranking^[7]	December Ranking^[8]	September Ranking	Player	Position	College	Hometown
1	1	1	Justin Senior	Offensive lineman	Mississippi State	Montreal, QC
2	3	5	Eli Ankou	Defensive lineman	UCLA	Ottawa, ON
3	5	11	Geoff Gray	Offensive lineman	Manitoba	Winnipeg, MB
4	7	4	Daniel Vandervoort	Wide receiver	McMaster	Barrie, ON
5	11	14	Faith Ekakitie	Defensive lineman	Iowa	Brampton, ON
6	8	6	Christophe Mulumba	Linebacker	Maine	Laval, QC
7	2	10	Antony Auclair	Tight end	Laval	Notre-Dame-des-Pins, QC
8	10	15	Mason Woods	Offensive lineman	Idaho	Port Coquitlam, BC
9	12	8	Nathaniel Behar	Wide receiver	Carleton	London, ON
10	15	-	Dariusz Bladek	Offensive lineman	Bethune–Cookman	Kissimmee, FL
11	9	13	Junior Luke	Defensive lineman	Montreal	Montreal, QC
12	6	2	Kwaku Boateng	Defensive lineman	Wilfrid Laurier	Milton, ON
13	13	9	Qadr Spooner	Offensive lineman	McGill	Brossard, QC
14	17	12	Robert Woodson	Defensive back	Calgary	Calgary, AB
15	19	17	Kay Okafor	Defensive lineman	St. Francis Xavier	Enugu, Nigeria
16	-	-	Braden Schram	Offensive lineman	Calgary	Manning, AB
17	-	-	Johnny Augustine	Running back	Guelph	Welland, ON
18	-	-	Fabion Foote	Defensive lineman	McMaster	North York, ON
19	-	-	Dondre Wright	Defensive back	Henderson State	Ajax, ON
20	-	-	Connor McGough	Defensive lineman	Calgary	Medicine Hat, AB
-	14	18	Jean-Simon Roy	Offensive lineman	Laval	Quebec, QC
-	16	-	Jordan Herdman	Linebacker	Simon Fraser	Winnipeg, MB
-	18	16	Nakas Onyeka	Linebacker	Wilfrid Laurier	Brampton, ON
-	20	-	Mitchell Picton	Wide receiver	Regina	Regina, SK
-	4	7	Rashaun Simonise	Wide receiver	Calgary	Vancouver, BC
-	-	3	Akeel Lynch	Running back	Nevada	Toronto, ON
-	-	19	Kwabena Asare	Offensive lineman	Carleton	Brampton, ON
-	-	20	Corey Williams	Linebacker	Toronto	Toronto, ON

Trades

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.

Round one

Montreal → BC (PD). Montreal traded this selection to BC for the negotiating rights to Vernon Adams.^[9]
Toronto → Winnipeg (PD). Toronto traded this selection, T. J. Heath, and a third-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Winnipeg for Drew Willy.^[10]
Winnipeg ←→ Calgary (D). Winnipeg traded the sixth overall selection to Calgary for the eighth overall selection and the 34th overall selection in this year's draft.^[11]

Round two

None

Round three

None

Round four

Saskatchewan → Calgary (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection to Calgary for Tevaughn Campbell.^[12]
Winnipeg → Montreal (PD). Winnipeg traded this selection to Montreal for Kevin Glenn.^[10]
Hamilton → Saskatchewan (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, Linden Gaydosh, Tommy Streeter, and a seventh-round pick in this year's draft to Saskatchewan for Justin Capicciotti and Xavier Fulton.^[13]
Montreal → Saskatchewan (PD). Montreal traded this selection and a conditional second-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Saskatchewan for Darian Durant.^[14]
Calgary → Winnipeg (D). Calgary traded the 34th overall selection and the eighth overall selection to Winnipeg for the sixth overall selection in this year's draft.^[11]

Round five

Montreal → Hamilton (PD). Montreal traded this selection, Khalid Wooten, and a sixth-round pick in this year's draft to Hamilton for Cierre Wood, Denzell Perine, a fifth-round pick in this year's draft, and a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.^[15]
Hamilton → Montreal (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, Cierre Wood, Denzell Perine, and a sixth-round pick in this year's draft to Montreal for Khalid Wooten, a fifth-round pick in this year's draft, and a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.^[15]
Winnipeg → Edmonton (PD). Winnipeg traded a conditional seventh-round selection to Edmonton for Matt Nichols.^[16] This later became a fifth-round selection after Nichols became Winnipeg's starting quarterback.

Round six

Toronto → Montreal (PD). Toronto traded this selection and a conditional pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Montreal for S. J. Green.^[17]
Montreal → Hamilton (PD). Montreal traded this selection, Khalid Wooten, and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to Hamilton for Cierre Wood, Denzell Perine, a fifth-round pick in this year's draft, and a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.^[15]
Hamilton → Montreal (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, Cierre Wood, Denzell Perine, and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to Montreal for Khalid Wooten, a fifth-round pick in this year's draft, and a sixth-round pick in this year's draft.^[15]

Round seven

Hamilton → Saskatchewan (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, Linden Gaydosh, Tommy Streeter, and a fourth-round pick in this year's draft to Saskatchewan for Justin Capicciotti and Xavier Fulton.^[13]
Edmonton → Hamilton (PD). Edmonton traded a conditional seventh-round selection to Hamilton for Brian Simmons.^[18] The draft pick was solidified after the condition was met.

Round eight

None

Conditional trades

Winnipeg → Hamilton (PD). Winnipeg traded a conditional selection to Hamilton for the negotiation list rights to Tajh Boyd.^[19] The condition was not met and Winnipeg did not transfer their selection to Hamilton.

Forfeitures

Saskatchewan forfeits their third-round selection after selecting Kevin Francis in the 2016 Supplemental Draft.^[20]

Draft order