2019 CFL draft explained

2019 CFL Draft
Logosize:	250px
Logoalt:	2019 CFL draft logo
Sport:	Canadian football
Date:	May 2, 2019
Time:	8:00 pm EDT
Location:	Toronto
Network:	TSN/RDS
Overall:	73
Rounds:	8
First:	Shane Richards OL, Toronto Argonauts
Fewest:	Saskatchewan Roughriders (6)
Most:	Toronto Argonauts (10)
U Sports:	52
Ncaa:	21
Prev:	2018
Next:	2020

The 2019 CFL Draft took place on May 2, 2019 at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS.^[1] ^[2] 73 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities, as well as Canadian players playing in the United States on NCAA or NAIA teams.^[3] ^[4]

The draft was broadcast live on TSN and RDS for two hours and then switched to digital platforms on TSN.ca and TSN GO. Randy Ambrosie, the CFL commissioner, was at the TSN studios in Toronto to announce the first twenty picks.^[5]

Top prospects

Source: CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.^[6]

Final Ranking^[7]	December Ranking^[8]	August Ranking	Player	Position	University	Hometown
1	1	2	Mathieu Betts	Defensive lineman	Laval	Montreal, QC
2	2	4	Shane Richards	Offensive lineman	Oklahoma State	Calgary, AB
3	3	5	Justin McInnis	Receiver	Arkansas State	Pierrefonds, QC
4	17	8	Zach Wilkinson	Offensive lineman	Northern Colorado	Vancouver, BC
5	6	3	Hergy Mayala	Receiver	UConn	Montreal, QC
6	4	1	Jonathan Kongbo	Defensive lineman	Tennessee	Surrey, BC
7	-	-	Drew Desjarlais	Offensive lineman	Windsor	Belle River, ON
8	8	11	Maleek Irons	Running back	Ohio	Chilliwack, BC
9	13	14	Kaion Julien-Grant	Receiver	St. Francis Xavier	Toronto, ON
10	5	9	Alex Fontana	Offensive lineman	Kansas	Toronto, ON
11	-	-	Brayden Lenius	Receiver	New Mexico	North Vancouver, BC
12	16	12	Samuel Thomassin	Offensive lineman	Laval	Quebec, QC
13	11	18	Maurice Simba	Offensive lineman	Concordia	Laval, QC
14	-	-	Jesse Gibbon	Offensive lineman	Waterloo	Hamilton, ON
15	12	15	Robbie Smith	Defensive lineman	Wilfrid Laurier	Brampton, ON
16	9	13	Kurleigh Gittens, Jr.	Receiver	Wilfrid Laurier	Ottawa, ON
17	19	20	Michael O'Connor	Quarterback	British Columbia	Orleans, ON
18	10	7	Brady Oliveira	Running back	North Dakota	Winnipeg, MB
19	-	-	Malcolm Lee	Defensive back	British Columbia	Surrey, BC
20	7	10	Alexandre Savard	Receiver	Laval	Quebec, QC
-	14	19	Fraser Sopik	Linebacker	Western	Toronto, ON
-	15	17	Jamie Harry	Defensive back	Ottawa	Lachine, QC
-	18	-	Trivel Pinto	Receiver	British Columbia	Toronto, ON
-	20	-	Nate Anderson	Defensive lineman	Missouri	Toronto, ON
-	-	6	Dejon Brissett	Receiver	Richmond	Mississauga, ON
-	-	16	Jamel Lyles	Running back	Manitoba	Surrey, BC

Trades

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

Round one

BC → Winnipeg (PD). BC traded this selection and a second-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Winnipeg in exchange for a first-round pick and a second-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft.^[9]

Round two

Montreal → Hamilton (PD). Montreal traded this selection and the first, 31st, and 44th overall selections in the 2018 CFL Draft to Hamilton in exchange for the second, 34th, and 56th overall picks in the 2018 CFL Draft, Ryan Bomben, and Jamal Robinson.^[10]
BC → Montreal (PD). BC traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Tyrell Sutton and a third-round pick in this year's draft.^[11]
Ottawa → Montreal (PD). Ottawa traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Chris Ackie.^[12]

Round three

Saskatchewan → Montreal (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection, Tevaughn Campbell, and a third-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Montreal for Vernon Adams and a fifth-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft.^[13]
Edmonton → Toronto (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Toronto in exchange for Martese Jackson and a conditional sixth-round pick in the 2020 CFL Draft.^[14]
Montreal → BC (PD). Montreal traded this selection and Tyrell Sutton to BC in exchange for a second-round pick in this year's draft.^[11]
BC → Hamilton (PD). BC traded this selection to Hamilton in exchange for a sixth-round pick in this year's draft and Davon Coleman.^[15] This was originally a fourth-round pick, but was revealed to be a third-round pick when the official draft order was released.^[4]

Round four

Hamilton → Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection and fourth-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Charleston Hughes and the 34th overall pick (fourth round) in the 2018 CFL Draft.^[16]

Round five

Hamilton → Edmonton (PD). Hamilton traded this selection and a seventh-round pick in the 2018 CFL Draft to Edmonton in exchange for Shamawd Chambers.^[17]

Round six

Hamilton → BC (PD). Hamilton traded this selection and Davon Coleman to BC in exchange for a fourth-round pick in this year's draft.^[15]

Round seven

Saskatchewan → Toronto (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection to Toronto in exchange for Brian Jones.^[18]

Round eight

Toronto → Hamilton (PD). Toronto traded this selection to Hamilton in exchange for Abdul Kanneh.^[19]

Conditional trades

Montreal → Winnipeg (PD). Montreal traded a conditional eighth-round selection to Winnipeg in exchange for Adarius Bowman.^[20] This condition was not fulfilled and Montreal kept the selection.^[4]

Territorial exemptions

Beginning in 2019, the CFL announced the two teams with the highest waiver priority will each get to make one Territorial Draft Pick (to be used to select a player born within their territorial limits at the end of the second round). The two teams that qualified for the 2019 Draft were Montreal and Toronto and these picks were made with the 17th and 18th overall picks.^[21]

This was the first time since 1984 that the league’s draft will feature territorial selections. From 1972 to 1982, each club had the right to pre-select two players from its region who would be exempted from the draft. That limit was reduced to one Draft exemption selection in 1983 and 1984, and then the practice was terminated altogether prior to the 1985 Canadian Draft.

Forfeitures

Montreal forfeited their first round pick after selecting Tyler Johnstone in the 2018 Supplemental Draft.^[22]

Draft order

Round one

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
1					Oklahoma State
–		Selection forfeited
2				Waterloo
3				Laval
4	Winnipeg Blue Bombers (via BC)			Windsor
5	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			Tennessee
6				Arkansas State
7				Kansas
8				UConn

Round two

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
9	Toronto Argonauts			Wilfrid Laurier
10	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Montreal)			York
11	Hamilton Tiger-Cats			Idaho
12	Edmonton Eskimos			Nevada, Las Vegas
13	Montreal Alouettes (via BC)			St. Francis Xavier
14	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			North Dakota
15	Saskatchewan Roughriders			New Mexico
16	Montreal Alouettes (via Ottawa)			Missouri
17	Calgary Stampeders			Laval
18	Toronto Argonauts			Fresno State
19	Montreal Alouettes			Laval

Round three

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
20	Toronto Argonauts			British Columbia
21	Montreal Alouettes			Northern Colorado
22	Hamilton Tiger-Cats			Ohio
23	Toronto Argonauts (via Edmonton)			Wilfrid Laurier
24	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via BC)			British Columbia
25	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			British Columbia
26	BC Lions (via Montreal via Saskatchewan)			Missouri
27	Ottawa Redblacks			Sherbrooke
28	Calgary Stampeders			Manitoba

Round four

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
29	Toronto Argonauts			Concordia
30	Montreal Alouettes			Queen's
31	Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton)			Western
32	Edmonton Eskimos			Grand Valley State
33	BC Lions			Western
34	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			Hawai'i
35	Saskatchewan Roughriders			York
36	Ottawa Redblacks			Acadia
37	Calgary Stampeders			Guelph

Round five

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
38	Toronto Argonauts			Ottawa
39	Montreal Alouettes			Concordia
40	Edmonton Eskimos (via Hamilton)			Manitoba
41	Edmonton Eskimos			Saskatchewan
42	BC Lions			Alberta
43	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			Mount Allison
44	Saskatchewan Roughriders			Wagner
45	Ottawa Redblacks			Houston Baptist
46	Calgary Stampeders			British Columbia

Round six

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
47	Toronto Argonauts			Virginia
48	Montreal Alouettes			Calgary
49	BC Lions (via Hamilton)			British Columbia
50	Edmonton Eskimos			Wilfrid Laurier
51	BC Lions			Wilfrid Laurier
52	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			Manitoba
53	Saskatchewan Roughriders			Sherbrooke
54	Ottawa Redblacks	Chris Larsen		Manitoba
55	Calgary Stampeders			Calgary

Round seven

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
56	Toronto Argonauts			Carleton
57	Montreal Alouettes			Saskatchewan
58	Hamilton Tiger-Cats			Manitoba
59	Edmonton Eskimos			Calgary
60	BC Lions			Simon Fraser
61	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			Toronto
62	Toronto Argonauts (via Saskatchewan)			Guelph
63	Ottawa Redblacks			Manitoba
64	Calgary Stampeders			Guelph

Round eight

Pick #	width=40% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	CFL Team !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Player !	width=8% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	Position !	width=20% style="background:#E5E5E5;"	University
65	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Toronto)			Toronto
66	Montreal Alouettes			Ottawa
67	Hamilton Tiger-Cats			St. Francis Xavier
68	Edmonton Eskimos			McMaster
69	BC Lions			Manitoba
70	Winnipeg Blue Bombers			Montreal
71	Saskatchewan Roughriders			Cal Poly
72	Ottawa Redblacks			Laval
73	Calgary Stampeders			York

Notes and References

News: An early look at the 2019 CFL Draft selection order. December 17, 2018.
News: CFL key dates to circle on your calendar in 2019. January 31, 2019.
http://press.cfl.ca/canadian-football-league-exapnds-draft-to-eight-rounds Canadian Football League expands draft to eight rounds
https://www.cfl.ca/draft-tracker/2019/ 2019 CFL Draft Tracker
News: 2019 cfl draft takes place tonight beginning at 8 pm et on tsn and rds. May 2, 2019.
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https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/02/lions-acquire-first-round-selection-pick-swap-bombers/ BC acquires first round pick in swap with Bombers
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/02/reed-als-send-first-overall-pick-hamilton-major-trade-ticats/ Ticats acquire first overall pick in major trade with Als
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/09/25/lions-acquire-rb-tyrell-sutton-trade-als/ Lions acquire RB Tyrell Sutton in trade with Als
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/10/10/redblacks-acquire-chris-ackie-trade-als/ REDBLACKS acquire Chris Ackie in trade with Als
https://www.cfl.ca/2017/08/15/riders-acquire-qb-vernon-adams-trade-als/ Riders acquire QB Vernon Adams in trade with Als
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/09/10/esks-acquire-martese-jackson-argos/ Esks acquire Martese Jackson from Argos
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/05/25/lions-acquire-dl-coleman-ticats/ Lions acquire DL Coleman from Ticats
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/02/02/ticats-flip-hughes-riders/ On the Move Again: Hughes traded to Riders for QB Adams
https://www.cfl.ca/2017/09/17/ticats-acquire-chambers-eskimos/ Ticats acquire Chambers from Eskimos
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/08/20/riders-acquire-former-4th-overall-pick-brian-jones/ Riders acquire former 4th overall pick Brian Jones
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/06/10/argos-acquire-former-star-db-kanneh-trade-tiger-cats/ Argos acquire former all-star DB Kanneh in trade with Ticats
https://www.cfl.ca/2018/07/23/montreal-acquires-adarius-bowman-trade-bombers/ Montreal acquires Adarius Bowman in trade with Bombers
Web site: CFL Draft to feature territorial picks. 2019-04-17. CFL.ca. en. 2019-04-18.
Web site: Alouettes select OL Tyler Johnstone in Supplemental Draft. July 2, 2018. CFL.ca.

2019 CFL draft explained

Top prospects

Trades

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

Conditional trades

Territorial exemptions

Forfeitures

Draft order

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

See also

Notes and References