2023 CFL draft explained

2023 CFL Draft
Logosize:	250px
Sport:	Canadian football
Location:	Toronto
Date:	May 2, 2023
Time:	8:00 pm EDT
Network:	TSN
Overall:	72
Rounds:	8
League:	CFL
Territorial:	2
First:	Dontae Bull, Ottawa Redblacks
Fewest:	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Fewnum:	6
Most:	Ottawa Redblacks
Mostnum:	10
U Sports:	57
Ncaa:	14
Prev:	2022
Next:	2024

The 2023 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League teams that took place on May 2, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET.^{[1] [2]} 72 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA and NAIA.^{[3] [4] [5]}

The draft was broadcast live on TSN for the first two rounds with subsequent rounds being streamed online.^[2] The TSN production was hosted by Farhan Lalji and featured the CFL on TSN panel, including Duane Forde, Marshall Ferguson, Jim Barker, and Dave Naylor.^[2]

Combines

For the first time the CFL held an invitational players combine at the University of Waterloo's Feridun Hamdullahpur Field House on March 3, 2023.^[6] The main combine took place March 22-26, 2023, at the Commonwealth Stadium Field House in Edmonton, AB.^[7]

Top prospects

Source: CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.^[8]

Final Ranking	January Ranking^[9]	September Ranking^[10]	Player	Position	University	Hometown
1	5	–	Matthew Bergeron	Offensive Lineman	Syracuse	Victoriaville, QC
2	1	1	Chase Brown	Running back	Illinois	London, ON
3	2	3	Sydney Brown	Defensive back	Illinois	London, ON
4	3	9	Tavius Robinson	Defensive lineman	Mississippi	Guelph, ON
5	4	7	Sidy Sow	Offensive lineman	Eastern Michigan	Bromont, QC
6	6	4	Jared Wayne	Wide receiver	Pittsburgh	Peterborough, ON
7	7	2	Dontae Bull	Offensive lineman	Fresno State	Victoria, BC
8	9	10	Jonathan Sutherland	Linebacker	Penn State	Ottawa, ON
9	8	6	Lwal Uguak	Defensive lineman	Texas Christian	Edmonton, AB
10	12	11	Francis Bemiy	Defensive lineman	Southern Utah	Montreal, QC
11	15	–	Micheal Brodrique	Linebacker	Montreal	Sainte-Marthe-sur-le-Lac, QC
12	–	–	Cole Tucker	Wide receiver	Northern Illinois	DeKalb, IL
13	10	20	Lake Korte-Moore	Defensive lineman	British Columbia	Ottawa, ON
14	14	13	Clark Barnes	Wide receiver	Guelph	Brampton, ON
15	11	16	Siriman Bagayogo	Defensive back	Guelph	Bois-des-Filion, QC
16	13	–	Anthony Bennett	Defensive lineman	Regina	Weston, FL
17	20	–	Phillip Grohovac	Offensive lineman	Western	Victoria, BC
18	18	18	Jacob Taylor	Linebacker	Alberta	Beaumont, AB
19	16	–	James Peter	Linebacker	Ottawa	Ottawa, ON
20	–	–	Dayton Black	Offensive lineman	Saskatchewan	Brandon, MB
–	17	19	Reece Martin	Defensive lineman	Mount Allison	Moncton, NB
–	19	–	Quintin Seguin	Defensive lineman	Charleston Southern	Windsor, ON
–	–	5	Nick Mardner	Wide receiver	Cincinnati	Mississauga, ON
–	–	8	Theo Benedet	Offensive lineman	British Columbia	North Vancouver, BC
–	–	12	Gabe Wallace	Offensive lineman	Buffalo	Salmon Arm, BC
–	–	14	Daniel Johnson	Offensive lineman	Purdue	London, ON
–	–	15	Giovanni Manu	Offensive lineman	British Columbia	Pitt Meadows, BC
–	–	17	Justin Sambu	Defensive lineman	Maine	Calgary, AB

Draft order

Round one

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
1			OL	Fresno State
2			LB	Montreal
3			DL	British Columbia
4	Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton)		WR	Northern Illinois
5			LB	Penn State
6	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Calgary)			OL	Saskatchewan
7	Montreal Alouettes (via BC)		DL	Texas Christian
8			DL	Regina
9	BC Lions (via Toronto)		DL	Southern Utah

Round two

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
10	Ottawa Redblacks		DB	Mount Allison
–	Edmonton Elks	Selection forfeited
11	Saskatchewan Roughriders		DB	Regina
12	Ottawa Redblacks (via Edmonton via Hamilton)		LB	Ottawa
13	Montreal Alouettes		FB	Laval
–	Calgary Stampeders	Selection forfeited
14	BC Lions		DB	Guelph
15	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		DB	Bishop's
16	Toronto Argonauts		WR	Pittsburgh
	Ottawa Redblacks		WR
	Edmonton Elks		LB	Alberta

Round three

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
19	Ottawa Redblacks		DL	St. Mary's
20	Edmonton Elks		OL	Western Ontario
21	Saskatchewan Roughriders		LB	York
22	Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton)		DL	Alberta
23	Edmonton Elks (via Montreal)		DB	British Columbia
24	Calgary Stampeders		WR	Guelph
25	Ottawa Redblacks (via BC)		LB	Regina
26	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		WR	Concordia (QC)
27	Toronto Argonauts		LS	Holy Cross

Round four

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
28	Edmonton Elks (via Ottawa)		DL	Keiser
29	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Edmonton)		DB	Wilfrid Laurier
30	Saskatchewan Roughriders		RB	Delaware State
31	Hamilton Tiger-Cats		DL	Mount Allison
32	Montreal Alouettes		OL	Queen's
33	Calgary Stampeders		OL	McGill
34	BC Lions		DL	St. Mary's
35	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		DL	Regina
36	Toronto Argonauts		RB	Western Ontario

Round five

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
37	Ottawa Redblacks		WR	Saskatchewan
38	Edmonton Elks		RB	Montreal
39	Montreal Alouettes (via Saskatchewan)		FB	McMaster
40	Hamilton Tiger-Cats		DB	Western Ontario
41	Montreal Alouettes		WR	St. Mary's
42	Calgary Stampeders		DL	McMaster
43	BC Lions		DB	Saskatchewan
44	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		DL	Manitoba
45	Toronto Argonauts		OL	Houston Christian

Round six

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
46	Ottawa Redblacks		DL	Charleston Southern
47	Toronto Argonauts (via Edmonton)		WR	Queen's
48	Saskatchewan Roughriders		OL	Eastern Michigan
49	Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton)		TE	St. Mary's
50	Edmonton Elks (via Montreal)		OL	Guelph
51	Calgary Stampeders		K	Ottawa
52	BC Lions		DB	St. Mary's
53	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		DB	Windsor
54	Toronto Argonauts		LB	Wilfrid Laurier

Round seven

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
55	Ottawa Redblacks		DL	St. Francis Xavier
56	Edmonton Elks		DE	Montreal
57	Saskatchewan Roughriders		OL	Queen's
58	Ottawa Redblacks (via Edmonton via Hamilton)		RB	Ottawa
59	Montreal Alouettes		RB	Illinois
60	Saskatchewan Roughriders (via Calgary)		LB	Manitoba
61	BC Lions		LB	Waterloo
62	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		RB	Alberta
63	Toronto Argonauts		DB	Western Ontario

Round eight

width=7%	Pick # !	width=40%	CFL Team !	width=20%	Player !	width=8%	Position !	width=20%	University
64	Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Edmonton via Ottawa)		DL	Calgary
65	Edmonton Elks		RB	Western Ontario
66	Saskatchewan Roughriders		DL	Mississippi
67	Hamilton Tiger-Cats		WR	Saskatchewan
68	Montreal Alouettes		DB	Laval
69	Calgary Stampeders		FB	British Columbia
70	BC Lions		OL	Minot State
71	Winnipeg Blue Bombers		LB	Ottawa
72	Toronto Argonauts		OL	Sherbrooke

Trades

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

Round one

• Hamilton ←→ Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, a third-round pick in this draft, a sixth-round pick in this draft, and a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Bo Levi Mitchell, a first-round pick in this draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.^[11]
• BC → Montreal (PD). BC traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Vernon Adams.^[12]
• Toronto → BC (PD). Toronto traded this selection to BC in exchange for Jordan Williams.^[13]

Round two

• Hamilton → Edmonton (PD). Hamilton traded this selection and Jesse Gibbon to Edmonton in exchange for David Beard and a conditional fourth-round pick in this year's draft.^[14]
• Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded the 12th overall selection to Ottawa in exchange for the rights to Woodly Appolon.^[15]

Round three

• Montreal → Edmonton (PD). Montreal traded this selection and Avery Ellis to Edmonton in exchange for Nafees Lyon and Thomas Costigan.^[16]
• BC → Ottawa (PD). BC traded this selection and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2024 CFL Draft to Ottawa in exchange for Terry Williams.^[17]
• Hamilton → Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, a first-round pick in this draft, a sixth-round pick in this draft, and a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Bo Levi Mitchell, a first-round pick in this draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.^[11]

Round four

• Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Nick Arbuckle.^[18]
• Edmonton → Hamilton (PD). Edmonton traded a conditional fourth-round selection and David Beard to Hamilton in exchange for Jesse Gibbon and a second-round pick in this year's draft.^[19] The condition was confirmed to be fulfilled upon the release of the draft order by the league.^[5]

Round five

• Saskatchewan → Montreal (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Mario Alford.^[20] This selection was originally a sixth-round pick, but was upgraded after Alford played in at least nine games for the Roughriders.^{[5] [21]}

Round six

• Edmonton → Toronto (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Toronto in exchange for Jalen Collins and Martez Ivey.^[22]
• Montreal → Edmonton (PD). Montreal traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Walter Fletcher.^[23]
• Hamilton → Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, a first-round pick in this draft, a third-round pick in this draft, and a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Bo Levi Mitchell, a first-round pick in this draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.^[11]

Round seven

• Calgary → Saskatchewan (PD). Calgary traded this selection and a third-round selection in the 2023 CFL Global Draft to Saskatchewan in exchange for James Smith.^[24] This selection can be upgraded to a fifth-round selection depending on the number of games played by Smith for the Stampeders.^[25]
• Hamilton → Edmonton (PD). Hamilton traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Colin Kelly.^[26]
• Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Ottawa in exchange for Llevi Noel and an eighth-round pick in this year's draft.^[27]

Round eight

• Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded this selection and Llevi Noel to Edmonton in exchange for a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.^[27]
• Edmonton → Hamilton (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Hamilton in exchange for Jon Ryan.^[28]

Conditional trades

• Montreal → Calgary (PD). Montreal traded a conditional second-round selection to Calgary in exchange for the playing rights to Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.^[29] The condition would've been fulfilled if Duvernay-Tardif signed with the Alouettes before the draft, but he did not.

Forfeitures

• Edmonton forfeited their second round pick after selecting J-Min Pelley in the 2022 Supplemental Draft.^[30]
• Calgary forfeited their second round pick after selecting T. J. Rayam in the 2022 Supplemental Draft.^[30]

References

Trade references

General references

Notes and References

1. Web site: Revamped CFL Combine season, CFL Draft highlight '23 off-season . . January 19, 2023.
2. Web site: Where to watch: 2023 CFL draft broadcast info . . April 21, 2023.
3. Web site: Canadian Football League expands draft to eight rounds . . May 4, 2016.
4. Web site: CFL Draft to feature territorial picks . . April 17, 2019.
5. Web site: CFL Draft Tracker . . January 28, 2023.
6. Web site: February 23, 2023. CFL Invitational Combine Presented by New Era Heads to Waterloo. oursportscentral.com.
7. Web site: EXPANDED CFL COMBINE PRESENTED BY NEW ERA HEADING TO EDMONTON IN 2023 . 2023-03-29 . press.cfl.ca . en.
8. Web site: Matthew Bergeron takes Top Spot in Spring Scouting Bureau Rankings . . April 21, 2023.
9. Web site: Chase Brown Retains Top Spot In Winter Scouting Bureau Rankings . . January 26, 2023.
10. Web site: Chase Brown headlines Scouting Bureau's fall edition . . September 8, 2022.
11. Web site: Hammer Time: Ticats come to terms with Bo Levi Mitchell . . January 24, 2023.
12. News: Lions trade for Vernon Adams Jr. . . August 31, 2022.
13. News: Argos acquire Jordan Williams in trade with Lions . . February 9, 2023.
14. News: Ticats acquire OL David Beard in trade w/ Elks . . September 2, 2022.
15. News: Elks acquire right to LB Woodly Appolon from Redblacks . . February 27, 2023.
16. News: Elks acquire Ellis, draft pick from Als in exchange for Costigan, Lyon . . August 31, 2022.
17. News: Redblacks acquire draft picks from Lions for WR/KR Terry Williams . . September 4, 2022.
18. News: Redblacks acquire Arbuckle in trade with Elks . . cfl.ca . July 11, 2022.
19. News: Ticats acquire OL David Beard in trade w/ Elks . . September 2, 2022.
20. News: Rider acquire WR/RET Mario Alford in trade with Als . . July 3, 2022.
21. News: Trade: Alouettes send returner Mario Alford to Roughriders . . July 3, 2022.
22. News: Elks pick up a pair from Argos in trade . . June 5, 2022.
23. News: Alouettes trade for running back Walter Fletcher . . June 14, 2022.
24. News: Stamps acquire P James Smith in trade with Riders . . June 5, 2022.
25. News: Riders agree to deal with Calgary Stampeders . . June 5, 2022.
26. News: Ticats acquire OL Colin Kelly from Elks . . June 26, 2022.
27. News: Elks acquire WR Llevi Noel in trade with Redblacks . . July 25, 2022.
28. News: Elks acquire P Jon Ryan in trade with Tiger-Cats . . July 26, 2022.
29. News: Als acquire the rights to OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif . . July 14, 2022.
30. Web site: Elks take DL J-Min Pelley, Stamps take T. J. Rayam in Supplemental Draft . . May 5, 2022.