2025 CFL draft explained

2025 CFL draft
Logosize:	250px
Sport:	Canadian football
Location:	Toronto, Ontario
Overall:	72
Rounds:	8
League:	CFL
Fewest:	Ottawa Redblacks Edmonton Elks Calgary Stampeders
Fewnum:	7
Most:	Montreal Alouettes
Mostnum:	9
Prev:	2024
Next:	2026

The 2025 CFL national draft is a selection of national players by Canadian Football League teams that is scheduled to take place in the spring of 2025. Seventy-two players are scheduled to be chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA.^[1] ^[2] That number is subject to change if there are any more forfeited selections.

Format

As per the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, the two teams that had National players featured in the highest percentage of snaps played in the 2024 CFL season will each be awarded an additional second-round pick.^[2]

Top prospects

Source: CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.

August ranking^[3]	Player	Position	University	Hometown
1	Kurtis Rourke	Quarterback	Indiana	Oakville, ON
2	Damien Alford	Wide receiver	Utah	Montreal, QC
3	Paris Shand	Defensive lineman	Louisiana State	Toronto, ON
4	Eric Schon	Offensive lineman	Duke	Barrie, ON
5	Jackson Findlay	Defensive back	Western	North Vancouver, BC
6	Nolan Ulm	Wide receiver	Eastern Washington	Kelowna, BC
7	Akheem Mesidor	Defensive lineman	Miami (FL)	Ottawa, ON
8	Isaiah Bagnah	Defensive lineman	BYU	Lethbridge, AB
9	Wesley Bailey	Defensive lineman	Rutgers	Ottawa, ON
10	Keelan White	Wide receiver	Montana	North Vancouver, BC
11	Jett Elad	Defensive back	UNLV	Mississauga, ON
12	Rene Konga	Defensive lineman	Louisville	Ottawa, ON
13	Devynn Cromwell	Defensive back	Texas Tech	Toronto, ON
14	Jeremiah Ojo	Defensive lineman	Montreal	Montreal, QC
15	Devin Veresuk	Linebacker	Windsor	Windsor, ON
16	Nate Martey	Defensive lineman	Arkansas State	Ottawa, ON
17	Erik Andersen	Offensive lineman	Western	London, ON
18	Harold Miessan	Linebacker	Montreal	Montreal, QC
19	Darien Newell	Defensive lineman	Queen's	Brampton, ON
20	Jaylen Smith	Defensive back	North Texas	Hamilton, ON

Draft order

Note: this order is subject to change once all conditional trades are known and the formal draft order is revealed by the league. If there are any more forfeited draft picks, that will also change the 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
2
		Selection forfeited
3
4
5
6
7
8

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	BC Lions (via Calgary)
10	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
11	Edmonton Elks
12	BC Lions
13	Ottawa Redblacks
14	Saskatchewan Roughriders
15	Montreal Alouettes
16	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
17	Toronto Argonauts

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	Calgary Stampeders
21	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
22	Edmonton Elks
23	Montreal Alouettes (via BC)
24	Edmonton Elks (via Ottawa)
25	Saskatchewan Roughriders
26	Montreal Alouettes
27	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
28	Toronto Argonauts

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	BC Lions (via Calgary)
30	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
31	Edmonton Elks
32	Calgary Stampeders (via BC)
33	Ottawa Redblacks
34	Saskatchewan Roughriders
35	Montreal Alouettes
36	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
37	Toronto Argonauts

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	Calgary Stampeders
39	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
40	Edmonton Elks
41	BC Lions
42	Ottawa Redblacks
43	Saskatchewan Roughriders
44	Montreal Alouettes
45	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
46	Toronto Argonauts

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	Calgary Stampeders
48	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
49	Edmonton Elks
50	BC Lions
51	Ottawa Redblacks
52	Saskatchewan Roughriders
53	Montreal Alouettes
54	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
55	Toronto Argonauts

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	Calgary Stampeders
57	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
58	Edmonton Elks
59	BC Lions
60	Ottawa Redblacks
61	Saskatchewan Roughriders
62	Montreal Alouettes
63	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
64	Toronto Argonauts

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	Calgary Stampeders
66	Hamilton Tiger-Cats
	Edmonton Elks	Selection forfeited
67	BC Lions
68	Ottawa Redblacks
69	Saskatchewan Roughriders
70	Montreal Alouettes
71	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
72	Toronto Argonauts

Trades

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

Round two

Calgary → BC (PD). Calgary traded the ninth overall pick and the 29th overall pick in this year's draft and a second-round pick in the 2026 CFL draft to BC in exchange for Vernon Adams, the 32nd overall pick in this year's draft, and a third-round pick in the 2026 CFL draft.^[4]

Round three

Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded a third-round pick in this year's draft to Edmonton in exchange for Peter Adjey.^[5]
BC → Montreal (PD). BC traded a third-round pick in this year's draft to Montreal in exchange for Jeshrun Antwi.^[6]

Round four

Calgary ←→ BC (PD). Calgary traded the 29th overall pick and the ninth overall pick in this year's draft and a second-round pick in the 2026 CFL draft to BC in exchange for Vernon Adams, the 32nd overall pick in this year's draft, and a third-round pick in the 2026 CFL draft.^[7]

Conditional trades

Hamilton → Toronto (PD). Hamilton traded a conditional third-round pick in this year's draft, the fifth overall selection and two third-round picks in the 2024 CFL Draft, and the negotiation rights to Deontay Burnett to Toronto in exchange for Jordan Williams, the seventh overall selection, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft, and a conditional fourth-round pick in this year's draft.^[8]
Toronto → Hamilton (PD). Toronto traded a conditional fourth-round pick in this year's draft, Jordan Williams, and the seventh overall selection, a second-round pick, and a fourth-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Hamilton in exchange for a conditional third-round pick in this year's draft, the fifth overall selection and two third-round picks in the 2024 CFL Draft, and the negotiation rights to Deontay Burnett.^[8]

Forfeitures

Edmonton forfeited their first-round pick after selecting Zach Mathis in the 2024 supplemental draft.^[9]
Edmonton forfeited their eighth-round pick after selecting Antonio Alfano in the 2024 supplemental draft.^[10]

References

Trade referencesGeneral references

Notes and References

Web site: Canadian Football League expands draft to eight rounds . . May 4, 2016.
Web site: Details of the CFL's new CBA: salary cap increases, ratio changes, and guaranteed contracts . 3DownNation . May 26, 2022.
Web site: Kurtis Rourke leads the way in CFL Scouting Bureau Fall Rankings. . August 22, 2024.
Web site: Big Play: Stamps acquire Vernon Adams Jr. in trade with Lions . . November 26, 2024.
Web site: Redblacks acquire LS Peter Adjey in trade with Elks . . May 1, 2024.
Web site: Lions acquire RB Jeshrun Antwi in trade with Als . . October 2, 2024.
Web site: Big Play: Stamps acquire Vernon Adams Jr. in trade with Lions . . November 26, 2024.
Web site: Ticats acquire national LB Jordan Williams in trade with Argos . . January 29, 2024.
Web site: Edmonton Elks forfeit 2025 first-round pick to select REC Zach Mathis in supplemental draft . 3DownNation . June 29, 2024.
Web site: Elks select Antonio Alfano in Supplemental Draft . . May 21, 2024.