List of first overall CFL draft picks explained

This is a list of first overall Canadian Football League draft picks. The CFL Draft is an annual sports draft in which the teams of the Canadian Football League (CFL) select eligible Canadian/non-import players, typically from the ranks of U Sports football or NCAA college football. The first official draft took place in 1953, with Doug McNichol becoming the first player to be drafted and was therefore drafted first overall.[1] This list does not include the 1952 IRFU college draft due to its unofficial status.[2] While only the eastern teams participated for the first three years, all nine teams began participating in the 1956 draft. From 1960 to 1962, however, due to a dispute over talent from western universities and a reluctance of eastern draftees to move west, BC, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, and Winnipeg were awarded territorial rights to players from their city's university. Because Calgary had no university program in their territory, they continued to participate in the draft during these three years.[3] From 1973 to 1984, teams were granted territorial rights players before the actual draft took place, hence, players listed in those years were actually drafted later.[3] Since 2016, in non-pandemic years, the draft has consisted of eight rounds, with teams selecting in reverse order of their placement in the previous season.

List of first overall picks

= CFL Division All-Star= CFL All-Star= Hall of Famer

Eastern draft

Year Player Position College IRFU team
1953Doug McNicholEndWestern OntarioMontreal Alouettes
1954Bill McFarlaneHalfbackTorontoToronto Argonauts
1955Gino FracasHalfbackWestern OntarioOttawa Rough Riders

National draft

Year Player Position College CFL team
1956Lou BruceEndQueen'sOttawa Rough Riders
1957Jim HughesTackleQueen'sBC Lions
1958Len SigurdsonTackleMcGillSaskatchewan Roughriders
1959Lorry StaceyDefensive endTorontoToronto Argonauts
1960Bill MitchellTackleWestern OntarioToronto Argonauts
1961Casey WoodTackleTorontoToronto Argonauts
1962Harvey ScottGuardWestern OntarioCalgary Stampeders
1963John WydarenyDefensive backWestern OntarioToronto Argonauts
1964Barry MitchelsonEndWestern OntarioEdmonton Eskimos
1965Jim YoungWide receiverQueen'sToronto Argonauts
1966Ed TurekHalfbackEdmonton Eskimos
1967Lawrence BarrettHalfbackToronto Argonauts
1968Mike EbenWide receiverTorontoBC Lions
1969Doug StrongHalfbackWaterloo LutheranWinnipeg Blue Bombers
1970Wayne HolmQuarterbackSimon FraserCalgary Stampeders
1971Brian DonnellyDefensive backSimon FraserSaskatchewan Roughriders
1972Larry SmithRunning backBishop'sMontreal Alouettes
1973Brian SopatykOffensive guardBoise StateBC Lions
1974Randy HalsallOffensive tackleWake ForestToronto Argonauts
1975Steve ScullyOffensive tackleSyracuseWinnipeg Blue Bombers
1976Tim BerrymanLinebackerEdmonton Eskimos
1977Mike RileyDefensive tackleOttawa Rough Riders
1978Dave KirzingerDefensive tackleOttawaCalgary Stampeders
1979Kevin PowellOffensive tackleUtah StateToronto Argonauts
1980Greg BarrowOffensive linemanFloridaToronto Argonauts
1981Frank CosecLinebackerWaterlooCalgary Stampeders
1982Mike KirkleyRunning backWestern OntarioToronto Argonauts
1983Jerry DobrovolnyOffensive tackleBritish ColumbiaCalgary Stampeders
1984Frank BalkovecLinebackerTorontoBC Lions

Modern era

Year Player Position College CFL team
1985Nicholas BenjaminOffensive linemanConcordiaOttawa Rough Riders
1986Kent WarnockDefensive endCalgaryCalgary Stampeders
1987Leo GroenewegenOffensive linemanBritish ColumbiaOttawa Rough Riders
1988Orville LeeRunning backSimon FraserOttawa Rough Riders
1989Gerald WilcoxTight endWeber StateOttawa Rough Riders
1990Sean MillingtonRunning backSimon FraserEdmonton Eskimos
1991Nick MazzoliWide receiverSimon FraserHamilton Tiger-Cats
1992Bruce CoverntonOffensive tackleWeber StateCalgary Stampeders
1993Patrick BurkeDefensive backFresno CollegeBC Lions
1994Val St. GermainOffensive linemanMcGillHamilton Tiger-Cats
1995Tom NüttenOffensive linemanWestern MichiganHamilton Tiger-Cats
1996Don BlairSlotbackCalgaryEdmonton Eskimos
1997Chad FolkOffensive linemanUtahToronto Argonauts
1998Tim FleiszerDefensive linemanHarvardHamilton Tiger-Cats
1999Rob MeierDefensive endWashington StateBC Lions
2000Tyson St. JamesLinebackerBritish ColumbiaSaskatchewan Roughriders
2001Scott SchultzDefensive linemanNorth DakotaSaskatchewan Roughriders
2002Alexandre GauthierOffensive linemanLavalOttawa Renegades
2003Steve MorleyOffensive linemanSaint Mary'sCalgary Stampeders
2004Wayne SmithOffensive linemanAppalachian StateHamilton Tiger-Cats
2005Miguel RobedeDefensive endLavalCalgary Stampeders
2006Adam BraidwoodDefensive endWashington StateEdmonton Eskimos
2007Chris BaumanWide receiverReginaHamilton Tiger-Cats
2008Dylan BarkerDefensive backSaskatchewanHamilton Tiger-Cats
2009Simeon RottierOffensive linemanAlbertaHamilton Tiger-Cats
2010LinebackerQueen'sSaskatchewan Roughriders
2011Linebacker Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2012Ben HeenanOffensive linemanSaskatchewanSaskatchewan Roughriders
2013Linden GaydoshDefensive linemanCalgaryHamilton Tiger-Cats
2014Pierre LavertuOffensive linemanLavalCalgary Stampeders
2015Alex MateasOffensive linemanUConnOttawa Redblacks
2016Josiah St. JohnOffensive linemanOklahomaSaskatchewan Roughriders
2017Faith EkakitieDefensive linemanIowaWinnipeg Blue Bombers
2018Mark ChapmanWide receiverCentral MichiganHamilton Tiger-Cats
2019Shane RichardsOffensive linemanOklahoma StateToronto Argonauts
2020Linebacker East CarolinaBC Lions
2021Tight end Boston CollegeHamilton Tiger-Cats
2022Linebacker Syracuse Montreal Alouettes
2023Offensive lineman Ottawa Redblacks
2024Linebacker Edmonton Elks
[4]

Foreign drafts

Year Player Position Team drafted from
(College or professional)
CFL team
2019 MexicanWide receiver Edmonton Eskimos
2019 EuropeanDefensive lineman Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2021 GlobalPunter BC Lions
2022 GlobalDefensive end SyracuseMontreal Alouettes
2023 GlobalDefensive lineman Ottawa Redblacks
2024 GlobalLinebacker Edmonton Elks

Statistics

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: MacDonald. Ian. Funeral Monday for first ever CFL draft pick McNichol. 2012-03-25. Postmedia News. 2012-02-19.
  2. Web site: 2014 CFL Draft Guide . 2014-11-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20141128052234/http://www.bclions.com/page/draft . 2014-11-28 . dead .
  3. Web site: BC Lions Draft History | B.C. Lions . 2013-04-22 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20130423122530/http://bclions.com/page/history_draft . 2013-04-23 . A Brief History of the CFL Canadian Draft
  4. Web site: Draft Tracker . . May 10, 2023.
  5. Web site: News . 2010-06-09 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20100509010646/http://athletics.sfu.ca/teams/football/news/ten_cfldraft/ . 2010-05-09 . Three SFU players selected in 2010 CFL Draft