List of first overall CFL draft picks

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

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

Eastern draft

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Year Player Position College IRFU team
1953 Doug McNichol End Western Ontario Montreal Alouettes
1954 Bill McFarlane Halfback Toronto Toronto Argonauts
1955 Gino Fracas Halfback Western Ontario Ottawa Rough Riders

National draft

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Year Player Position College CFL team
1956 Lou Bruce End Queen's Ottawa Rough Riders
1957 Jim Hughes Tackle Queen's BC Lions
1958 Len Sigurdson Tackle McGill Saskatchewan Roughriders
1959 Lorry Stacey Defensive end Toronto Toronto Argonauts
1960 Bill Mitchell Tackle Western Ontario Toronto Argonauts
1961 Casey Wood Tackle Toronto Toronto Argonauts
1962 Harvey Scott Guard Western Ontario Calgary Stampeders
1963 John Wydareny Defensive back Western Ontario Toronto Argonauts
1964 Barry Mitchelson End Western Ontario Edmonton Eskimos
1965 Jim Young Wide receiver Queen's Toronto Argonauts
1966 Ed Turek Halfback Waterloo Lutheran Edmonton Eskimos
1967 Lawrence Barrett Halfback British Columbia Toronto Argonauts
1968 Mike Eben Wide receiver Toronto BC Lions
1969 Doug Strong Halfback Waterloo Lutheran Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1970 Wayne Holm Quarterback Simon Fraser Calgary Stampeders
1971 Brian Donnelly Defensive back Simon Fraser Saskatchewan Roughriders
1972 Larry Smith Running back Bishop's Montreal Alouettes
1973 Brian Sopatyk Offensive guard Boise State BC Lions
1974 Randy Halsall Offensive tackle Wake Forest Toronto Argonauts
1975 Steve Scully Offensive tackle Syracuse Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1976 Tim Berryman Linebacker Ottawa Edmonton Eskimos
1977 Mike Riley Defensive tackle Dalhousie Ottawa Rough Riders
1978 Dave Kirzinger Defensive tackle Ottawa Calgary Stampeders
1979 Kevin Powell Offensive tackle Utah State Toronto Argonauts
1980 Greg Barrow Offensive lineman Florida Toronto Argonauts
1981 Frank Cosec Linebacker Waterloo Calgary Stampeders
1982 Mike Kirkley Running back Western Ontario Toronto Argonauts
1983 Jerry Dobrovolny Offensive tackle British Columbia Calgary Stampeders
1984 Frank Balkovec Linebacker Toronto BC Lions

Modern era

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Year Player Position College CFL team
1985 Nicholas Benjamin Offensive lineman Concordia Ottawa Rough Riders
1986 Kent Warnock Defensive end Calgary Calgary Stampeders
1987 Leo Groenewegen Offensive lineman British Columbia Ottawa Rough Riders
1988 Orville Lee Running back Simon Fraser Ottawa Rough Riders
1989 Gerald Wilcox Tight end Weber State Ottawa Rough Riders
1990 Sean Millington Running back Simon Fraser Edmonton Eskimos
1991 Nick Mazzoli Wide receiver Simon Fraser Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1992 Bruce Covernton Offensive tackle Weber State Calgary Stampeders
1993 Patrick Burke Defensive back Fresno College BC Lions
1994 Val St. Germain Offensive lineman McGill Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1995 Tom Nütten Offensive lineman Western Michigan Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1996 Don Blair Slotback Calgary Edmonton Eskimos
1997 Chad Folk Offensive lineman Utah Toronto Argonauts
1998 Tim Fleiszer Defensive lineman Harvard Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1999 Rob Meier Defensive end Washington State BC Lions
2000 Tyson St. James Linebacker British Columbia Saskatchewan Roughriders
2001 Scott Schultz Defensive lineman North Dakota Saskatchewan Roughriders
2002 Alexandre Gauthier Offensive lineman Laval Ottawa Renegades
2003 Steve Morley Offensive lineman Saint Mary's Calgary Stampeders
2004 Wayne Smith Offensive lineman Appalachian State Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2005 Miguel Robede Defensive end Laval Calgary Stampeders
2006 Adam Braidwood Defensive end Washington State Edmonton Eskimos
2007 Chris Bauman Wide receiver Regina Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2008 Dylan Barker Defensive back Saskatchewan Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2009 Simeon Rottier Offensive lineman Alberta Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2010 Shomari Williams Linebacker Queen's Saskatchewan Roughriders
2011 Henoc Muamba Linebacker St. Francis Xavier Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2012 Ben Heenan Offensive lineman Saskatchewan Saskatchewan Roughriders
2013 Linden Gaydosh Defensive lineman Calgary Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2014 Pierre Lavertu Offensive lineman Laval Calgary Stampeders
2015 Alex Mateas Offensive lineman UConn Ottawa Redblacks
2016 Josiah St. John Offensive lineman Oklahoma Saskatchewan Roughriders
2017 Faith Ekakitie Defensive lineman Iowa Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2018 Mark Chapman Wide receiver Central Michigan Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2019 Shane Richards Offensive lineman Oklahoma State Toronto Argonauts
2020 Jordan Williams Linebacker East Carolina BC Lions
2021 Jake Burt Tight end Boston College Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2022 Tyrell Richards Linebacker Syracuse Montreal Alouettes
2023 Dontae Bull Offensive lineman Fresno State Ottawa Redblacks
2024 Joel Dublanko Linebacker Cincinnati Edmonton Elks

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Foreign drafts

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Year Player Position Team drafted from
(College or professional)
CFL team
2019 Mexican Diego Viamontes Wide receiver Mayas CDMX Edmonton Eskimos
2019 European Valentin Gnahoua Defensive lineman Berlin Rebels Hamilton Tiger-Cats
2021 Global Jake Ford Punter Ouachita Baptist BC Lions
2022 Global Kingsley Jonathan Defensive end Syracuse Montreal Alouettes
2023 Global Blessman Ta’ala Defensive lineman Hawaii Ottawa Redblacks
2024 Global Eteva Mauga-Clements Linebacker Nebraska Edmonton Elks

Statistics

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  • Since 1956, Simon Fraser University and the University of Western Ontario hold the record for most first overall picks with five apiece.[5] Among NCAA schools, the only ones with more than one first overall pick are Washington State University and Weber State University, each with two. (Although Simon Fraser is now an NCAA member, it has not had a top overall pick since joining that body.)
  • Since 1956, the Toronto Argonauts have had the most first overall picks with 11.
  • The Montreal Alouettes have gone the longest without a first overall draft pick, after selecting first in 1972 and then waiting until 2022 before picking first again. The Alouettes have also had the fewest first overall selections with three.
  • Only two first overall draft selections have been awarded the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie since the award was created in 1972; Orville Lee in 1988 and Jordan Williams in 2021.
  • No team has ever made the first overall draft pick for more than three straight years.

References

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  1. ^ MacDonald, Ian (2012-02-19). "Funeral Monday for first ever CFL draft pick McNichol". Postmedia News. Retrieved 2012-03-25.[permanent dead link]
  2. ^ "2014 CFL Draft Guide". Archived from the original on 2014-11-28. Retrieved 2014-11-11.
  3. ^ a b "BC Lions Draft History | B.C. Lions". Archived from the original on 2013-04-23. Retrieved 2013-04-22. A Brief History of the CFL Canadian Draft
  4. ^ "Draft Tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved May 10, 2023.
  5. ^ "News". Archived from the original on 2010-05-09. Retrieved 2010-06-09. Three SFU players selected in 2010 CFL Draft
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