| 2023 CFL Draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Canadian football |
| Date(s) | May 2, 2023 |
| Time | 8:00 pm EDT |
| Location | Toronto |
| Network(s) | TSN |
| Overview | |
| 72 total selections in 8 rounds | |
| League | CFL |
| Territorial pick(s) | 2 |
| First selection | Dontae Bull, Ottawa Redblacks |
| Most selections (10) | Ottawa Redblacks |
| Fewest selections (6) | Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
| U Sports selections | 57 |
| NCAA selections | 14 |
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
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ottawa Redblacks | Dontae Bull | OL | Fresno State |
| 2 | Edmonton Elks | Michael Brodrique | LB | Montreal |
| 3 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Lake Korte-Moore | DL | British Columbia |
| 4 | Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton[trade 1]) | Cole Tucker | WR | Northern Illinois |
| 5 | Montreal Alouettes | Jonathan Sutherland | LB | Penn State |
| 6 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Calgary[trade 1]) | Dayton Black | OL | Saskatchewan |
| 7 | Montreal Alouettes (via BC[trade 2]) | Lwal Uguak | DL | Texas Christian |
| 8 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Anthony Bennett | DL | Regina |
| 9 | BC Lions (via Toronto[trade 3]) | Francis Bemiy | OL | Southern Utah |
Round two
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Ottawa Redblacks | Lucas Cormier | DB | Mount Allison |
| – | Edmonton Elks | Selection forfeited[11] | ||
| 11 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Jaxon Ford | DB | Regina |
| 12 | Ottawa Redblacks (via Edmonton[trade 4] via Hamilton[trade 5]) | James Peter | LB | Ottawa |
| 13 | Montreal Alouettes | David Dallaire | FB | Laval |
| – | Calgary Stampeders | Selection forfeited[11] | ||
| 14 | BC Lions | Siriman Bagayogo | DB | Guelph |
| 15 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Jake Kelly | DB | Bishop's |
| 16 | Toronto Argonauts | Jared Wayne | WR | Pittsburgh |
| 17T | Ottawa Redblacks | Daniel Oladejo | WR | Ottawa |
| 18T | Edmonton Elks | Jacob Taylor | LB | Alberta |
Round three
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 | Ottawa Redblacks | Aidan John | DL | St. Mary's |
| 20 | Edmonton Elks | Phillip Grohovac | OL | Western Ontario |
| 21 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Matt Dean | LB | York |
| 22 | Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton[trade 1]) | Kwadwo Boahen | DL | Alberta |
| 23 | Edmonton Elks (via Montreal[trade 6]) | Luke Burton-Krahn | DB | British Columbia |
| 24 | Calgary Stampeders | Clark Barnes | WR | Guelph |
| 25 | Ottawa Redblacks (via BC[trade 7]) | Josh White | LB | Regina |
| 26 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Jeremy Murphy | WR | Concordia (QC) |
| 27 | Toronto Argonauts | Adam Guillemette | LS | Holy Cross |
Round four
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 | Edmonton Elks (via Ottawa[trade 8]) | Noah Curtis | DL | Keiser |
| 29 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Edmonton[trade 5] ) | Patrick Burke Jr. | DB | Wilfrid Laurier |
| 30 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Thomas Bertrand-Hudon | RB | Delaware State |
| 31 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Reece Martin | DL | Mount Allison |
| 32 | Montreal Alouettes | Grant Theo | OL | Queen's |
| 33 | Calgary Stampeders | Alexandre Marcoux | OL | McGill |
| 34 | BC Lions | Markcus Jean-Loscher | DL | St. Mary's |
| 35 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Tanner Schmekel | DL | Regina |
| 36 | Toronto Argonauts | Spencer Nichols | RB | Western Ontario |
Round five
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 37 | Ottawa Redblacks | Daniel Perry | WR | Saskatchewan |
| 38 | Edmonton Elks | Bertrand Beaulieu | RB | Montreal |
| 39 | Montreal Alouettes (via Saskatchewan[trade 9]) | Jacob Mason | FB | McMaster |
| 40 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Robert Panabaker | DB | Western Ontario |
| 41 | Montreal Alouettes | Shedler Fervius | WR | St. Mary's |
| 42 | Calgary Stampeders | Ryan Leder | DL | McMaster |
| 43 | BC Lions | Charlie Ringland | DB | Saskatchewan |
| 44 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Collin Kornelson | DL | Manitoba |
| 45 | Toronto Argonauts | Edouard Paradis | OL | Houston Christian |
Round six
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 | Ottawa Redblacks | Quintin Seguin | DL | Charleston Southern |
| 47 | Toronto Argonauts (via Edmonton[trade 10]) | Richard Burton | WR | Queen's |
| 48 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Sidy Sow | OL | Eastern Michigan |
| 49 | Calgary Stampeders (via Hamilton[trade 1]) | Sebastian Howard | TE | St. Mary's |
| 50 | Edmonton Elks (via Montreal[trade 11]) | Spencer Masterson | OL | Guelph |
| 51 | Calgary Stampeders | Campbell Fair | K | Ottawa |
| 52 | BC Lions | Jassin States-McClean | DB | St. Mary's |
| 53 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Breton MacDougall | DB | Windsor |
| 54 | Toronto Argonauts | Ife Onyemenam | LB | Wilfrid Laurier |
Round seven
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | Ottawa Redblacks | Alexander Fedchun | DL | St. Francis Xavier |
| 56 | Edmonton Elks | Bruno Legace | DE | Montreal |
| 57 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Evan Floren | OL | Queen's |
| 58 | Ottawa Redblacks (via Edmonton[trade 12] via Hamilton[trade 13]) | Amlicar Polk | RB | Ottawa |
| 59 | Montreal Alouettes | Chase Brown | RB | Illinois |
| 60 | Saskatchewan Roughriders (via Calgary[trade 14]) | Thomas Nick | LB | Manitoba |
| 61 | BC Lions | Jack Hinsperger | LB | Waterloo |
| 62 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Jonathan Rosery | RB | Alberta |
| 63 | Toronto Argonauts | Brendan Murphy | DB | Western Ontario |
Round eight
| Pick # | CFL Team | Player | Position | University |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 64 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Edmonton[trade 15] via Ottawa[trade 12]) | Josh Hyer | DL | Calgary |
| 65 | Edmonton Elks | Derek Best | RB | Western Ontario |
| 66 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Tavius Robinson | DL | Mississippi |
| 67 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Caleb Morin | WR | Saskatchewan |
| 68 | Montreal Alouettes | Maxym Lavallee | DB | Laval |
| 69 | Calgary Stampeders | Lucas Robertson | FB | British Columbia |
| 70 | BC Lions | Troy Kowal | OL | Minot State |
| 71 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Max Charbonneau | LB | Ottawa |
| 72 | Toronto Argonauts | Anthony Vandal | 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.[trade 1]
- BC → Montreal (PD). BC traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Vernon Adams.[trade 2]
- Toronto → BC (PD). Toronto traded this selection to BC in exchange for Jordan Williams.[trade 3]
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.[trade 5]
- Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded the 12th overall selection to Ottawa in exchange for the rights to Woodly Appolon.[trade 4]
Round three
- Montreal → Edmonton (PD). Montreal traded this selection and Avery Ellis to Edmonton in exchange for Nafees Lyon and Thomas Costigan.[trade 6]
- 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.[trade 7]
- 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.[trade 1]
Round four
- Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Nick Arbuckle.[trade 8]
- 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.[trade 5] 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.[trade 9] This selection was originally a sixth-round pick, but was upgraded after Alford played in at least nine games for the Roughriders.[5][trade 16]
Round six
- Edmonton → Toronto (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Toronto in exchange for Jalen Collins and Martez Ivey.[trade 10]
- Montreal → Edmonton (PD). Montreal traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Walter Fletcher.[trade 11]
- 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.[trade 1]
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.[trade 14] This selection can be upgraded to a fifth-round selection depending on the number of games played by Smith for the Stampeders.[12]
- Hamilton → Edmonton (PD). Hamilton traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Colin Kelly.[trade 13]
- Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Ottawa in exchange for Llevi Noel and an eighth-round pick in this year's draft.[trade 12]
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.[trade 12]
- Edmonton → Hamilton (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Hamilton in exchange for Jon Ryan.[trade 15]
Conditional trades
- Montreal → Calgary (PD). Montreal traded a conditional second-round selection to Calgary in exchange for the playing rights to Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.[trade 17] 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.[11]
- Calgary forfeited their second round pick after selecting T. J. Rayam in the 2022 Supplemental Draft.[11]
References
Trade references
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Hammer Time: Ticats come to terms with Bo Levi Mitchell". Calgary Stampeders. January 24, 2023.
- 1 2 "Lions trade for Vernon Adams Jr". Canadian Football League. August 31, 2022.
- 1 2 "Argos acquire Jordan Williams in trade with Lions". Canadian Football League. February 9, 2023.
- 1 2 "Elks acquire right to LB Woodly Appolon from Redblacks". Canadian Football League. February 27, 2023.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ticats acquire OL David Beard in trade w/ Elks". Canadian Football League. September 2, 2022.
- 1 2 "Elks acquire Ellis, draft pick from Als in exchange for Costigan, Lyon". Canadian Football League. August 31, 2022.
- 1 2 "Redblacks acquire draft picks from Lions for WR/KR Terry Williams". Ottawa Redblacks. September 4, 2022.
- 1 2 "Redblacks acquire Arbuckle in trade with Elks". cfl.ca. Canadian Football League. July 11, 2022.
- 1 2 "Rider acquire WR/RET Mario Alford in trade with Als". Canadian Football League. July 3, 2022.
- 1 2 "Elks pick up a pair from Argos in trade". Canadian Football League. June 5, 2022.
- 1 2 "Alouettes trade for running back Walter Fletcher". Canadian Football League. June 14, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 "Elks acquire WR Llevi Noel in trade with Redblacks". Canadian Football League. July 25, 2022.
- 1 2 "Ticats acquire OL Colin Kelly from Elks". Canadian Football League. June 26, 2022.
- 1 2 "Stamps acquire P James Smith in trade with Riders". Canadian Football League. June 5, 2022.
- 1 2 "Elks acquire P Jon Ryan in trade with Tiger-Cats". Canadian Football League. July 26, 2022.
- ↑ "Trade: Alouettes send returner Mario Alford to Roughriders". Montreal Alouettes. July 3, 2022.
- ↑ "Als acquire the rights to OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif". Canadian Football League. July 14, 2022.
General references
- ↑ "Revamped CFL Combine season, CFL Draft highlight '23 off-season". Canadian Football League. January 19, 2023.
- 1 2 3 "Where to watch: 2023 CFL draft broadcast info". Canadian Football League. April 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Canadian Football League expands draft to eight rounds". Canadian Football League. May 4, 2016.
- ↑ "CFL Draft to feature territorial picks". Canadian Football League. April 17, 2019.
- 1 2 3 "CFL Draft Tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved January 28, 2023.
- ↑ "CFL Invitational Combine Presented by New Era Heads to Waterloo". oursportscentral.com. February 23, 2023.
- ↑ "EXPANDED CFL COMBINE PRESENTED BY NEW ERA HEADING TO EDMONTON IN 2023". press.cfl.ca. Retrieved 2023-03-29.
- ↑ "Matthew Bergeron takes Top Spot in Spring Scouting Bureau Rankings". Canadian Football League. April 21, 2023.
- ↑ "Chase Brown Retains Top Spot In Winter Scouting Bureau Rankings". Canadian Football League. January 26, 2023.
- ↑ "Chase Brown headlines Scouting Bureau's fall edition". Canadian Football League. September 8, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 "Elks take DL J-Min Pelley, Stamps take T. J. Rayam in Supplemental Draft". Canadian Football League. May 5, 2022.
- ↑ "Riders agree to deal with Calgary Stampeders". Saskatchewan Roughriders. June 5, 2022.