Get Set For The CFL Labour Day Classics

By Chris Lawton

The CFL draft is coming. The 2025 version of this annual draftnik’s delight will be held at the end of this month on April the 29th.  Usually with a draft people like to focus on ‘the headline act’. The number one pick garners the most attention. There is plenty of focus on who will go first. Here at Touchdown Towers we can be as guilty of that as anyone.  The question is should that be the sole point of focus? Sure, it makes a great headline, a great story. But there is so much more to the draft process.

For example, whilst we may be interested to look at the top selections, the last time any of the top selections made it to CFL Division All-Star was ten years ago. Well done to the REDBLACKS making that call on Alex Mateas in the 2015 CFL draft.

Last year’s number one is still in the settling in phase with his team so we don’t know how things will play out there whilst the 2020 overall first pick did win the Most Outstanding Rookie award, but Jordan Williams has since retired.  In fact, the BC Lions only got two seasons out of their number one pick, although they did generate another first round pick when trading him, so did they get value overall on a number one pick? You decide.

The Numbers On The Number Ones

Return on investment is a key consideration when looking at the much touted first overall draft picks, and over the last decade it hasn’t really gone to plan sometimes. Mark Chapman is a case in point. The Ticats effectively threw away their first overall pick on him in 2018 as he never once played a game in the league, let alone with Hamilton. Other first overall picks have hardly justified the team picking them at times of late too. But how does this compare to the number one picks historically?

The first official CFL draft took place in 1953. Montreal’s choice of Doug McNichol would be a Division All-Star. Not a bad start. In fact, 3 of the first 4 overall number 1 picks would be Division All-Stars.

However, in the 70+ CFL drafts held so far, the number one pick has not continued to be such a hit. As of 2025, there have been 10 Division All-Stars, 10 CFL All-Stars and 2 Hall of Fame picks. We should note too that one of those CFHOF picks, Gino Fracas is in the Hall as a college football coach.

This means over two thirds of the number one picks never made it to the Hall, league all-star or divisional all-star status. All the kinds of things GM’s are surely rolling the dice for when spending their precious first pick.

Whilst people are looking at the top of the Draft a lot of value can be found further down. The Blue Bombers got Brady Oliveira 14th overall, in the second round in the 2019 Draft. Still a relatively high pick but incredibly good value given his 2 time Most Outstanding Canadian awards and being the reigning Most Outstanding Player. Added to which He’s dressed in 64 games, rushing for 4,317 yards on 795 carries including three-straight 1,000-yard campaigns, and 18.

Another great example is Konrdre Smith taken by the Ticats in 2022. He already has 48 games, 147 catches, 1,881 yards and 8 touchdowns to his name. Making him, whilst not the flashiest player in the league, extremely good value for someone picked in the fourth round compared to a lot of those ‘headline acts’ people focus on at the top of the draft board.

The CFL Draft Equation

As with the NFL draft, the CFL draft order is based on a combination of the regular season standings and post-season results from the previous season. Teams are ranked in reverse order of the previous season’s standings with the team with the league-worst record being awarded the first pick.

Teams, as you might expect, are permitted to trade draft picks and this is pretty common practice. So, for example the Lions have the first pick of the second round following the Stampeders trading for Vernon Adams Jr.

The CFL draft however has added layers of intrigue which means it can be even more fascinating to try to call. This is because the CFL teams are making constant risk-benefit analysis calls on each of the prospects. They can tag a player who is highly touted only to see him go the NFL and never return thus wasting their pick.

Alternatively, they could tag a player who is highly touted, see him try out for but not make the NFL. Then get him when he comes back to the CFL thus making their pick that much more worthwhile. These are the ‘futures’ picks where CFL teams are projecting success down the road.

What happens in the NFL draft and ensuing free agency will have an impact on the CFL. If any CFL Draft eligible player is picked in the NFL draft or signed in free agency it will obviously impact on the CFL draft a few days later.

Teams will be left with that risk reward equation. How high a pick will you spend on a player for the future?

One thing is certain. We will all enjoy watching it all play out. Not to mention second guessing every moves our teams made. Let the fun begin!

CHRIS LAWTON

CFL ANALYST

Chris originally started following the NFL with the ‘first wave’ of fans when it was shown on Channel 4 in the 1980’s. He has been a keen supporter of the Miami Dolphins since 1983. Chris first encountered the CFL in 2016 and instantly fell in love with the Canadian game. He has been writing about the CFL 2017. Chris has a degree in history, postgraduate degree in librarianship and can be found on twitter as @CFLfanUK

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