Ranking the Last Ten Number 1 CFL Draft Picks
By Chris Lawton
Everybody loves a good top ten list. They are ever popular for sparking debate. People also love to get involved with the Draft. And no pick generates more interest than who goes first overall. There can be a boom or bust nature to the pick that carries both a cache and weight for the player picked and the team picking. But what of the last decade in CFL Draft picks? Who has done well and who less so with their first pick selections? Well, as we are well into April, which is draft month, it feels like the right time to take a look back.
The 2026 CFL Draft is scheduled to take place on April the 28th this year, with the Ottawa RedBlacks holding the top pick. The teams will be making 74 picks over eight rounds. No doubt looking for hidden gems along the way. But it is the first overall pick that is the headliner. That is where the attention goes. But are they always worth it?
Without further ado, let’s answer that question. Who was the worst and best first pick of the last decade (2016-2025), and what happened in between?
10: Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 2018 - Mark Chapman, WR, Central Michigan
CFL games played: 0. Games played for the team that drafted them: 0.
With Chapman going first, Central Michigan became only the sixth team to have players selected No. 1 in both the CFL and NFL drafts.
Unfortunately for the Ti-Cats, Chapman never made the field. Whilst other players inked contracts, their number one pick remained unsigned. After attending one of the Tiger-Cats’ early regular-season games, he left without signing a contract.
Rookie Mini-Camps with the Giants & Broncos didn’t work out. Instead of returning to the CFL, he headed for the short-lived AAF and their seemingly better offer. As we know, things didn’t work out for the AAF. However, Chapman never played there either, citing personal reasons.
Zero games played in the CFL, or any pro league for that matter. A wasted pick for the Ti-Cats, who expended plenty of energy on trying to sign Chapman – had to take the last slot in the top ten.
9: Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 2017 - Faith Ekakite, DT, Iowa
CFL games played: 14. Games played for the team that drafted them: 14.
Ekakite proved you never really know until they hit the field at the pro level. The Iowa prospect was marked by plenty of people who had Ekakite marked out as” pro-ready for the Canadian game” and a good fit for Winnipeg’s defensive rotation.
He mustered just 5 tackles in a rookie season that was followed by release from the team.
We’ll never know what could have been as Ekakite signed with the Alouettes in June 2018, only to tear his Achilles tendon in practice a fortnight later. When Montreal released him after the 2018 season, he announced his retirement in June 2019.
8: Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 2021 - Jake Burt, FB, Boston College
CFL games played: 10. Games played for the team that drafted them: 10.
Jake Burt was a surprise selection by Hamilton in 2021 as the last player entered as a prospect. The former Boston College Eagle signed his rookie contract on the same day of the Draft, which was registered with the league on the 5th of May 2021.
Burt missed the 2021 season due to injury and appeared in 10 regular-season games at Fullback in 2022 before he suffered a season-ending knee injury at Montreal.
Unlike Chapman, at least he signed and played for the Tiger-Cats, but ultimately they released him in 2023, making this not a great investment of a first pick for the team.
7: Ottawa RedBlacks, 2023 - Dontae Bull, OT, Fresno State
Bull’s short career with Ottawa saw him dogged by injuries across two seasons — he appeared in just 16 games, and one playoff game, a handful of them starts at right tackle, before retiring just before the opening of training camp in 2025.
Bull began the 2023 season on Injured Reserve, recovering from a broken leg, but made the team in a Week 10 contest with Toronto before starting the following week against Montreal.
In 2024, he dressed for seven regular-season games and the Redblacks’ sole playoff appearance. This Fresno State Bulldog’s CFL career never really matched up to top pick status.
6: Calgary Stampeders, 2025 - Damian Alford, WR, Syracuse/Utah
2025 Damian Alford (Syracuse/Utah) WR Calgary Stampeders
CFL games played: 15. Games played for the team that drafted them: 15.
Last year’s top pick made an impact in his first season.
After spending the first game of last season on the injured list, Alford made his professional debut on June 14 against the Argos, catching one pass for 31 yards. He would go on to have 20 receptions for 407 yards and 5 touchdowns, adding to the Calgary Stampeders deep threat in the receiving corps.
He certainly set the league abuzz at times in his rookie season, but it is very early in his career, and we will have to wait and see how things go before we cement a more concrete position on this list.
He signed a futures contract with the New Orleans Saints in the offseason.
5: Saskatchewan Roughriders, 2016 - Josiah St. John, OL, Oklahoma
CFL games played: 42. Games played for the team that drafted them: 42.
He may have bounced around some practice squads, but the Roughriders got more value out of their pick with St. John than any of the teams listed so far (although in some cases that could yet change).
Over four seasons with the Roughriders, he dressed in 36 games. After becoming a free agent in 2019, he was a practice squad member for the Argos, Lions & Esks. He did dress in 2019 for the final game of the year for an Edmonton team that lost in the East Final.
After becoming a free agent, St. John re-signed with the Roughriders in 2020, and appeared in 14 games for them in 2021 increasing the value of the selection that was originally spent on him.
4: Edmonton Elks, 2024 - Joel Dublanko, LB, Cincinnati
CFL games played: 36. Games played for the team that drafted them: 36.
Joel Dublanko was picked first in 2024 and dressed for all 18 of the Elks 2024 regular-season games. Over that span, he recorded 2 defensive tackles and 8 special teams tackles.
The former Cincinnati Bearcat may have made a slow start, but after a limited rookie season in 2024, Dublanko burst through in 2025, making 82 tackles and adding a couple of sacks, and he didn’t even become a starter until Week 9! He was named Edmonton’s top Canadian and is expected to be a key member of the Elks’ defence in 2026.
3: Toronto Argonauts, 2019 - Shane Richards, OL, Oklahoma State
CFL games played: 70. Games played for the team that drafted them: 54.
In his first season, Richards played in eight games with Toronto, starting one. He started the 2019 season opener against Hamilton, then spent the next 10 games on the injured list.
With the 2020 CFL season cancelled, Richards had to wait until 2021 for his next chance. In a shortened season, he played in all 14 of the Argonauts’ games, starting 8. He was also their starting left guard in the Eastern Division Final.
In 2022, he made 16 appearances and 2 starts. As well as playing in the East Final and Grey Cup wins.
In 2023, however, he appeared in just 4 games and by 2024, he was with Edmonton. However, he returned to the Argonauts for the 2025 season, where he appeared in 12 more games.
So far, the Argos have got 54 games out of their pick and the former Oklahoma State Cowboy picked up a Grey Cup ring in 2022. Injuries have been a recurring theme, but a Grey Cup ring and over 50 career CFL games make him a solid mid-tier return on the pick.
2: Montreal Alouettes, 2022 - Tyrell Richards, LB, Syracuse
Who would you take first overall? 👀
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CFL games played: 44. Games played for the team that drafted them: 44.
Richards was part of a great class for the Alouettes. So far, he has logged 27 tackles, 55 special teams tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception, 1 forced fumble and scored a touchdown in his time with the team, as well as being part of the 2023 Grey Cup winning team.
Richards was named an East Division All-CFL special teams player in 2025, leading the league with 30 special teams tackles, bringing his career total to 55 in 44 games. He signed an extension with the Als and will suit up for a fifth season in 2026.
A Grey Cup champion who keeps improving and has committed his future to Montreal. That’s a great return on investment for the Als with this pick, I would say.
1: BC Lions, 2020 - Jordan Williams, LB, East Carolina
CFL games played: 49 . Games played for the team that drafted them: 32.
As a rookie, Williams started all 14 games at linebacker and led all Lions with 92 defensive tackles. Good for second overall in the CFL. He also broke the Canadian rookie tackle record (75) set by Mike O’Shea in 1993. He capped off the season by winning the CFL Most Outstanding Rookie award.
The following year, he played 18 games with the Lions. He recorded 89 defensive tackles, 7 special teams tackles, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries. As well as 10 tackles over two playoff games.
This was followed by becoming a ‘double first-rounder’ as Toronto traded its first-round draft pick, ninth overall, in the 2023 CFL Draft to acquire his services. There, he recorded 48 tackles in 14 games as part of a record-setting Argos team.
Following a trade, he was set to start 2024 in Hamilton. However, in May last year he retired.
The Lions got great value as he played in 32 games, won Most Outstanding Rookie, set records and then brought them another first-round draft pick. Not a bad return on investment.
Do You Agree?
There’s a strong chance you won’t agree with where we’ve placed people on this top ten list. These things are always very subjective. That’s OK, though. Opening debate and getting us all talking about the CFL is a win for this author, at least anyway.
If you don’t agree and think this should have been a different order or just want to let us know who you think should have come top, get in touch and let us know.
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