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2026 CFL draft

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2026 CFL draft
General information
SportCanadian football
DateApril 28, 2026
Time7:00 pm EDT
LocationToronto, Ontario
NetworkTSN
Overview
74 total selections in 8 rounds
LeagueCFL
First selectionGiordano Vaccaro, Ottawa Redblacks
Most selections (11)Toronto Argonauts
Fewest selections (7)BC Lions
Calgary Stampeders
Ottawa Redblacks
U Sports selections45
NCAA selections29
← 2025
2027 →

The 2026 CFL national draft was a selection of national players by Canadian Football League teams that took place on April 28, 2026.[1] Seventy-four players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA or NAIA.[2][3]

Format

[edit]

The draft featured eight rounds of selections, with each team receiving one selection per round in reverse standings order from the 2025 CFL season. As per the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, the two teams that had National players featured in the highest percentage of snaps played in the 2025 CFL season (the Edmonton Elks and Winnipeg Blue Bombers) were each awarded an additional second-round pick.[3][4] The first two rounds were broadcast on TSN and streamed on TSN+, while rounds 3 through 8 were streamed solely on TSN+.[5]

Top prospects

[edit]
Source: CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.
Final
ranking[6] 		January
ranking[1] 		August
ranking[7] 		Player Position University Hometown
1 1 1 Akheem Mesidor Defensive lineman Miami (FL) Ottawa, ON
2 2 2 Logan Taylor Offensive lineman Boston College Lunenburg, NS
3 4 7 Rene Konga Defensive lineman Louisville Ottawa, ON
4 5 3 Wesley Bailey Defensive lineman Louisville Ottawa, ON
5 3 5 Albert Reese IV Offensive lineman Mississippi State Edmonton, AB
6 10 16 Rohan Jones Tight end Arkansas Montreal, QC
7 – – Kevin Cline Offensive lineman Boston College Boca Raton, FL
8 7 10 Dariel Djabome Linebacker Rutgers Longueuil, QC
9 6 6 Jett Elad Defensive back Rutgers Mississauga, ON
10 9 12 Malcolm Bell Defensive back Michigan State Montreal, QC
11 19 11 Giordano Vaccaro Offensive lineman Purdue Winnipeg, MB
12 8 – Nuer Gatkuoth Defensive lineman Wake Forest Edmonton, AB
13 12 13 Darius Bell Offensive lineman East Carolina Hamilton, ON
14 – – Niklas Henning Offensive lineman Queen's Milton, ON
15 11 4 Nick Cenacle Wide receiver Hawaii Montreal, QC
16 20 – Émeric Boutin Fullback Laval L'Assomption, QC
17 – – Malick Meiga Wide receiver Coastal Carolina Montreal, QC
18 18 – Nate DeMontagnac Wide receiver North Dakota Mississauga, ON
19 15 – Jonathan Denis Offensive lineman Louisiana Tech Homestead, FL
20 13 18 Darius McKenzie Linebacker South Alabama Ottawa, ON
– 14 8 Devynn Cromwell Defensive back Michigan State Toronto, ON
– 16 19 Aamarii Notice Defensive lineman Coastal Carolina Toronto, ON
– 17 9 Nolan Ulm Wide receiver Eastern Washington Kelowna, BC
– – 14 Jez Janvier Offensive lineman Southern Mississippi Montreal, QC
– – 15 Josh Baka Defensive back Alabama–Birmingham Ottawa, ON
– – 17 Tyrell Lawrence Offensive lineman Alabama A&M Milton, ON
– – 20 Trae Tomlinson Defensive back Louisiana Winnipeg, MB

Draft order

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Round one

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
1 Ottawa Redblacks Giordano Vaccaro OL Purdue
2 Toronto Argonauts Niklas Henning OL Queen's
3 Edmonton Elks Dariel Djabome LB Rutgers
4 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Nuer Gatkuoth DL Wake Forest
5 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Jonathan Denis OL Louisiana Tech
6 Calgary Stampeders Eric Rascoe LB Angelo State
7 BC Lions Nate DeMontagnac WR North Dakota
8 Montreal Alouettes Rohan Jones TE Arkansas
9 Saskatchewan Roughriders Malcolm Bell DB Michigan State

Round two

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
10 Winnipeg Blue Bombers (via Ottawa) Dante Daniels TE North Carolina State
11 Toronto Argonauts Isaiah Smith RB Guelph
12 Edmonton Elks Benjamin Sangmuah DB British Columbia
13 Ottawa Redblacks (via Winnipeg) Émeric Boutin FB Laval
14 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Malick Meiga WR Coastal Carolina
15 BC Lions (via Calgary)[trade 1] Jett Elad DB Rutgers
16 Toronto Argonauts (via BC)[trade 2] Ethan John DB Windsor
17 Montreal Alouettes Shakespeare Louis DB Southeastern Louisiana
18 Saskatchewan Roughriders Dylan Djete WR Alabama State
19N Edmonton Elks Wesley Bailey DL Louisville
20N Winnipeg Blue Bombers Kevin Cline OL Boston College

Round three

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
21 Edmonton Elks (via Ottawa)[trade 3] Carter Kettyle WR Alberta
22 Toronto Argonauts Louis-Philippe Gauthier DB Montreal
23 Toronto Argonauts (via Ottawa via Edmonton)[trade 3][trade 4] Darius McKenzie LB South Alabama
24 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Charles-Elliot Bouliane LB Montreal
25 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Devynn Cromwell DB Michigan State
26 Calgary Stampeders Jesulayomi Ojutalayo WR Wilfrid Laurier
27 Calgary Stampeders (via BC)[trade 1] Tristan Marois DL Colorado
28 Montreal Alouettes Nathan Udoh WR Manitoba
29 Saskatchewan Roughriders Darius Bell OL East Carolina

Round four

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
30 Toronto Argonauts (via Ottawa)[trade 5] Nolan Ulm WR Eastern Washington
31 Ottawa Redblacks (via Toronto)[trade 4] Charlie Parks DL Saskatchewan
32 Edmonton Elks Spencer Walsh OL Wilfrid Laurier
33 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Ethan Stuart DB McMaster
34 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Brayden Szeman OL Calgary
35 Edmonton Elks (via Ottawa via Calgary)[trade 3][trade 6] Justin Pace LB Queen's
36 BC Lions Pierre Kemini DB Ohio
37 Montreal Alouettes Liam Talbot RB Windsor
38 Saskatchewan Roughriders Osasere Odemwingie LB Calgary

Round five

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
39 Ottawa Redblacks Alassane Diouf OL Montreal
40 Toronto Argonauts Frank Vreugdenhil OL McMaster
41 Ottawa Redblacks (via Edmonton)[trade 3] Benjamin Dobson LB Calgary
42 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Brody Clark LB York
43 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Loik Gagne LB Concordia (QC)
44 Calgary Stampeders Matt Sibley WR Calgary
45 BC Lions Nick Cenacle WR Hawaii
46 Montreal Alouettes Harrison Daley DB Windsor
47 Saskatchewan Roughriders Jez Janvier OL Southern Mississippi

Round six

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
48 Ottawa Redblacks Rene Konga DL Louisville
49 Toronto Argonauts Tyriq Quayson WR Windsor
50 Edmonton Elks Chris Pashula OL Calgary
51 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Ben Britton WR Calgary
52 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Marc Djonay Rondeu LB Ottawa (ON)
53 Calgary Stampeders Mitchell Schechinger OL Guelph
54 BC Lions Ethan Graham OL Regina
55 Montreal Alouettes Michael Horvat K McMaster
56 Saskatchewan Roughriders Albert Reese IV OL Mississippi State

Round seven

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
57 Toronto Argonauts (via Ottawa)[trade 7] Nathan Walker K/P York
58 Edmonton Elks (via Toronto)[trade 8] Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald WR/QB McGill
59 Edmonton Elks Matthew Ljuden OL Alberta
60 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Josh Jack WR Saint Mary's
61 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Aamarii Notice DL Coastal Carolina
62 Calgary Stampeders Steven Kpehe DL Queen's
63 BC Lions Chase Henning DB British Columbia
64 Montreal Alouettes Cyrus McGarrell DB Northern Illinois
65 Saskatchewan Roughriders Sherman McBean WR British Columbia

Round eight

[edit]
Pick # CFL team Player Position University
66 Ottawa Redblacks Josh Connors LB Wilfrid Laurier
67 Toronto Argonauts Weagbe Mombo RB Windsor
68 Toronto Argonauts (via Edmonton)[trade 8] Sebastian Parsalidis FB Wilfrid Laurier
69 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Brady Lidster K Windsor
70 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Kyler Laing LB Mercyhurst
71 Calgary Stampeders Jack Warrack OL Saskatchewan
72 BC Lions Ebenezer Dibula DL Kennesaw State
73 Montreal Alouettes Zachary Houde WR St. Francis Xavier
74 Saskatchewan Roughriders Ryan Speight FB Wilfrid Laurier

Trades

[edit]

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.

Round two

[edit]
  • Calgary → BC (PD). Calgary traded a second-round pick in this year's draft and the ninth overall pick and the 29th overall pick in the 2025 CFL draft to BC in exchange for Vernon Adams, a third-round pick in this year's draft, and the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 CFL draft.[trade 1]
  • BC → Toronto (PD). BC traded a second-round pick in this year's draft and Ryder Varga to Toronto in exchange for Dejon Allen.[trade 2]
  • Ottawa ←→ Winnipeg (D). Ottawa traded the 10th overall pick in this year's draft to Winnipeg in exchange for the 13th overall pick in this year's draft and a second-round pick in the 2027 CFL draft.

Round three

[edit]
  • BC → Calgary (PD). BC traded a third-round pick in this year's draft, Vernon Adams, and the 32nd overall pick in the 2025 CFL draft to Calgary in exchange for a second-round pick in this year's draft and the ninth overall pick and the 29th overall in the 2025 CFL draft.[trade 1]
  • Edmonton ←→ Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft, Nyles Morgan, and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to Ottawa in exchange for the 21st overall pick and a fourth-round pick in this year's draft.[trade 3]
  • Ottawa → Toronto (PD). Ottawa traded the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2027 CFL draft to Toronto in exchange for the playing rights to Luiji Vilain and the 31st overall pick in this year's draft.[trade 4]

Round four

[edit]
  • Calgary → Ottawa (PD). Calgary traded a fourth-round pick in this year's draft to Ottawa in exchange for Lorenzo Mauldin.[trade 6]
  • Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded the 35th overall pick in this year's draft and a third-round pick in this year's draft to Edmonton in exchange for a third-round pick, Nyles Morgan, and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft.[trade 3]
  • Ottawa → Toronto (PD). Ottawa traded a conditional sixth-round pick in this year's draft and the negotiation rights to Andre Carter to Toronto in exchange for Daniel Adeboboye.[trade 5] This was confirmed to be upgraded to a fourth-round pick upon the release of the draft order.[8]
  • Toronto → Ottawa (PD). Toronto traded the 31st overall pick in this year's draft and the playing rights to Luiji Vilain to Ottawa in exchange for the 23rd overall pick in this year's draft and a conditional third-round pick in the 2027 CFL draft.[trade 4]

Round five

[edit]
  • Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded the 41st overall pick in this year's draft, Nyles Morgan, and a fifth-round pick in this year's draft to Ottawa in exchange for a third-round pick and a fourth-round pick in this year's draft.[trade 3]

Round seven

[edit]
  • Ottawa → Toronto (PD). Ottawa traded a seventh-round pick in this year's draft to Toronto in exchange for Mark Milton.[trade 7]
  • Toronto → Edmonton (PD). Toronto traded a conditional eighth-round pick in this year's draft to Edmonton in exchange for the negotiation rights to Spencer Brown.[trade 8] This was confirmed to be upgraded to a seventh-round pick while the Argonauts received the Elks' eighth-round pick upon the release of the draft order.[8]

Round eight

[edit]
  • Edmonton → Toronto (PD). Edmonton traded an eighth-round pick in this year's draft and the negotiation rights to Spencer Brown to Toronto in exchange for a seventh-round pick.[trade 8][8]

References

[edit]

Trade references

  1. ^ a b c d "Big Play: Stamps acquire Vernon Adams Jr. in trade with Lions". Canadian Football League. November 26, 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Lions acquire OL Dejon Allen in trade with Argonauts". Canadian Football League. January 6, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g "Redblacks acquire Nyles Morgan in trade with Elks". Canadian Football League. December 27, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c d "Redblacks acquire rights to Luiji Vilain in trade with Argos". Canadian Football League. April 21, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "Redblacks acquire National running back Daniel Adeboboye from Toronto". Ottawa Redblacks. January 14, 2025.
  6. ^ a b "Stamps acquire Lorenzo Mauldin IV in trade with Redblacks". Canadian Football League. September 28, 2025.
  7. ^ a b "Redblacks acquire DB Mark Milton from Toronto for '26 seventh round pick". Canadian Football League. August 25, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d "Transaction: Elks acquire conditional draft pick in trade with the Argonauts". Edmonton Elks. August 5, 2025.

General references

  1. ^ a b "Mesidor stays No. 1 in Winter edition of CFL Scouting Bureau". Canadian Football League. January 21, 2026.
  2. ^ "Canadian Football League expands draft to eight rounds". Canadian Football League. May 4, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Details of the CFL's new CBA: salary cap increases, ratio changes, and guaranteed contracts". 3DownNation. May 26, 2022.
  4. ^ "Edmonton Elks, Winnipeg Blue Bombers awarded extra picks in 2026 CFL Draft". 3DownNation. February 25, 2026.
  5. ^ "CFL reveals 2026 CFL Draft and Global Draft order". Canadian Football League. March 31, 2026.
  6. ^ "Mesidor retains No. 1 spot in spring edition of CFL Scouting Bureau". Canadian Football League. April 21, 2026.
  7. ^ "Mesidor takes hold of top spot in fall edition of CFL Scouting Bureau". Canadian Football League. August 20, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d "Draft". Canadian Football League. Retrieved March 11, 2026.
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