2026 CFL draft
Canadian Football League selection of national players scheduled for spring 2026
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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]
| 2026 CFL draft | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Sport | Canadian football |
| Date | April 28, 2026 |
| Time | 7:00 pm EDT |
| Location | Toronto, Ontario |
| Network | TSN |
| Overview | |
| 74 total selections in 8 rounds | |
| League | CFL |
| First selection | Giordano Vaccaro, Ottawa Redblacks |
| Most selections (11) | Toronto Argonauts |
| Fewest selections (7) | BC Lions Calgary Stampeders Ottawa Redblacks |
| U Sports selections | 45 |
| NCAA selections | 29 |
Format
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
- 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
- Source: [8]
Round one
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
| 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
In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.
Round two
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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
- 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]
