2025 CFL Draft Recap: Saskatchewan Roughriders land QB Rourke
While it might be less hyped than last weekend’s NFL draft, the CFL draft is no less important.
The 2025 CFL draft was held on Tuesday night over eight rounds and we’ve got you covered with a list of every pick from every team.
Let’s dive right in.
BC Lions
2nd Round: Hayden Harris, DL, Montana (11th)
2nd Round: Jackson Findlay, DB, Western (16th)
4th Round: Connor Klassen, OL, Regina (37th)
5th Round: Dre Doiron, OL, Kansas (41st)
6th Round: Chase Tataryn, LB, Alberta (50th)
7th Round: Alex Berwick, OL, Western (59th)
8th Round: Luka Stoikos, RB, Toronto (67th)
BC lost their own first and second round draft picks after a significant salary cap violation, but still managed to pick up some solid players, led by defensive lineman Hayden Harris, who was named University of Montana team defensive MVP as a senior.
Calgary Stampeders
1st Round: Damien Alford, REC, Utah (1st)
1st Round: Christopher Fortin, OL, Connecticut (8th)
2nd Round: Quincy Vaughn, TE, North Dakota (17th)
3rd Round: Anton Haie, DB, Laval (20th)
4th Round: Nicky Alexander-Farinaccio, LB, Montreal (32nd)
5th Round: Vyshonne Janusas, REC, Guelph (38th)
6th Round: Ludovick Choquette, RB, Long Island (47th)
7th Round: Matthew Stokman, OL, Manitoba (56th)
7th Round: Max Von Muehldorfer, DL, Western (61st)
8th Round: Ashton Miller-Melancon, DB, Queen’s (65th)
Calgary, who was the beneficiary of the Lions’ draft pick forfeiture, took receiver Damien Alford first overall. Alford went unselected in the NFL draft, although he accepted an invitation the Kansas City’s rookie minicamp, so it will be interesting to see where he ends up next season.
Edmonton Elks
2nd Round: Darien Newell, DL, Queen’s (10th)
3rd Round: Skyler Griffith, RB, UBC (22nd)
3rd Round: Isaiah Knight, RB, UBC (24th)
4th Round: Silas Hubert, DL, Queen’s (31st)
5th Round: Domenico Piazza, OL, McGill (40th)
6th Round: Daniel Hocevar, OL, Guelph (49th)
7th Round: Kolby Hurford, REC, Alberta (58th)
Edmonton was the other team to forfeit draft picks this year as they lost their first and eighth round selections after making supplemental draft choices last year. The Elks landed arguably the best defensive lineman in the draft with Darien Newell, who entered the draft as a possible top-five pick.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
1st Round: Devin Veresuk, LB, Windsor (2nd)
2nd Round: Isaiah Bagnah, DL, Brigham Young (9th)
3rd Round: Arvin Hosseini, OL, UBC (21st)
3rd Round: Mack Bannatyne, DB, Alberta (28th)
4th Round: Ty Anderson, DL, Alberta (36th)
6th Round: Ronan Horrall, DB, UBC (48th)
7th Round: Jake Nitychoruk, DB, Manitoba (57th)
8th Round: Nate Martey, DL, Arkansas State (66th)
Hamilton took linebacker Devin Veresuk second overall. The Windsor native didn’t fully participate in the CFL combine, but he put up such good numbers at the University of Buffalo’s pro day, he started garnering NFL interest.
Montreal Alouettes
1st Round: Tiger Shanks, OL, UNLV (5th)
2nd Round: Nate Beauchemin, DB, Calgary (14th)
3rd Round: Gabriel Lessard, LB, Montreal (23rd)
3rd Round: Hakeem Harris, REC, Davenport (26th)
4th Round: Keanu Yazbeck, RB, Western (35th)
5th Round: Gabriel Maisonneuve, DL, Montreal (44th)
6th Round: Isaac Gaillardetz, REC, Laval (53rd)
7th Round: Jonathan Sénécal, QB, Montreal (62nd)
8th Round: Riley MacLeod, LB, Western (70th)
Montreal has a glaring need along the offensive line and they tackled that by taking Tiger Shanks with their first pick. Shanks, a four-year starter at UNLV, was named first-team All-Mountain West at left tackle in 2023 and 2024.
Ottawa Redblacks
1st Round: Keelan White, REC, Montana (3rd)
2nd Round: Samuel Carson, OL, Louisiana at Monroe (NE) (12th)
4th Round: Muftah Ageli, DL, Northwestern Oklahoma State (33rd)
5th Round: Eric Cumberbatch, DB, Ottawa (42nd)
6th Round: Ethan Jordan, REC, Wilfrid Laurier (51st)
7th Round: Jayden Griffiths, LB, Wilfrid Laurier (60th)
8th Round: King Ambers, DB, Texas A&M Commerce (68th)
Ottawa shored up their receiver depth with Keelan White, who is coming off a six-year college career. There are concerns about his speed, but his elite route-running and hands should still make him an effective player in the CFL.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
1st Round: Ali Saad, DL, Bowling Green (4th)
2nd Round: Erik Andersen, OL Western (13th)
3rd Round: Kurtis Rourke, QB, Indiana (25th)
4th Round: Seth Hundeby, LB, Saskatchewan (34th)
5th Round: Liam Hoskins, LB, Windsor (43rd)
6th Round: Gideon Agyei, DB, Calgary (52nd)
8th Round: Daniel Wiebe, REC, Saskatchewan (69th)
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke dropped in the CFL draft because he was also selected in the NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. Rourke is recovering from a torn ACL, but it figures that he’ll spend the next couple of years pursuing a shot at the NFL, so Saskatchewan is already planning on waiting a while before they possibly see him suit up in the CFL.
Toronto Argonauts
1st Round: Jeremiah Ojo, DL, Montreal (7th)
2nd Round: Paris Shand, DL, LSU (19th)
4th Round: Gavin Coakes, OL, UBC (29th)
4th Round: Istvan Assibo-Dadzie, DB, Windsor (30th)
5th Round: Jalen Rayam, LB, Texas El Paso (46th)
6th Round: Joey Zorn, RB, Windsor (55th)
7th Round: Ethan Pyle, OL, Guelph (64th)
8th Round: DeEmetrius Masuka, DB, McMaster (72nd)
Defensive lineman Jeremiah Ojo impressed at the CFL combine and Toronto selected him in the draft as a possible replacement for Robbie Smith, who signed with Edmonton this offseason.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
1st Round: Connor Shay, LB, Wyoming (6th)
2nd Round: Jaylen Smith, LB, North Texas (15th)
2nd Round: Taylor Elgersma, QB, Wilfrid Laurier (18th)
3rd Round: Ethan Vibert, OL, South Dakota State (27th)
5th Round: Joey Corcoran, REC, New Hampshire (39th)
5th Round: Lane Novak, LB, Saskatchewan (45th)
6th Round: Ethan Ball, DB, Calgary (54th)
7th Round: Trey Laing, DL, Eastern Michigan (63rd)
8th Round: Iwinosa Uwubanmwen, OL, Alberta (71st)
Winnipeg took linebacker Connor Shay with their first pick, but it’s quarterback Taylor Elgersma, who went 18th overall, that is interesting. Elgersma was the first U Sports quarterback ever invited to the Senior Bowl and there was a belief he could have been taken in the NFL draft. The hope is Elgersma can one day take the reins from Zach Collaros.
