2023 CFL draft

The 2023 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League teams that took place on May 2, 2023, at 8:00 pm ET.^[1][2] 72 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA and NAIA.^[3][4][5]

The draft was broadcast live on TSN for the first two rounds with subsequent rounds being streamed online.^[2] The TSN production was hosted by Farhan Lalji and featured the CFL on TSN panel, including Duane Forde, Marshall Ferguson, Jim Barker, and Dave Naylor.^[2]

Combines

For the first time the CFL held an invitational players combine at the University of Waterloo's Feridun Hamdullahpur Field House on March 3, 2023.^[6] The main combine took place March 22-26, 2023, at the Commonwealth Stadium Field House in Edmonton, AB.^[7]

Top prospects

Source: CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.^[8]

Draft order

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Round seven

Round eight

Trades

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

Round one

• Hamilton ←→ Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, a third-round pick in this draft, a sixth-round pick in this draft, and a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Bo Levi Mitchell, a first-round pick in this draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.^{[trade 1]}
• BC → Montreal (PD). BC traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Vernon Adams.^{[trade 2]}
• Toronto → BC (PD). Toronto traded this selection to BC in exchange for Jordan Williams.^{[trade 3]}

Round two

• Hamilton → Edmonton (PD). Hamilton traded this selection and Jesse Gibbon to Edmonton in exchange for David Beard and a conditional fourth-round pick in this year's draft.^{[trade 5]}
• Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded the 12th overall selection to Ottawa in exchange for the rights to Woodly Appolon.^{[trade 4]}

Round three

• Montreal → Edmonton (PD). Montreal traded this selection and Avery Ellis to Edmonton in exchange for Nafees Lyon and Thomas Costigan.^{[trade 6]}
• BC → Ottawa (PD). BC traded this selection and a conditional fourth-round selection in the 2024 CFL Draft to Ottawa in exchange for Terry Williams.^{[trade 7]}
• Hamilton → Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, a first-round pick in this draft, a sixth-round pick in this draft, and a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Bo Levi Mitchell, a first-round pick in this draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.^{[trade 1]}

Round four

• Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Nick Arbuckle.^{[trade 8]}
• Edmonton → Hamilton (PD). Edmonton traded a conditional fourth-round selection and David Beard to Hamilton in exchange for Jesse Gibbon and a second-round pick in this year's draft.^{[trade 5]} The condition was confirmed to be fulfilled upon the release of the draft order by the league.^[5]

Round five

• Saskatchewan → Montreal (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection to Montreal in exchange for Mario Alford.^{[trade 9]} This selection was originally a sixth-round pick, but was upgraded after Alford played in at least nine games for the Roughriders.^{[5][trade 16]}

Round six

• Edmonton → Toronto (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Toronto in exchange for Jalen Collins and Martez Ivey.^{[trade 10]}
• Montreal → Edmonton (PD). Montreal traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Walter Fletcher.^{[trade 11]}
• Hamilton → Calgary (PD). Hamilton traded this selection, a first-round pick in this draft, a third-round pick in this draft, and a second-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft to Calgary in exchange for Bo Levi Mitchell, a first-round pick in this draft, and a third-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.^{[trade 1]}

Round seven

• Calgary → Saskatchewan (PD). Calgary traded this selection and a third-round selection in the 2023 CFL Global Draft to Saskatchewan in exchange for James Smith.^{[trade 14]} This selection can be upgraded to a fifth-round selection depending on the number of games played by Smith for the Stampeders.^[12]
• Hamilton → Edmonton (PD). Hamilton traded this selection to Edmonton in exchange for Colin Kelly.^{[trade 13]}
• Edmonton → Ottawa (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Ottawa in exchange for Llevi Noel and an eighth-round pick in this year's draft.^{[trade 12]}

Round eight

• Ottawa → Edmonton (PD). Ottawa traded this selection and Llevi Noel to Edmonton in exchange for a seventh-round pick in this year's draft.^{[trade 12]}
• Edmonton → Hamilton (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Hamilton in exchange for Jon Ryan.^{[trade 15]}

Conditional trades

• Montreal → Calgary (PD). Montreal traded a conditional second-round selection to Calgary in exchange for the playing rights to Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.^{[trade 17]} The condition would've been fulfilled if Duvernay-Tardif signed with the Alouettes before the draft, but he did not.

Forfeitures

• Edmonton forfeited their second round pick after selecting J-Min Pelley in the 2022 Supplemental Draft.^[11]
• Calgary forfeited their second round pick after selecting T. J. Rayam in the 2022 Supplemental Draft.^[11]

References

Trade references

General references