Feels like time’s flying, doesn’t it?
In football terms, anyway.
The off-season free agency frenzy is done, the Invitational and the CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness have been completed.
Ahead of the big night, here’s a look at the last seven of the number one selections in the CFL Draft.
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DAMIEN ALFORD | RECEIVER | CALGARY STAMPEDERS | 2025
The big receiver (six-foot-six, 240 pounds) came into the 2025 draft as the seventh-ranked player in the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings.
After being taken first overall by the Calgary Stampeders, Damien Alford made 20 catches on 34 targets for 407 yards and five touchdowns in 15 games.
He signed with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints in January.
JOEL DUBLANKO | LINEBACKER | EDMONTON ELKS | 2024
After a couple of tryout stints in the NFL, Joel Dublanko got his Canadian citizenship papers in order just prior to the 2024 CFL Draft, and the Edmonton Elks were more than happy to make the Alberta-connected (his father and grandparents were born in the province) linebacker the top pick in the draft.
After a limited-action rookie season in 2024, Dublanko burst through in 2025, making 80 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 last season and is expected to be a key member of the Elks’ defence, once again in 2026.
DONTAE BULL | OFFENSIVE LINEMAN | OTTAWA REDBLACKS | 2023
The six-foot-seven, 326-pound offensive lineman was ranked number seven on the list of top prospects in 2023, but the Ottawa REDBLACKS thought even more of him than that.
Dontae Bull’s short career with Ottawa — two seasons — saw him dogged by injuries, and he ended up appearing in just 16 games, a handful of them being starts at right tackle, before he retired just prior to the opening of last year’s training camp.
TYRELL RICHARDS | LINEBACKER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES | 2022
Tyrell Richards has played in 44 games with the Als since being selected first overall in the 2022 CFL Draft (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
The Montreal Alouettes made a deal with Edmonton in order to move up from number four to first in 2022, where they nabbed the CFL Scouting Bureau’s third-ranked player with the pick.
Tyrell Richards was named an East Division All-CFL special teams player in 2025, leading the league with a very impressive 30 special teams tackles, bringing his career total to 55 in 44 games.
He signed an extension with the Als last December, and will suit up for a fifth season with them in 2026.
JAKE BURT | TIGHT END | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS | 2021
Jake Burt was a late add to the draft class in 2021, and after a stellar career at Boston College and some time spent with the NFL’s New England Patriots, Burt — who was born in Regina but whose family moved to Boston when he was four — went first overall to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
He missed his rookie season, spending 2021 on the Ticats’ injured list. In 10 games with Hamilton in 2022, Burt made just four catches for 40 yards, and he was released by Hamilton the following spring.
JORDAN WILLIAMS | LINEBACKER | BC LIONS | 2020
The BC Lions made a draft day trade with Calgary to acquire the first overall pick, and they took the rangy linebacker in that spot.
Jordan Williams would go on to have a splendid rookie season in 2021, setting a record for tackles by a Canadian rookie with 92 in 14 games. He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie.
During the winter of 2023, Williams was dealt to the Toronto Argonauts for a first round pick in that year’s draft.
A year later, the ratio-busting linebacker was traded to the Hamilton Ticats, but he retired before ever playing a game in Hamilton.
SHANE RICHARDS | OFFENSIVE LINEMAN | TORONTO ARGONAUTS | 2019
The big man was ranked number two on the CFL Scouting Bureau’s list of top prospects in 2019, and the Toronto Argonauts bumped him up another spot in taking the six-foot-eight, 325-pounder first overall.
Shane Richards played in 42 games with the Argos over his first four seasons, winning a Grey Cup in 2022. He signed with Edmonton as a free agent in 2024, before returning to the Argos for the 2025 season, where he appeared in 12 more games.
Richards is currently a free agent.
