The Ottawa Redblacks have selected offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro of Winnipeg, Manitoba first overall in the 2026 Canadian Football League Draft on Tuesday. Vaccaro played 12 games this past season with the University of Purdue Boilermakers in the National Collegiate Athletic Association.
Vaccaro is one of two Canadians who went to the University of Purdue who has been drafted in the first round of a professional sports league in the last two years. In 2024, the Memphis Grizzlies drafted center Zach Edey of Toronto, Ontario ninth overall in the National Basketball Association Draft.
Vaccaro is one of three offensive linemen selected in the first round of the 2026 Canadian Football League Draft. The Toronto Argonauts selected Niklas Henning of Milton, Ontario second overall out of Queen’s University. Henning was the only player drafted in the first round that went to a Canadian university. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats selected Jonathan Denis of Montreal, Quebec fifth overall out of Louisiana Tech.
Six more players were drafted in the first round. The Edmonton Elks drafted linebacker Dariel Djabome of Longueuil, Quebec out of Rutgers University third overall, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers drafted defensive lineman Nuer Gatkuoth of Edmonton, Alberta out of Wake Forest University fourth overall, the Calgary Stampeders drafted linebacker Eric Rascoe of Toronto sixth overall out of Angelo State University, the British Columbia Lions drafted wide receiver Nate DeMontagnac of Mississauga, Ontario seventh overall out of the University of North Dakota, the Montreal Alouettes drafted tight end Rohan Jones of Montreal eighth overall out of the University of Arkansas, and the Saskatchewan Roughriders drafted defensive back Malcolm Bell ninth overall out of Montreal ninth overall out of Michigan State University.
