CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Weber State’s Zac Carlson was granted non-import status by the Canadian Football League this week, but he will not be eligible for the 2009 Canadian Draft (Saturday, 11am on TSN). The 6’3”, 300 lbs. offensive tackle from will be eligible for a Supplementary Draft to be held on May 11th, 2009.
Carlson was one of this year’s top prospects, pending the designation of his import/non-import status. Had he been eligible for the 2009 Canadian Draft, he would have been a first round pick and possibly would have been selected 1st overall.
How does one become eligible for the Supplementary Draft?
According to the CFL By-Laws:
A player shall be eligible for selection at such Supplementary Draft Meeting if that player:
(a) should have been eligible for selection at the regular College Draft Meeting but, through oversight or otherwise, was not listed among the eligible candidates; or
In the case of Carlson, he falls into the “otherwise” category. His status as a non-import was held up due to a lack of proof of the time he spent living in Canada as a youth. Once that proof was made available to the Canadian Football League and the CFLPA, it was already within 21 days of the Canadian Draft – the cutoff time for when the final draft list must be submitted – thus leaving Carlson on the outside looking in on Saturday.
When is the Supplementary Draft held?
This year, the CFL has decided to hold the draft on May 11th. This will allow teams sufficient time to integrate Carlson into their plans prior to training camp. If another player were to become eligible for under the Supplementary Draft by-laws, a second draft would be held at a later date.
How does the Supplementary Draft work?
The Supplementary Draft follows the same order of selection as would occur during the regular draft. For the upcoming Supplementary Draft the order would be:
1. Hamilton
2. Toronto
3. Winnipeg
4. Edmonton
5. BC
6. Saskatchewan
7. Montreal
8. Calgary
A team selecting a player in the Supplementary Draft must offer to forfeit a selection in the immediately succeeding Canadian Draft – the 2010 draft in this case. Ultimately, the team that is willing to forfeit the highest draft pick in the 2010 draft will ‘win’ the Zac Carlson sweepstakes providing they have a pick to offer up in exchange for his rights. If all eight teams were to offer up their first overall pick in 2010, Hamilton would retain the rights to Carlson because it has the highest waiver priority. If, of course, no team decides to select Carlson in the Supplementary Draft, he would become a free agent.
How is the Supplementary Draft conducted?
The draft will take place over the telephone. The CFL league office will contact each team, starting with the Calgary Stampeders and go down the list in reverse order (8, 7, 6, 5…) until ultimately finding out which team is willing to offer up the highest 2010 draft pick for Carlson.
Why is Carlson not eligible for the 2010 Canadian Draft instead?
The CFL By-Laws state that once 60 days have passed since the 2009 Canadian Draft a player then becomes eligible for the 2010 Canadian Draft. Since we are within the 60 day period, Carlson becomes eligible for the Supplementary Draft instead.
Who has been a Supplementary Draft pick in the past?
- Noel Prefontaine
- Riall Johnson
