
TORONTO — The CFL Draft is an opportunity for every team to find new National talent to add to their roster.
The team with the first overall pick is faced with endless opportunities, but it doesn’t always mean that the first player selected will have the best career out of all them.
Sure, every now and then you’ll get someone like Henoc Muamba, who was the first pick in the 2011 CFL Draft and went on to have a stellar career in the league.
But you also have players who for one reason or another don’t live up to the hype.
In preparation for the 2024 CFL Draft on April 30, CFL.ca takes you through the last five first overall picks and their trajectories so far.
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2023 – Dontae Bull, OL, Fresno State – Ottawa REDBLACKS
Bull played 242 pass-blocking snaps in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus and as often happens with rookie O-lineman had some struggles to adjust to the professional ranks.
It’s not uncommon to see players with Bull’s profile improve going forward so the jury is still out for this one.
2022 – Tyrell Richards, LB, Syracuse – Montreal Alouettes
Richards impressed everyone at the 2022 CFL Combine presented by New Era on his way to becoming a first overall pick the Alouettes.
The athletic linebacker hasn’t yet played a ton of snaps amidst a talented defensive core in Montreal, but scored his first touchdown last season in Week 12 on a pick six against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and could earn a bigger role going forward for the current champions.
2021 – Jake Burt, FB/TE, Boston College – Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Burt, who was born in Regina, Sask. and raised in Boston, MA, impressed with his six-foot-five, 230-pound frame on the way to becoming the first overall pick by the Ticats.
After missing his rookie season with an injury, Burt never lived up to the hype with the Tabbies, appearing in only 10 games with four catches for 40 yards.
Hamilton released the National fullback before the 2023 season.
2020 – Jordan Williams, LB, East Carolina – BC Lions
The Lions acquired the first overall pick from the Calgary Stampeders and used that selection on linebacker Jordan Williams. The ‘backer developed into a solid starter for BC in his first two seasons – being named Most Outstanding Rookie in 2021 – before being traded to the Toronto Argonauts for the 2023 season.
The defender was recently traded again, this time from the Argos to the Ticats. In 2023, Williams put forth a strong season with a 78.8 run-defence grade according to PFF as a force in the middle for one the best defences in the CFL.
2019 – Shane Richards, OL, Oklahoma State – Toronto Argonauts
Richards has only 291 total snaps in his career with the Argonauts as a backup to one of the best offensive lines in the CFL.
When he got a chance in 2022 he put up solid numbers, finishing with a 62.9 run-block grade and a 52.9 pass-blocking grade according to PFF.