Jonathan Kozub/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The 2019 CFL Draft class was something special.
A Most Outstanding Defensive Player, a Most Outstanding Canadian (and Most Outstanding Player runner-up), an All-Star receiver, the class had it all.
If only teams could know beforehand how each player’s career would unfold, things back then might have been different. With the benefit of hindsight, CFL.ca takes you through a 2019 CFL Draft class do-over as we prepare for the 2024 CFL Draft on April 30.
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*The 2019 class only had eight selections in the first round as the Montreal Alouettes forfeited their second overall selection for the right to pick OL Tyler Johnstone in the 2018 Supplemental Draft.
1. Brady Oliveira – RB – TORONTO ARGONAUTS
*original choice: Shane Richards, OL, Oklahoma State
This is a no-brainer. Most Outstanding Canadian, CFL All-Star, two-time Grey Cup Champion, rushing champion, Oliveira has done it all.
The only problem here is that Oliveira wouldn’t get to play for his hometown team, but the Toronto Argonauts would gladly take him to help turn around a team that finished 4-14 in 2018.
2. Mathieu Betts – DL – HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
*original choice: Jesse Gibbon, OL, Waterloo
Another easy one in the 2023 Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Betts had a breakout season last year with 18 sacks, breaking the record for most sacks by a National player in the CFL.
The pass rusher gets selected by Hamilton here to form a powerful defence for a team that ended up playing in the next two Grey Cups in 2019 and 2021.
3. Kurleigh Gittens Jr. – REC – EDMONTON ELKS
*original choice: Mathieu Betts, DL, Laval
Sometimes things just fall into place. Another CFL All-Star, Gittens Jr. would be on his way to Edmonton earlier in his career in this do-over to become one of their top aerial threats.
The wide receiver has 2,132 receiving yards on his resume with 10 majors and a Grey Cup win with the Argonauts.
4. Justin McInnis – REC – WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
*original choice: Drew Desjarlais, OL, Windsor
McInnis keeps getting better as his career unfolds, registering 690 receiving yards and five majors last season with the Lions despite a crowded wide receiver room in Vancouver.
We didn’t know yet, but the Bombers were about to go on a four-season run to the Grey Cup, and adding McInnis to a receiver group that featured Darvin Adams, Nic Demski and Kenny Lawler – who also arrived in 2019 – would only help their case.
5. Jeshrun Antwi – RB – WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
*original choice: Jonathan Kongbo, DE, Tennessee
A different National runner heads to Winnipeg in this hypothetical scenario to be the understudy behind Andrew Harris.
Antwi has shown he can be a dependable running back capable of winning on the ground and through the air, making for another great complement to an explosive Bombers offence in the making.
6. Kaion Julien-Grant – REC – SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
*original choice: Justin McInnis, WR, Arkansas State
The Riders selected back-to-back receivers in 2019 with McInnis and Brayden Lenius, finding two potential playmakers at the time.
In this do-over, McInnis is gone so the Green and White have to opt for a different receiver in Julien-Grant, who is coming off two straight 500-yard seasons with his best football potentially still ahead of him.
7. Jesse Gibbon – OL – OTTAWA REDBLACKS
*original choice: Alex Fontana, OL, Kansas
The REDBLACKS opt for an offensive lineman that wasn’t available in real life when they were on the clock.
Gibbon is a versatile offensive lineman that went on to appear in three Grey Cups, two with the Tiger-Cats and one with the Alouettes.
8. David Ungerer III – REC – CALGARY STAMPEDERS
*original choice: Hergy Mayala, WR, Connecticut
Ungerer ends up being the choice for the Stamps here over Hergy Mayala – more on that later – after enjoying a breakout season of sorts with the Argonauts in 2023.
The National receiver caught 41 (out of only 54!) passes for 579 yards and three majors for one of the best offences in the CFL in 2023.
Honourable Mentions
Nick Hallett (#61, WPG)
Hallett has not missed any action in his four seasons with the club and has dressed for 68 regular season games and nine playoff contests, including the last four Grey Cups, while becoming a rotational player at safety on defence and regularly contributing on special teams.
He led the Blue Bombers with 20 special teams tackles in 2023, which ranked third in the CFL.
Hergy Mayala (#8, CGY)
Mayala had a great rookie season with 562 receiving yards and five majors for Calgary, but hasn’t been able to reproduce those numbers in the years since. The 28-year-old receiver now joins Gittens Jr. as a weapon for McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Tre Ford in Edmonton.
Brayden Lenius (#15, SSK)
Lenius has showed flashes of his playmaking ability, but injuries have kept him from reaching his full potential. If healthy, the Riders wide receiver could climb up this ladder and make the 2019 class even more intriguing.
