Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
TORONTO — It’s CFL Draft week and there’s a lot to know about the most important recruiting event on the CFL calendar.
Marshall Ferguson and Duane Forde spoke to the media on Monday to shed some light on some of the questions that might still be up in the air regarding Tuesday’s event.
Here are three things to know ahead of the 2025 CFL Draft on April 29.
2025 CFL Draft
» Mock Draft 2.0: Who will Calgary take first overall?
» Top 3 CFL Draft priorities for each team
» Best fits for Canadian QBs in the CFL Draft
» Elic Ayomanor vaults to top of Scouting Bureau Rankings
» Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel
» Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
CANADIAN FIREPOWER
Nathan Rourke and Tre Ford lead the way as two National pivots set to start for the BC Lions and Edmonton Elks respectively in 2025, opening up doors for a talented 2025 quarterback class to potentially join the ranks as Canadian starters at the position.
“Exciting time for Canadian quarterbacks,” said Forde. “We go into the season for the first time ever with two of out of the nine teams projecting Canadians as their starting quarterbacks in the league. Also in this draft class, you heard Marshall mention the names Jonathan Sénécal, Arnaud Desjardins, Keagan Hall, guys who were at the CFL combine. These guys joined Taylor Elgersma as the top four passers in U SPORTS football last year.
“So you have all of these guys in the same class, all very legit guys. I’m not necessarily saying that they’re going to have careers in the Canadian Football League, but guys who certainly are worthy of being in CFL camps and aren’t going to look out of place in that spot.”
“It’s not unnecessary hype,” added Ferguson. “It’s real. Those guys are great players, and they all deserve an opportunity to get a real, true look and be evaluated properly.”
IMMEDIATE CONTRIBUTOR
Last year the Toronto Argonauts selected receiver Kevin Mital with the fifth pick in the 2024 CFL Draft and the receiver went on to catch a touchdown in the 111th Grey Cup to help the Boatmen win their second title in three years.
Are there any players in the 2025 CFL Draft that could contribute right away and potentially help add to a team playing the Grey Cup?
“Yeah, you look at the Mital pick last year, and it’s a cool one, right?” said Forde. “Because the Argos were a team that didn’t need a Canadian receiver, but it got to pick five and Mital is still on the board, and I’m sure that they’re looking at each other in the Argos draft room, going, we can’t just leave them there like that.
“So approaching it from that perspective, one of the guys that just kind of intrigues me in this draft, that I think is a real good player, and a guy who I think you could see, much like Mital, start with a small and maybe grow into a bigger role as the season unfolds, for me, that could be Jeremiah Ojo. Remarkably athletic, quick defensive end.
“Ojo is a guy who only played a handful of football games,” continued Forde. “He was a basketball kid who was kind of a late comer to football. And so I think he’s unique among RSEQ players in in that regard, there’s still a lot of football to be learned for him. If he proves to be a quick study during the season, he could be one of those guys that we’re talking about later in the year as started the season as a rookie, but isn’t really a rookie anymore.”
Queen’s Silas Hubert was another name mentioned among potential immediate contributors looking to follow into Mital’s footsteps and making a play at the biggest game of the year.
“Let’s go ahead and give Silas Hubert a pick six in the Grey cup,” said Ferguson. “How about that from the Queen’s Gael? That’d be a fun one. Works his way onto a roster. He’s a depth guys on specials. There’s an injury in the first quarter. Silas Hubert steps in, makes a big play.”
DIFFERENCE MAKERS EVERYWHERE
The CFL Draft is a great opportunity for teams not only to add depth to their rosters, but to potentially find superstars who are going to be among the best in their respective positions like Brady Oliveira, Tyrell Ford and Tyson Philpot.
It’s no secret that some of the most successful teams of the past few years had Canadians stepping up and making plays left and right, which amplifies the importance of the draft.
“The example I use all the time with people is the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, right?” added Forde. “There’s one team in the CFL that’s been to the Grey Cup the last five years in a row, and it’s the team that doesn’t start seven Canadians, it’s the team that regularly starts nine Canadians.
That means teams have to figure out how to find the best Canadian players at every position, from linemen to playmakers all the way to special teams, there’s plenty of talent in every single position to be had in the 2025 CFL Draft.
“This sort of translates to the draft, that the best players available should be the earlier players picked in this draft,” said Forde. “Not always. There’s positional need and so on, and we recognize that in terms of building a roster, but for me, as someone who has kind of lived and loved the draft for a long time, it’s kind of neat to see that that evolution happen.”
A player that has a chance to be one of those Canadian impact playmakers is Montana’s receiver Keelan White. The pass-catcher finished No. 5 in the Spring edition of the CFL Scouting Bureau and figures to be selected early on Tuesday’s draft.
“As it relates to a guy like Keelan White, certainly there’s an opportunity and expectation that he would get picked early and have a chance (to contribute),” said Forde. “You mentioned that (Tyson and Jalen) Philpot connection, and I think there’s a bit of a comparison there, right? Like, when you look at the Philpot’s at their combine, the numbers weren’t outstanding, but you watch the film and look at the production and realize these guys, they play faster than they test. I think that there’s some of that to Keelan White’s game. Not eye popping athleticism in terms of testing, but a guy who’s had a very productive college career.”
