Montana Athletics
Welcome to CFL Draft week!
Tuesday’s 2025 CFL Draft is one of the most important dates on the calendar and it also marks the final major stop before a brand new season is upon us.
And with such a big week finally here, we’ll press pause on the recent countdown series we’ve been running on Monday’s.
Right now, it’s all about draft day and here are three burning questions to set the table.
2025 CFL Draft
» Mock Draft 2.0: Who will Calgary take first overall?
» Top 3 CFL Draft priorities for each team
» View the entire 2025 CFL Draft order here
» Who should Calgary take with the first pick in the CFL Draft?
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WHO GOES FIRST OVERALL?
It’s the most fun and loaded question of all.
The Calgary Stampeders currently own Tuesday’s first pick after the team missed the playoffs in 2024 for the first time in 19 seasons. It’s a great opportunity for head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson to kickstart Calgary’s new direction, which already includes the acquisition of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. in November.
So which way do the Stamps go? The strong buzz ahead of Tuesday’s decision surrounds University of Wyoming linebacker Connor Shay after gaining National status in February. Shay is coming off a stellar senior season with the Cowboys, recording 76 defensive tackles, 1.5 sacks, and one interception in 12 starts at WILL linebacker. And, understandably, Shay was the projected first pick in Marshall Ferguson’s Mock Draft 2.0.
The fit makes nothing but sense. Calgary needs quality bodies at linebacker and Shay looks ready to step right in and make an immediate impact. Of note is Shay being invited to minicamp by the Green Bay Packers, per multiple sources. Typically, though, a minicamp invite doesn’t significantly impact a player’s CFL draft position.
If the Stampeders opt to go in a different direction, they’ll have plenty of exciting options like receiver Keelan White, who is coming off strong junior and senior seasons at Montana. Dickenson has been on record saying he wants Calgary’s first pick in camp next month and both Shay and White fit that bill.
DO WE SEE ANY SIGNIFICANT TRADES?
We’ve seen trades involving first round picks in the days and hours leading up to the draft in three of the last five years. Most recently it was the Stamps adding an additional first round pick last year in a deal with Winnipeg that saw multiple picks go the other way. And funny enough, plenty of eyes will be on Calgary once again a year later.
On top of the first overall selection, the Stampeders also own the final pick of the first round at number eight. Both Edmonton and BC are without first rounders this year, so it wouldn’t be a surprise to see one of Calgary’s two picks in high demand over the next couple days.
Furthermore, Ferguson wondered aloud in his latest mock draft if a team like Hamilton might pay the price to acquire the first overall selection from the Stamps. It’s a fair thought, as the Tiger-Cats are coming off a frustrating 7-11 campaign that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2017.
“The Tiger-Cats battled all year to flex the ratio as needed at middle linebacker, but Shay could be their simplest answer here,” said Ferguson. “The more I look at roster needs and fit, Shay makes a lot of sense at the top spot.
“Could Hamilton want Shay enough to trade up one spot as Calgary leverages their difficult 2024 campaign into even more draft picks, or will the Stamps stay put and take the Wyoming linebacker?”
WHERE DOES KURTIS ROURKE GET SELECTED?
Rourke was one of two Canadians selected in the recently completed NFL Draft, which means his CFL status is very much up in the air going into Tuesday. Listed at No. 1 in the Winter and Fall editions of the CFL Scouting Bureau, the Indiana quarterback was picked in the seventh round, 227th overall, by San Francisco.
Someone will likely select Rourke on Tuesday but, because a potential CFL arrival will be delayed at best, it’ll be done later compared to his CFL Scouting Bureau rank. The same is true for Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, who was taken in the fourth round, 136th overall, by Tennessee. Ayomanor was the third ranked player when the Bureau released their winter rankings in January.
It’s also worth keeping an eye on defensive linemen Paris Shand (LSU) and Hayden Harris (Montana) after both signed free agent deals with the Buffalo Bills over the weekend. Ranked second and ninth, respectively, in the winter rankings, both players seemed like surefire first round picks. That’s less certain now, which means either could end up being a good value futures pick in a later round.
