2019 CFL European draft

Last updated
2019 CFL European Draft
General information
Sport Canadian football
Date(s)April 11, 2019
Time1:00 pm ET
Overview
9 total selections
League Canadian Football League
U Sports selections 4
2021  

The 2019 CFL European Draft took place on April 11, 2019. [1] Nine players were chosen from a pool of 18 European players who attended the 2019 CFL Combine. [2]

Contents

Background

In October 2018, Canadian Football League (CFL) commissioner Randy Ambrosie outlined a plan to grow the CFL's presence, which he dubbed CFL 2.0, including growth internationally. [3] As part of this expansion the CFL held a special draft in January 2019 with the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA), the top-level pro American football league in Mexico. Players selected there were not signed to teams but rather had their rights held by their selecting teams. In March 2019, 18 players from teams in Italy, Germany, France, Finland, and Denmark attended the 2019 CFL Combine alongside Canadian players eligible for the normal CFL Draft; all players came from top club leagues in Europe, with the exception of two French players coming from Canadian university football and one Italian player from American junior college football. [4] Only those that attended the combine were eligible to be drafted in the CFL European Draft. Players selected in these drafts filled a new classification of CFL players called "global players" (in contrast to "National" Canadian players and "International" players which mostly consist of Americans); Ambrosie was initially seeking for each CFL team to have two roster spots for these new global players but, after negotiations with the CFLPA, it formally decided on one roster spot and two practice roster spots. [1]

Selection order

Unlike the normal CFL Draft, which sets selection order based on a team's record the previous season (similar to the NFL Draft), the preceding CFL–LFA draft instead used a weighted lottery system where teams received an increased chance at a higher draft priority (similar to the NBA draft) but not a guarantee. Unlike either the 3-round CFL–LFA draft or the 8-round CFL draft, this draft will only consist of a single round. Similarly, the European draft also used a lottery system, with a draft order set on April 4. [1] [5]

Selections

Pick #CFL TeamPlayerPositionUniversity/CollegeClub teamNationality
1 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Valentin Gnahoua DL McGill Flag of Germany.svg Berlin Rebels Flag of France.svg France
2 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Thiadric Hansen LB Flag of Germany.svg Potsdam Royals Flag of Germany.svg Germany
3 Montreal Alouettes Asnnel Robo RB Montreal Flag of France.svg France
4 Edmonton Eskimos Maxime Rouyer LBMcGill Flag of France.svg France
5 Toronto Argonauts Marc Hor DL Flag of the United States.svg Diablo Valley CC Flag of Germany.svg Frankfurt Universe Flag of Germany.svg Germany
6 Saskatchewan Roughriders Max Zimmermann WR Flag of Germany.svg Potsdam Royals Flag of Germany.svg Germany
7 BC Lions Benjamin Plu WRMcGill Flag of France.svg Thonon Black Panthers Flag of France.svg France
8 Ottawa Redblacks Jordan Bouah WR Flag of the United States.svg Saddleback CC Flag of Italy.svg Italy
9 Calgary Stampeders Roni Salonen LB Flag of Germany.svg New Yorker Lions Flag of Finland.svg Finland

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Canadian Football League</span> Professional Canadian football league

The Canadian Football League is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a city in Canada. They are divided into two divisions: four teams in the East Division and five teams in the West Division. As of 2024, it features a 21-week regular season in which each team plays 18 games with three bye weeks. This season traditionally runs from mid-June to early November. Following the regular season, six teams compete in the league's three-week playoffs, which culminate in the Grey Cup championship game in late November. The Grey Cup is one of Canada's largest annual sports and television events. The CFL was officially named on January 19, 1958, upon the merger between the Interprovincial Rugby Football Union or "Big Four" and the Western Interprovincial Football Union.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional</span> Semi-pro American football league in Mexico

The Liga-de Fútbol Americano Profesional, commonly known simply as LFA, is a professional American football league in Mexico, founded in 2016. Starting with four teams, the LFA has since expanded to eleven members as of 2022. The regular season runs in the spring, from early March to late April. The championship game is called Tazón México, and is currently played on the second Sunday in May. The players are drafted from the country's two college football conferences: ONEFA and CONADEIP and through international drafts, which mainly recruit American players.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Ambrosie</span> 14th and current commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL)

Randy Ambrosie is the 14th and current commissioner of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Ambrosie played Canadian football professionally as an offensive guard for the CFL's Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Edmonton Eskimos. He was selected with the second overall pick in the 1985 CFL Draft by the Stampeders. Over the course of a nine-season career, he played in 142 professional games and became a Grey Cup champion. Ambrosie played college football at the University of Manitoba.

The 2019 CFL season was the 66th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 62nd Canadian Football League season. The regular season began on June 13 and concluded with the playing of the 107th Grey Cup in Calgary on November 24 —where the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33–12 to win their first Grey Cup since 1990.

The 2019 CFL Draft took place on May 2, 2019 at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS. 73 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities, as well as Canadian players playing in the United States on NCAA or NAIA teams.

The 2021 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League teams that took place at May 4, 2021 at 7:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS. 54 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Unlike previous drafts, where the selection order was determined by the previous year's standings, this year's draft order was determined by a random draw.

The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Toronto Argonauts season</span> CFL team season

The 2019 Toronto Argonauts season was the 62nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 147th season overall. The Argonauts finished with a 4–14 record, matching their win–loss record from a year prior, and did not qualify for the playoffs for the second consecutive season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Montreal Alouettes season</span>

The 2019 Montreal Alouettes season was the 53rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 65th overall. The Alouettes finished with a 10–8 record and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2014 following a week 17 win over the Calgary Stampeders on October 5, 2019. The club hosted a playoff game for the first time since 2014, having finished in second place in the East Division. However, they lost the game to the Edmonton Eskimos by a score of 37–29.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Edmonton Eskimos season</span>

The 2019 Edmonton Eskimos season was the 62nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 71st overall. This was the fourth season under head coach Jason Maas and the third season under general manager Brock Sunderland. The team finished with an 8–10 record and fourth in the West Division. Notably, the team had a 1–10 record against playoff-bound teams and their 3–7 divisional record included only wins against the BC Lions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season</span>

The 2019 Winnipeg Blue Bombers season was the 62nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and their 87th season overall. This was the sixth season under head coach Mike O'Shea and the sixth full season under general manager Kyle Walters. The Blue Bombers qualified for the playoffs for the fourth consecutive season on September 21, 2019 following an Ottawa Redblacks loss. The club later would go on to win their 11th Grey Cup championship and their first since the 1990 Grey Cup championship game, ending what was the longest active Grey Cup drought.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 Calgary Stampeders season</span>

The 2019 Calgary Stampeders season was the 62nd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 85th overall. The Stampeders finished with a 12–6 record and hosted the West Semi-Final game in a year where they were also hosting the 107th Grey Cup. Having lost to the Blue Bombers team in the aforementioned playoff game, however, the Stampeders failed to repeat as Grey Cup champions in 2019, marking the first time since 2011 where the Stampeders failed to reach the West Division Final and only the second time since their 2008 Championship-Winning Season. Despite the loss in the opening round of the postseason, the Stampeders qualified for the playoffs for the 15th consecutive year with a week 15 win over the Toronto Argonauts coupled with a loss by the Ottawa Redblacks, the playoff berth being clinched on September 21, 2019. It is the longest playoff streak in franchise history and tied for the fifth-longest streak in CFL history. The 2019 season marked Dave Dickenson's fourth season as head coach and John Hufnagel's 12th season as general manager.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2019 CFL–LFA draft</span>

The 2019 CFL–LFA Draft took place on January 14, 2019. 27 players were chosen from an invited pool of 51 Mexican players: 34 from the Liga de Fútbol Americano Profesional (LFA) and 17 seniors from Mexican university teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emeke Egbule</span> American football player (born 1996)

Chukuemeke Egbule is an American football linebacker for the Edmonton Elks of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football at Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentin Gnahoua</span> French gridiron football player (born 1994)

Valentin Gnahoua is a French professional gridiron football defensive end for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was the first overall pick by the Tiger-Cats in the 2019 European CFL Draft. Gnahoua has also been a member of the Berlin Rebels and Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 2021 CFL Global Draft took place on April 15, 2021 and was the first CFL Draft that pooled all of the global players together after previously having separate drafts for Mexican players and European players in 2019. 36 players were chosen from among eligible players following a virtual CFL Combine. The order of the draft was determined by random lottery, similar to the system used for the 2021 CFL Draft. As a snake draft, each odd round was in the opposite order of each even round.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shai Ross</span> Canadian football wide receiver

Shai Ross is a professional Canadian football wide receiver for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

The 2022 CFL National Draft was a selection of National players by Canadian Football League (CFL) teams that took place on May 3, 2022, at 8:00 pm ET and was broadcast on TSN and RDS. 74 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA.

The 2022 CFL Global Draft was a selection of non-Canadian and non-American players by Canadian Football League (CFL) teams that took place on May 3, 2022. It was the second CFL Draft that pools all of the global players together after previously having separate drafts for Mexican players and European players in 2019. 27 players were chosen from among eligible players following the CFL Combine in March. Similar to the previous year's draft, this was a snake draft with the even-numbered rounds being the reverse order of the odd-numbered rounds.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2024 CFL season</span> Sports season

The 2024 CFL season is scheduled to be the 70th season of modern professional Canadian football. Officially, it will be the 66th season of the Canadian Football League. Vancouver is scheduled to host the 111th Grey Cup on November 17, 2024. The regular season is scheduled to start on June 6, 2024 and end on October 26, 2024, with playoff games on November 2 and November 9, 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "CFL to hold European lottery and draft in April". 3downnation.com. April 3, 2019.
  2. "Full results from the first ever European draft". fl.ca. April 11, 2019.
  3. "Randy's Word: Talking CFL 2.0". cfl.ca. 3 October 2018.
  4. Staff, 3Down. "CFL invites 18 players from international countries to national combine - 3DownNation".{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  5. "CFL unveils plan and draft order for first ever European draft". 4 April 2019.