The Canadian Football League held a European draft Thursday afternoon.
The next step in the league’s determined effort to add international players to rosters as soon as the 2019 season as part of their CFL 2.0 strategy.
The first overall pick went to Hamilton as determined by lottery which was held on Thursday, April 4. Only prospects who attended the CFL combine in March were eligible to be selected.
| Selection |
Team |
Name |
Position |
Country |
| 1 |
Hamilton Tiger-Cats |
Valentin Gnahoua |
DL |
Le Mans, France |
| 2 |
Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
Thiadric Hansen |
LB |
Flensburg, Germany |
| 3 |
Montreal Alouettes |
Asnnel Robo |
RB |
Cayenne, France |
| 4 |
Edmonton Eskimos |
Maxime Rouyer |
LB |
Troyes, France |
| 5 |
Toronto Argonauts |
Marc Anthony Hor |
DL |
Mannheim, Germany |
| 6 |
Saskatchewan Roughriders |
Max Zimmermann |
REC |
Berlin, Germany |
| 7 |
BC Lions |
Benjamin Plu |
REC |
Le Mans, France |
| 8 |
Ottawa REDBLACKS |
Jordan Bouah |
REC |
Rome, Italy |
| 9 |
Calgary Stampeders |
Roni Salonen |
LB |
Vantaa, Finland |
Country Breakdown:
4 – France
3 – Germany
1 – Italy and Finland
Positional Breakdown:
3 – Receivers and Linebackers
2 – Defensive Linemen
1 – Running Back
As part of the 2.0 initiative, 18 global players were invited to the combine for evaluation by talent evaluators from around the league. CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie wants two roster spots designated for “global players”, as part of the new collective bargaining agreement.
Ambrosie spent parts of the off-season flying to various international cities – Mexico, Italy, Austria, Germany, France, Finland, Sweden, Denmark and Norway – to sign partnership agreements with international football organizations.
