Bombers shopping fourth, fifth overall picks in 2019 CFL draft

Kyle Walters is looking to shake up the 2019 CFL draft board, per sources.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have let teams around the league know that one or both of their first round drafts picks are available via trade.

The Bombers currently hold the fourth and fifth overall selections in this year’s draft thanks to a trade from last May. That deal saw Winnipeg flip their first-round pick in 2018 to B.C. for the Lions’ first-round pick in 2019 along with a swap of second rounders.

Trading one or both first-round picks makes sense for the Bombers for a number of reasons.

For one, this year’s draft class is deep — albeit without many elite-level prospects. This means that teams may value the quantity of picks they have higher than the quality of those selections. Some of the players that will be available in rounds two and three would be considered first round talents in other years.

The Bombers are also unlikely to have much space remaining under the salary cap. Paying out two first-round draft picks — both of whom could demand salaries in the $90,000 to $95,000 range — is a lot for a team that has already spent a lot of money heading into the 2019 season.

Finally, Winnipeg doesn’t have any immediate roster needs. The Bombers have their Canadian starters locked down — especially if the league reduces the minimum number of national starters from seven to five — and respectable depth at most positions on the roster.

The Bombers traded out of the first round in last year’s CFL draft. It could happen again in 2019.