2019 CFL DRAFT FIRST ROUND RECAP
OL Shane Richards selected first overall by the Toronto Argonauts
Below is the 2019 CFL Draft first round recap:
| Selection | Team | Name | Position | Hometown | School |
| 1 | Toronto Argonauts | Shane Richards | OL | Calgary, AB | Oklahoma State |
| 2 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Jesse Gibbon | OL | Hamilton, ON | Waterloo |
| 3 | Edmonton Eskimos | Mathieu Betts | DL | Montréal, QC | Laval |
| 4 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Drew Desjarlais | OL | Belle River, ON | Windsor |
| 5 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Jonathan Kongbo | DL | Surrey, BC | Tennessee |
| 6 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Justin McInnis | WR | Pierrefonds, QC | Arkansas State |
| 7 | Ottawa REDBLACKS | Alex Fontana | OL | Toronto, ON | Kansas |
| 8 | Calgary Stampeders | Hergy Mayala | WR | Montréal, QC | Connecticut |
For up to the minute news and extensive draft coverage, visit CFL.ca. To follow the draft pick-by-pick, visit CFL Draft Tracker by clicking here. Fans can continue to watch the CFL Draft on TSN until 10:00 p.m. ET followed by live streaming coverage of the later rounds available on TSN.ca and the TSN app beginning at 10 p.m. ET for TSN and TSN Direct subscribers.
POSITIONAL BREAKDOWN FIRST ROUND:
Offensive Linemen: 4
Defensive Linemen: 2
Receivers: 2
NOTES:
- Shane Richards is the first offensive lineman taken first overall since 2016 and the first Oklahoma State Cowboy to be selected first in the CFL Draft.
- This marks five consecutive years that a NCAA player has been selected first overall: 2018 Mark Chapman, 2017 Faith Ekakitie, 2016 Josiah St. John and 2015 Alex Mateas.
- Jesse Gibbon is the highest Waterloo player ever drafted; his selection is the first time a Waterloo player has gone in the first round outside of territorial picks since 1972.
- With Mathieu Betts selected in the first round, seven Laval players since 2014 have been drafted in the opening round.
- Drew Desjarlais becomes the first player from the University of Windsor to be selected in the first round.
- Justin McInnis becomes the first player drafted from Arkansas State and the first receiver taken in the first round by the Saskatchewan Roughriders since 2015 when they selected Nic Demski sixth overall.
- Ottawa selected Alex Fontana, making it five consecutive years that they have selected an offensive lineman with their first pick.
- Calgary selected receiver Hergy Mayala; it’s the first time the Stampeders have selected a receiver in the opening round since 2011 when they selected Anthony Parker. It also marks back-to-back seasons for University of Connecticut players selected in the first round (2018 Trey Rutherford).
Training camps are set to open on May 19. The 2019 season begins on June 13 when the Saskatchewan Roughriders face off against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Fans can stay up to date on all the non-stop action at CFL.ca, follow the 2019 season from around the world, and join us at a game. The 107th Grey Cup presented by Shaw will be played at McMahon Stadium in Calgary on Sunday, November 24.