AMERICAN SAMOA’S BLESSMAN TA’ALA TAKEN FIRST OVERALL BY OTTAWA IN 2023 CFL GLOBAL DRAFT
18 global players drafted from 10 countries
TORONTO (May 2, 2022) – The Ottawa REDBLACKS have selected American Samoan defensive lineman Blessman Ta’ala with the first overall selection in the 2023 Canadian Football League (CFL) Global Draft.
Great Britain kicker Dean Faithfull was then taken by the Edmonton Elks and Australian punter Adam Korsak was drafted by the Saskatchewan Roughriders to round out the Top-3 selections.
2023 CFL GLOBAL DRAFT – RESULTS
(No. (Overall) | Team | Position | Name | Country)
First Round
- Ottawa | DL | Blessman Ta’ala | American Samoa
- Edmonton | K | Dean Faithfull | Great Britain
- Saskatchewan | P | Adam Korsak | Australia
- Hamilton | LB | Penei Pavihi | American Samoa
- Montreal | DL | Simon Lars Sandberg | Sweden
- Calgary | OL | Isaac Moore | Sweden
- BC | WR | Jevoni Robinson | Jamaica
- Winnipeg | P | Jamieson Sheahan | Australia
- Toronto | K | Alfredo Gachuz Lozada | Mexico
Second Round
- (10) | Ottawa | OL | Lucas Lavin | Sweden
- (11) | Edmonton | OL | Kilian Zierer | Germany
- (12) | Saskatchewan | DL | Habakkuk Baldonado | Italy
- (13) | Hamilton | P | Lou Hedley | Australia
- (14) | Montreal | P | Rhys Burns | Australia
- (15) | Calgary | LB | Lino Schroeter | Germany
- (16) | BC | DL | Junior Aho | France
- (17) | Winnipeg | P | Karl Schmitz | Bermuda
- (18) | Toronto | LB | Emmanuel Falola | Great Britain
SELECTIONS BY COUNTRY
- 4 – Australia
- 3 – Sweden
- 2 – American Samoa, Great Britain, Germany
- 1 – Bermuda, France, Italy, Jamaica, Mexico
Lucas Barrett
Associate Vice-President, Communications & Public Affairs, Canadian Football League