AUSTRALIAN JAKE FORD SELECTED FIRST OVERALL IN THE 2021 CFL GLOBAL DRAFT
36 global players drafted from 18 different countries
TORONTO (April 15, 2021) -- The Canadian Football League (CFL) is proud to welcome 36 global players into the league today, following the four round Global Draft. The BC Lions selected Australian punter/kicker Jake Ford with the first overall pick.
“I’m really excited to get back to the west coast,” said Ford from his home in Arkansas.
“I visited Vancouver in 2016 and just fell in love with it. Talking with coach Campbell and coach Yanowsky and hearing what they have planned for me has me even more thrilled for the opportunity to wear Lions orange.”
The Global Draft saw players drafted from 18 different countries. Below is the breakdown of drafted play by country:
7 – Australia
6 - Japan
4 – Germany
3 – Great Britain
2 – Finland and France
1 – Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, China, Denmark, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa and Sweden
Below are the selections from each round.
| FIRST ROUND SELECTIONS | ||||
| No. | Team | Name | Position | Country |
| 1 | BC | Jake Ford | P/K | Australia |
| 2 | Edmonton | OL | Denmark | |
| 3 | Toronto | Tigie Sankoh | DB | Great Britain |
| 4 | Winnipeg | LB | Japan | |
| 5 | Saskatchewan | Christopher Ezeala | RB | Germany |
| 6 | Montreal | Joseph Zema | P | Australia |
| 7 | Calgary | Cody Grace | P | Australia |
| 8 | Hamilton | Joel Whitford | P | Australia |
| 9 | Ottawa | REC | France | |
| SECOND ROUND SELECTIONS | |||||
| No. | Team | Name | Position | Country |
|
| 10 | Ottawa | LB | Netherlands |
| |
| 11 | Hamilton | DL | Finland |
| |
| 12 | Calgary | Franklin Agbasimere | DL | Nigeria |
|
| 13 | Montreal | Akio Yamagishi | LB | Japan |
|
| 14 | Saskatchewan | Kaare Vedvik | P | Norway |
|
| 15 | Winnipeg | Tomoya Machino | OL | Japan |
|
| 16 | Toronto | Toshiki Sato | K | Japan |
|
| 17 | Edmonton | Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei | DL | New Zealand |
|
| 18 | BC | DL | China |
| |
| THIRD ROUND SELECTIONS | |||||
| No. | Team | Name | Position | Country |
|
| 19 | BC | Takeru Yamasaki | K | Japan |
|
| 20 | Edmonton | Tibo Debaillie | DL | Belgium |
|
| 21 | Calgary via TOR | Aaron Donkor | LB | Germany |
|
| 22 | Winnipeg | Ayo Oyelola | LB | Great Britain |
|
| 23 | Saskatchewan | John Henry Nell | K | South Africa |
|
| 24 | Montreal | RB | Japan |
| |
| 25 | Calgary | Isaac Alarcon | OL | Mexico |
|
| 26 | Hamilton | LB | Great Britain |
| |
| 27 | Ottawa | Christopher Ferguson | OL | Bahamas |
|
| FOURTH ROUND SELECTIONS | |||||
| No. | Team | Name | Position | Country |
|
| 28 | Ottawa | DB | France |
| |
| 29 | Hamilton | Dominik Eberle | K | Germany |
|
| 30 | Toronto via CGY | Max Duffy | P | Australia |
|
| 31 | Montreal | DB | Sweden |
| |
| 32 | Saskatchewan | Sebastien Sagne | REC | Finland |
|
| 33 | Winnipeg | Arryn Siposs | P | Australia |
|
| 34 | Toronto | Sammis Reyes | REC | Chile |
|
| 35 | Edmonton | Matt Leo | DE | Australia |
|
| 36 | BC | Niklas Gustav | DL | Germany |
|