The Canadian Football League welcomed its next class of stars on Tuesday.
After missing the 2020 season because of COVID-19, the CFL conducted its draft a little differently this year. It was only six rounds (instead of eight), and the drafting order was produced randomly. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the best team of the 2019 regular season, ended up with the No. 1 pick and took tight end Jake Burt from Boston College.
The draft snaked this year, meaning the last team in a round picked first in the next round, and so on. Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, BC, Edmonton, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Montreal were on the clock, respectively, following Hamilton.
At the end of the night, 54 players joined the ranks with sights set on playing for the Grey Cup this year and for years to come. Among those selected was Oklahoma State running back Chuba Hubbard, drafted in the fourth round in the 2021 NFL by the Panthers and taken in the fifth round of the CFL Draft by Calgary. The Stampeders also selected his teammate Amen Ogbongemiga, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the Chargers.
As the 2021 CFL Draft played out, Sporting News tracked all the picks and kept up with the results in real time. Below are all of the picks:
JUMP TO ROUND: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
CFL Draft picks 2021: Results from Rounds 1-6
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Jake Burt, TE, Boston College |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Nelson Lokombo, DB, Saskatchewan |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Liam Dobson, OL, Maine (transferred to Texas State) |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | BC Lions | Daniel Joseph, DE, NC State |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | Edmonton Football Team | Cole Nelson, DL, Alberta |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | Ottawa Redblacks | Deshawn Stevens, LB, Maine |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | Toronto Argonauts | Peter Nicastro, OL, Calgary |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | Calgary Stampeders | ^Amen Ogbongemiga, LB, Oklahoma State |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats (via Montreal)* | Nick Cross, LB, UBC |
*Completes Johnny Manziel trade.
^Signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL's Chargers.
NFL Draft: Canadians who have been drafted since 2000
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
| 2 | 1 | 10 | Montreal Alouettes | *Pier-Olivier Lestage, OL, Montreal |
| 2 | 2 | 11 | Calgary Stampeders | Bryce Bell, OL, Wilfrid Laurier |
| 2 | 3 | 12 | Toronto Argonauts | Sage Doxtater, DB, New Mexico State |
| 2 | 4 | 13 | Ottawa Redblacks | Alonzo Addae, DB, West Virginia |
| 2 | 5 | 14 | Edmonton Football Team | Grant McDonald, LB, Calgary |
| 2 | 6 | 15 | BC Lions | ^Alaric Jackson, OL, Iowa |
| 2 | 7 | 16 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Redha Kramdi, DB, Montreal |
| 2 | 8 | 17 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Terrell Jana, WR, Virginia |
| 2 | 9 | 18 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Deane Leonard, DB, Mississippi |
*Signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL's Seahawks.
^Signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL's Rams.
MORE: Trevor Lawrence brought a Canadian touch to the NFL Draft
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
| 3 | 1 | 19 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Mohamed Diallo, DL, Central Michigan |
| 3 | 2 | 20 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | *Bruno Labelle, TE, Cincinnati |
| 3 | 3 | 21 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Patrice Rene, DB, UNC |
| 3 | 4 | 22 | BC Lions | Ben Hladik, LB, UBC |
| 3 | 5 | 23 | Edmonton Football Team | Deonte Glover, RB, Shepherd University |
| 3 | 6 | 24 | Ottawa Redblacks | Connor Berglof, OL, Saskatchewan |
| 3 | 7 | 25 | Toronto Argonauts | Luiji Vilain, DL, Michigan |
| 3 | 8 | 26 | Calgary Stampeders | Charlie Moore, LB, Calgary |
| 1 | 9 | 27 | Montreal Alouettes | Chris Fournier, OL, Lehigh |
*Signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL's Cardinals.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
| 4 | 1 | 28 | Montreal Alouettes | Patrick Davis, OL, Syracuse |
| 4 | 2 | 29 | Calgary Stampeders | Elliot Graham, LB, UBC |
| 4 | 3 | 30 | Toronto Argonauts | Tommy Nield, S, McMaster |
| 4 | 4 | 31 | Ottawa Redblacks | Jake Julien, K/P, Eastern Michigan |
| 4 | 5 | 32 | Edmonton Football Team | Dominic Johnson, QB, Buffalo |
| 4 | 6 | 33 | Toronto Argonauts (from BC) | Trevor Hoyte, LB, Carleton |
| 4 | 7 | 34 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Robbie Lowes, LB, Regina |
| 4 | 8 | 35 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Alain Cimankinda, DL, Guelph |
| 4 | 9 | 36 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Jarek Richards, LB, Saint Mary's |
NFL DRAFT 2021: Canadians selected by round, team or signed as a UDFA
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
| 5 | 1 | 37 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Felix Garand-Gauthier, FB, Laval |
| 5 | 2 | 38 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Logan Bandy, OL, Calgary |
| 5 | 3 | 39 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | Kyle Borsa, RB, Regina |
| 5 | 4 | 40 | BC Lions | Alfred Green, DL, Wilfrid Laurier |
| 5 | 5 | 41 | Edmonton Football Team | Peter Kourtis, OL, Saint Mary's |
| 5 | 6 | 42 | Ottawa Redblacks | Keegan Markgraf, LS, Utah |
| 5 | 7 | 43 | Calgary Stampeders (via Toronto) | *Chuba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State |
| 5 | 8 | 44 | Calgary Stampeders | Luther Hakunavanhu, WR, York |
| 5 | 9 | 45 | Montreal Alouettes | David Cote, K, Laval |
*Drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft (4th round, 126th overall) by the Panthers.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team | Pick |
| 6 | 1 | 46 | Montreal Alouettes | Ethan Makonzo, LB, Montreal |
| 6 | 2 | 47 | Toronto Argonauts (via Calgary) | Joshua Hagerty, DB, Saskatchewan |
| 6 | 3 | 48 | Winnipeg Blue Bombers (via Toronto) | Shae Weekes, DB, Manitoba |
| 6 | 4 | 49 | Ottawa Redblacks | Matthew Derks, OL, Delaware State |
| 6 | 5 | 50 | Edmonton Football Team | Kenan Clarke, DB, Cornell |
| 6 | 6 | 51 | BC Lions | Tyler Packer, OL, Calgary |
| 6 | 7 | 52 | Toronto Argonauts (via Winnipeg) | *Benjamin St-Juste, DB, Minnesota |
| 6 | 8 | 53 | Saskatchewan Roughriders | Matt Watson, DB, Mount Allison |
| 6 | 9 | 54 | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | Myles Manalo, LB, Western |
*Drafted in the 2021 NFL Draft (3rd round, 74th overall) by the Washington Football Team.