Calgary Stampeders take Australian punter Masin first overall in CFL’s global draft

Mississippi punter Fraser Masin punts the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Arkansas in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Thomas Graning

TORONTO — Australian punter Fraser Masin was the first player taken Tuesday in the CFL’s global draft.

The Calgary Stampeders took Masin, who played collegiately at Ole Miss, with the top selection, not a surprise given they lost veteran Australian punter Cody Grace to the Edmonton Elks this off-season.

Grace spent four years with Calgary after being selected in the 2021 global draft.

Each CFL team selected two players over two rounds in the draft.

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Winnipeg followed by taking British defensive lineman Kemari Munier-Bailey of Weber State second overall. The Bombers moved up to No. 2 by making a deal with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to take Munier-Bailey.

Winnipeg acquired the No. 2 pick, Canadian running back Matthew Peterson and a ’25 fifth-round CFL draft pick (No. 39 overall) from Hamilton for Canadian defensive lineman Kyle Samson, the No. 8 pick in the global draft and a ’25 fourth-round (No. 36) CFL draft selection.

Edmonton then took Troy linebacker Richard Jubunor, a Nigerian, at No. 3. The six-foot-two, 232-pound Jubunor was signed by the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks as a free agent last year but didn’t crack the roster.

B.C. and Ottawa then took kicker/punters with their first-round picks. The Lions selected Idaho State’s Ross Bolger, of Ireland, before Ottawa took Australian Callum Eddings, who played collegiately at Stephen F. Austin.

Saskatchewan selected Belgian Sylvain Yondjouen, a defensive lineman from Georgia Tech, at No. 6. The six-foot-three, 260-pound Yondjouen appeared in 51 career games with the Yellow Jackets before signing with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent following last weekend’s draft.

Montreal and Hamilton then used their first-round selections on Australian punters. The Als took Joshua Sloan of Memphis with the seventh pick before the Ticats took Oregon State’s Josh Green.

The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts concluded the opening round by selecting Austrian Valentin Senn, an offensive lineman from UConn. The six-foot-six, 305-pound Senn signed with the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent Saturday.

Calgary opened the second round by taking another Australian punter, Colorado’s Mark Vassett. B.C., Ottawa and Montreal also spent their two picks on kicker/punters.

In total, 11 punters/kickers were drafted. Only Edmonton (two linebackers) and Toronto (offensive, defensive linemen) didn’t take punter/kickers with their selections.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2025.