Calgary Stampeders take receiver Damien Alford with top pick of CFL draft

Syracuse wide receiver Damien Alford, right, outruns Wake Forest defensive back Davaughn Patterson in Syracuse, N.Y., on Nov. 25, 2023. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Damien Alford can get back to being a football player.

The Calgary Stampeders selected the Utah receiver first overall in the CFL draft Tuesday. Alford said hearing his name called was exciting but also a huge relief.

“Now that I got drafted, it’s back to football now, getting myself ready to play pro,” Alford said during a video conference. “I’m just happy for the most part.”

Alford, of Montreal, transferred to Utah after four seasons at Syracuse, where he had 67 catches for 1,291 yards and seven TDs. Alford has great size (six-foot-five, 224 pounds) and speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash time).

Alford also addresses a need for Calgary, which lost Cole Tucker to retirement during the off-season. But Alford admits he’ll need time to get acclimated to the Canadian game.

“Obviously, I’ve been in the (U.S.) a long time, but I understand the Canadian rules,” he said “I understand the waggle, I understand how the field is bigger and everything.

“Obviously, I’m going to need to adapt because I’ve been on an American field for the most part and (in) American games. Once it comes down to practice, it’s really shaking off the rust and getting used to it.”

It marked the first time since 2014 that Calgary picked first overall.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats took Windsor linebacker Devin Veresuk second overall. The six-foot-two, 240-pound Windsor, Ont., native recorded 160 tackles (14 for loss), nine sacks, an interception and two forced fumbles with the Lancers.

The Ottawa Redblacks went for another receiver at No. 3, taking Montana’s Keelan White. The six-foot-two, 190-pound native of North Vancouver, B.C., had 161 catches for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns over his collegiate career and was the school’s ’23 MVP.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders followed with Bowling Green defensive lineman Ali Saad. The six-foot-three, 280-pound Windsor native was a two-year starter in college, recording 35 tackles (14 for loss), nine sacks and four forced fumbles.

The Montreal Alouettes shored up their offensive line with UNLV’s Tiger Shanks. The six-foot-five, 325-pound Shanks started 51 games over four seasons and twice was a first-team All-Mountain West selection.

Wyoming linebacker Connor Shay went sixth overall to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The six-foot-one, 227-pound Shay started only one season at the school, registering 76 tackles (7.5 for loss), 1.5 sacks and an interception in 2024.

The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts used the seventh pick to take Montreal defensive lineman Jeremiah Ojo. The six-foot-two, 240-pound Ojo was a first-team All-Canadian the last two seasons and posted a 4.59-second 40-yard dash time at the CFL combine.

Calgary completed the opening round taking UConn offensive lineman Christopher Fortin. The six-foot-five, 300-pound native of St-Rene, Que., was just a one-year starter in college but suited up for 41 games overall.

The Edmonton Elks and B.C. Lions both made their first selections in the second round.

Edmonton took Queen’s defensive lineman Darien Newell with the 10th pick. The six-foot-two, 289-pound Newell, of Brampton, Ont., was a perennial All-Canadian, registering 92 tackles (56 solo, 27.5 for loss), 17 sacks and a forced fumbles.

But Edmonton might have to wait for Newell, who has a hearing slated in regards to a positive doping test that could impact his availability for the ’25 season.

B.C. followed by taking a futures pick in Montana defensive lineman Hayden Harris. The six-foot-five, 257-pound Harris registered 84 tackles (21.5 for loss), 11.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and an interception the last two seasons but signed a free-agent deal with the Buffalo Bills following last weekend’s NFL draft.

The Lions moved up three spots to No. 16 in a swap of picks with Toronto, then took Western defensive back Jackson Findlay, of North Vancouver, B.C. The six-foot-three, 203-pound Findlay was a first-team All-Canadian and Presidents’ Trophy finalist with the Mustangs, amassing 182 tackles (6.5 for loss), eight interceptions, four sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Laurier’s Taylor Elgersma was the first quarterback off the board, going No. 18 to Winnipeg. The six-foot-five, 227-pound Elgersma, last year’s Hec Crighton Trophy winner, led the Golden Hawks to the Vanier Cup and in January was the first U Sports quarterback to accept an invitation to the Senior Bowl.

With one of the picks it acquired from B.C., the Argos concluded the second round taking LSU defensive lineman Paris Shand at No. 19. The six-foot-four, 268-pound Toronto native played in 49 career games at Arizona and LSU, recording 82 tackles (15 for loss), nine sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery but also signed as an undrafted free agent with Buffalo.

Then in the third round, Saskatchewan took Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, the younger brother of B.C. star Nathan Rourke, at No. 25. Kurtis Rourke, of Oakville, Ont., threw for 3,042 yards and 29 TDs with five interceptions in leading the Hoosiers to an 11-2 record and CFP berth despite playing the entire season with a torn ACL.

Rourke went in the seventh round of the NFL draft to the San Francisco 49ers.

Montreal selected Carabins quarterback Jonathan Senecal, the ’23 Hec Crighton Trophy winner, in the seventh round, No. 62 overall. Senecal threw for 2,320 yards with 15 TDs and six interceptions last year while rushing for 278 yards and three touchdowns.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press