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Together and separately, the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Elks made the biggest noises in the first round of the Canadian Football League draft on Tuesday.
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Hours before the Alouettes selected Syracuse linebacker Tyrell Richards first overall, they obtained that pick from the Elks for the fourth selection and the rights to offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell, who was a third-round pick in 2020, and is now with the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League.
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“We are extremely happy to have done (what’s) necessary to be able to select Tyrell. When we saw him at the CFL evaluation camp, we knew right then and there that we were going to try and get our hands on the first pick overall and make sure that Tyler dons an Alouette uniform,” said general manager Danny Maciocia.
The Elks then used the fourth selection obtained in the trade to grab Coastal Carolina defensive back Enock Makonzo, and wrote themselves another headline by using the eighth pick to select Waterloo quarterback Tre Ford. He becomes the highest-drafted quarterback since Calgary took Sheldon Paris at No. 7 in 1980. Ford won the Hec Crighton award as the top U Sports player in 2021.
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The Als then finished off the first-round fireworks by making sure the Philpot twins were both off the board, selecting Tyson ninth overall. The Calgary Stampeders had already used the fifth pick on his brother Jalen, who is older by seven minutes, and now holds a four-pick edge on his sibling of him. Both receivers played for the University of Calgary Dinosaurs. Their father is former CFL running back Cory Philpot, an outstanding offensive contributor who scored 22 TDs in 1995, so they have some shoes to fill.
Richards, a 23-year-old from Brampton, Ont., also feels some pressure as the first player drafted.
“I think most definitely,” he told reporters in a post-draft Zoom call. “I’ve kind of been, not expecting the pressure, but I feel like I know how to deal with myself in these situations, just keeping my head on straight and not being worried about what anyone has to say and just making sure I’ more ready as possible so I can go out there and perform well and that’s all there is to it.”
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He is seen as a player capable of lining up on the edge of the defensive line, at linebacker and as a defensive back.
“The preference right now is definitely a linebacker, just because as a linebacker you kind of have to understand what’s going on everywhere,” he said. “And with that, it will help me also play multiple positions within the defense, so linebacker right now.
“I just want to go in and kind of prove myself through camp and try to show the type of player I can be on the field. Hopefully I can get out there and be a dominant force.”
Earlier in the day, the Als also made the first pick in the global draft, taking another player from Syracuse University, defensive lineman Kingsley Jonathan, who hails from Nigeria.
The other players selected in the first round of the college draft were University of Ottawa offensive lineman Zack Pelehos (No. 2 to Ottawa), University of Saskatchewan defensive lineman Nathan Cherry (No. 3 to BC), St. Francis Xavier offensive lineman Gregor MacKellar (No. 6 to Toronto) and Louisiana Tech receiver Samuel Emilus (No. 7 to Saskatchewan).
Neither Winnipeg nor Hamilton had a pick in the first round. With the 13th pick, Winnipeg selected Tre Ford’s brother Tyrell, a defensive back at Waterloo. A total of 74 players were to be selected in the eight-round draft.
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