The 2022 CFL Draft on May 3 will see the CFL’s nine clubs make 74 selections over eight rounds. Seventy-three of those picks will be decided on the fly, as teams choose from the unpredictable shrinking pool of prospects while the clock ticks down.
Only the Edmonton Elks, with the first overall pick, are exempt from this draft day madness. General manager and head coach Chris and assistant general manager Geroy Simon know exactly who will be available when they select No. 1. They’ve had months to prepare. And it’s their exhaustively deliberated, carefully considered, well-informed move that begets eight rounds of selections made in the intensifying heat of the increasingly shorter moment.
“When you have the No. 1 pick you go in with confidence knowing that you’re for sure going to get at least one of the players that you want,” says Simon. “You’re going to set the tone, as opposed to reacting to what everybody else does once they make their pick.”
Picking first overall is a game-changer on draft night. The player picked first overall can be a game-changer for seasons to come.
‘It can set you up for a number of years,” Simon says. “We all know that you need offensive lineman, you need Canadians, and you need a quarterback, and when you have an opportunity to pick a guy that … down the road can be a starter for you, you look at that as being a potential win.”
Simon, who worked as Director of Global Scouting and US Regional Scout for the B.C. Lions before joining the Elks, speaks from experience. He was running the draft for B.C. in 2020 when the Lions selected linebacker Jordan Williams at No. 1. Williams went on to win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie Award last season.
“It’s a good feeling knowing that you have the pick, you have that control,” adds Simon, “because after the first pick you’re basically scrambling waiting for other dominos to fall to be able to make your next selection.”
Following the first overall pick, Edmonton will make seven more selections: 19th (Round 2), 21st (Round 3), 30th (Round 4), 39th (Round 5), 58th (Round 6), 57th (Round 7), and 66th (Round 8).
“In this draft with all the players who have deferred and aren’t in the draft this year, it’s not as deep as it normally is, but there’s still very good players in the draft, there’s just not as many players,” notes Simon.
“So you need to have a keen eye, you need to have experience at doing this, especially or a draft like this where there is no consensus top 10. it’s a few guys and then everybody’s bunched together as far as talent level.”
Fans can tune into live broadcast coverage of the 2022 CFL Draft beginning at 6 p.m. MDT on TSN. For the latest draft night updates on the Elks, follow the team on social media.