Much is made of trades involving selections in the annual CFL draft but rarely do we look back to see which prospects were selected with the picks that changed hands.
The 2022 CFL Draft saw eight selections moved as part of five different trades. Five of those picks were in the top ten selections, which means they’ll have a huge impact on how teams formulate their rosters over the coming years.
I’ve tried to give each name a pithy moniker. Please forgive my creativity (or lack thereof).
The Top Pick Trade
Date of trade: May 3, 2022
Montreal got: LB Tyrell Richards (round one, pick one)
Edmonton got: DB Enock Makonzo (round one, pick four) and the rights to OL Carter O’Donnell
Chris Jones traded away the opportunity to draft a six-foot-four, 232-pound freak athlete to take a relatively small safety who never ran a forty-yard dash. It was a huge surprise given the type of prospects Jones has historically favoured but it remains to be seen how Richards and Makonzo will develop. Carter projects as an elite CFL offensive lineman, though he remains in the NFL after two seasons on the practice roster in Indianapolis.
The Big Trade
Date of trade: May 2, 2022
Edmonton got: QB Tre Ford (round one, pick eight), LS Peter Adjey (round three, pick 28), and P Ben Griffiths (global draft round one, pick nine)
Hamilton got: OL Kyle Saxelid, LB Grant McDonald, and P Bailey Flint (global draft round one, pick two)
I’m high on Ford but this deal still looks awfully one-sided to me. Saxelid is a ratio-breaker who can start at left or right tackle and McDonald is an elite special teams player with the potential to start at middle linebacker. Adjey fills a positional need for the Elks but I’m not sure selecting a long snapper in the third round was great value even in a shallow draft class.
The Cameron Lawson Trade
Date of trade: May 3, 2022
Winnipeg got: DL Cameron Lawson and DB Tyrell Ford (round two, pick 13)
Montreal got: REC Tyson Philpot (round one, pick nine) and OL Rodeem Brown (round two, pick 19)
This deal will likely one day be remembered as the ‘Tyson Philpot Trade’ or the ‘Tyrell Ford Trade’ but for now Lawson is the most notable player. He’ll provide Winnipeg with depth behind Jake Thomas, while Ford was arguably the best athlete in the draft. Philpot could push to start in Montreal’s receiving corps right away, while Brown will return to the Golden Bears in 2022 before turning pro.
The Nick Arbuckle Trade
Date of trade: October 26, 2021
Edmonton got: QB Nick Arbuckle
Toronto got: DL Deionte Knight (round two, pick 10) and the rights to QB Chad Kelly
Arbuckle’s future in Edmonton is murky, though the recent retirement of college star J. T. Barrett should improve his chances of winning the starting job. Kelly signed with the Argos after this trade was made and has expressed his desire to become a CFL star. Knight is the reigning J. P. Metras Trophy winner who at worst projects as a solid rotational player along the defensive line.
The Sergio Castillo Trade
Date of trade: October 19, 2021
Winnipeg got: K Sergio Castillo
B.C. got: LB Ryder Varga (round three, pick 29)
This trade was a home run for both teams. Though Castillo departed for Edmonton via free agency, Winnipeg would not have won the Grey Cup last season without his late-season heroics. Varga is planning to return to school this year but projects as a core special teams player with the potential to start. This is great value for both sides.
