Hamilton Tiger-Cats sign seven, including first-round draft pick Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay

Photo: Bob Butrym/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed seven players from their 2024 CFL Draft class, including offensive lineman Nathaniel Dumoulin-Duguay, linebacker Daniel Bell, running back Matthew Peterson, linebacker Ryan Baker, defensive back Jonathan Giustini, offensive lineman John Kourtis, and linebacker Mitchell Townsend.

Dumoulin-Duguay, the club’s first-round pick, was a two-time U Sports All-Canadian at left tackle at Université Laval, though he played centre at guard at Cégep de Rimouski. The six-foot-two, 293-pound native of Rimouski, Que. was the top-testing offensive lineman at the CFL Combine in Winnipeg.

Bell was a four-time AUS all-star at Mount Allison University and was twice named the AUS Defensive Player of the Year. Though the native of Saint John, N.B. played boundary halfback with the Mounties, he is expected to play weak-side linebacker in the CFL. He was selected in the fourth round.

Peterson, the club’s second fourth-round pick, was named the Canada West Player of the Year in 2023 after rushing for 1,317 yards and four touchdowns at the University of Alberta. The five-foot-nine, 203-pound native of Brooks, Alta. was named a first-team U Sports All-Canadian this past season with the Golden Bears.

Baker, a fifth-round pick, was a two-time Canada West all-star at the University of British Columbia. The six-foot-one, 221-pound native of North Vancouver, B.C. made 116 total tackles, seven tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, five pass knockdowns, one fumble recovery, and one interception over 22 collegiate games.

Giustini was named a second-team U Sports All-Canadian this past season at the University of Alberta. He also served the as team’s kicker, connecting on 72.5 percent of his career field goal attempts with a long of 49 yards. He was the club’s sixth-round pick.

Kourtis, a seventh-round pick, spent five seasons as a backup at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. before transferring to the University of Saskatchewan where he started at guard in 2023. Though his testing numbers at the CFL Combine in Winnipeg weren’t strong, he is still recovering from a torn pectoral muscle.

Townsend made 69 total tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and two fumble recoveries over 28 collegiate games at the University of British Columbia. The Vancouver native is the grandson of Walt Bilicki, who won three Grey Cups as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C. Lions from 1956 to 1965. He was selected in the eighth and final round of the draft.

The club has also signed American receiver Dev Holmes. The five-foot-nine, 175-pound native of Troy, N.Y. caught 126 passes for 2,257 yards and 29 touchdowns over 34 games at the University of New Haven and was named first-team All-Conference in 2022.