Calgary Stampeders clinch first overall pick in 2025 CFL Draft

Photo courtesy: James Paddle/CFL.ca

The Calgary Stampeders have secured the first overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft after losing 42-10 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.

The defeat dropped Calgary to 4-12-1 on the season. Despite having one game remaining, they can no longer finish better than the eighth-place Edmonton Elks (6-11) and will wrap up the 2024 season with the worst record in the CFL. It marks the first time since 2004 that the team will not make the postseason, ending the longest playoff streak in North American sports.

The Stampeders last selected first overall in 2014 when they took offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu out of Laval, though that pick was acquired via trade from the Ottawa Redblacks. The last time they received the first overall pick by virtue of their record was 2005 when they selected defensive end Miguel Robede, also of the Rouge et Or.

The top-rated prospect in the first edition of the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings is Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke, the younger brother of B.C. Lions’ pivot Nathan Rourke. However, the six-foot-five, 223-pound signal-caller is expected to receive considerable NFL interest after leading the Hoosiers to their first 6-0 start since 1967 and may drop in the CFL Draft as a result.

Other players in the top five include Utah receiver Damien Alford, LSU defensive end Paris Shand, Duke offensive lineman Eric Schon, and Western safety Jackson Findlay.

The Stampeders will wrap up their season on Saturday, October 26 when they visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-7-1) at 7:00 p.m. EDT. The 2025 CFL Draft will take place in early May, though an official date has not yet been announced.