The

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

CFL Draft The CFL Draft (also known as the CFL Canadian Draft, CFL College Draft or the Canadian College Draft) is an annual sports draft in which the teams of the Canadian Football League (CFL) select eligible Canadian/non-import players, typically from t ...

took place on Thursday, May 3, 2012 at 3:00 PM ET on TSN. 45 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges and ...

. The

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third ...

had the most selections with eight, while Hamilton had seven picks. The

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

and

Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes (Canadian French, French: Les Alouettes de Montréal) are a professional Canadian football team based in Montreal, Quebec. Founded in 1946, the team has folded and been revived twice. The Alouettes compete in the Canadian F ...

each had six and the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Comm ...

and

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...

had five picks. The defending

Grey Cup The Grey Cup (french: Coupe Grey) is both the championship game of the Canadian Football League (CFL) and the trophy awarded to the victorious team playing in the namesake championship of professional Canadian football. The game is contested be ...

champion

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

and the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded i ...

had the fewest selections with just four. A total of three trades involving 11 draft picks in this draft were made on the draft day itself. Of the 45 draft selections, 24 players were drafted from

Canadian Interuniversity Sport U Sports (stylized as U SPORTS) is the national sport governing body of university sport in Canada, comprising the majority of degree-granting universities in the country. Its equivalent body for organized sports at colleges in Canada is the C ...

institutions, which is the lowest percentage of CIS players taken since 2006 (26 of 50, 52%, were selected then). It is also the lowest number of CIS players taken since the

2000 CFL Draft The 2000 CFL Draft took place on Tuesday, April 18, 2000. 46 players were chosen for Canadian Football League teams from among the 504 eligible CIAU football players from Canadian universities, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of ...

when just 22 out of 46 players were chosen. The first two rounds were broadcast live on TSN with CFL Commissioner

Mark Cohon Mark Steven Cohon, (born March 16, 1966) is the chairman of the Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (CARAS). He was also the 12th commissioner of the Canadian Football League. The son of McDonald's Canada founder George Cohon, he wa ...

announcing each selection. The production was hosted by

Rod Black Rod Black (born September 28, 1962) is a Canadian sports announcer best known for his work with CTV Sports and TSN from 1990 to 2021. He is now a host and brand ambassador for NorthStar Bets, a brand of NorthStar Gaming. Education Black was bo ...

and featured the

CFL on TSN The ''CFL on TSN'' is TSN's presentation of the Canadian Football League. The Sports Network (TSN) has broadcast CFL games since the 1987 season and has been the exclusive broadcaster of all CFL games (including the playoffs and Grey Cup) since ...

panel which included

Duane Forde Duane Forde (born May 8, 1969) is a Canadian television broadcaster for TSN and a former player in the CFL. Career College football Born in Toronto, Forde attended the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario where he obtained his Bache ...

Chris Schultz Christopher Schultz (February 16, 1960 – March 4, 2021) was a Canadian professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL) and Canadian Football League (CFL). He primarily played with the CFL Toronto ...

Dave Naylor Dave Naylor is a sports journalist and reporter for TSN's SportsCentre, with a focus on the Canadian Football League. He previously worked for CBC Radio and the Globe and Mail. He was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame's Media Wi ...

Farhan Lalji Farhan Lalji is a Vancouver-based sports reporter and the Vancouver Bureau Reporter for TSN's SportsCentre. He previously anchored '' SportsDesk'' between 1997 and 2000. Career Lalji joined TSN in 1997 as an anchor of TSN's flagship sports ...

Blake Nill Blake Nill (born February 16, 1962) is a former Canadian football defensive lineman and the current head coach for the University of British Columbia's football team, the UBC Thunderbirds. Previously, Nill had served as head coach for the Saint ...

, Jeff Cummins, and

Stefan Ptaszek Stefan Ptaszek (born April 15, 1971) is the head coach for the McMaster Marauders. He is a former Canadian football wide receiver and former offensive coordinator for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, and UBC Thunderbirds. ...

who analyzed the teams' needs and picks.

Top prospects

60 of the top Canadian athletes attended the 2012

CFL Evaluation Camp The CFL Combine (formerly known as the Evaluation Camp or E-Camp) is a three-day program in which athletes from Canadian universities and Canadians in the NCAA are scouted by general managers, coaches and scouts of the Canadian Football League ( ...

which took place March 2–4 in

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most pop ...

. Below is a table with the CFL Scouting Bureau rankings of the top CFL Draft prospects..

Trades

In the explanations below, (D) denotes trades that took place during the draft, while (PD) indicates trades completed pre-draft.

Round one

* Montreal → BC (PD). Montreal traded this selection to BC for Sean Whyte. * Toronto → Edmonton (PD). Toronto traded this selection,

Steven Jyles Steven Jyles (born September 25, 1982) is a former professional Canadian football quarterback. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League in 2006. He played college football for Louisiana–M ...

and Grant Shaw to Edmonton for

Ricky Ray Ricky Ray (born October 22, 1979) is an American former professional Canadian football quarterback. Ray spent the majority of his professional career with the Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also ...

. * Edmonton → BC (D). Edmonton traded this selection and the 20th overall pick in this year's draft to BC for the fourth overall pick, the 14th overall pick, and the 38th overall pick in this year's draft. * BC → Edmonton (D). BC traded this selection, the 14th overall pick, and the 38th overall pick in this year's draft to Edmonton for the second overall pick and the 20th overall pick in this year's draft. * Hamilton → Winnipeg (D). Hamilton traded this selection to Winnipeg for the eighth overall pick in the 2012 CFL Draft and the 13th overall pick in the 2012 CFL Draft.

Round two

* Saskatchewan → Winnipeg (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection, a fourth round pick in the 2012 CFL Draft, and a conditional draft pick in the

2013 CFL Draft The 2013 CFL Draft took place on Monday, May 6, 2013 at 12:00 PM ET on TSN. 60 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. The Montreal Alouettes ...

to Winnipeg for

Odell Willis Odell Willis (born December 28, 1984), nicknamed "the Mayor of Swaggerville", is a professional Canadian football defensive end who is a free agent. He was most recently a member of the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He w ...

and a conditional fifth round draft pick in the

. * BC → Edmonton (D). BC traded this selection, the fourth overall pick, and the 38th overall pick in this year's draft to Edmonton for the second overall pick and the 20th overall pick in this year's draft. * Winnipeg → Hamilton (D). Winnipeg traded this selection and the 13th overall pick in this year's draft to Hamilton for the third overall pick in this year's draft. * Winnipeg → Hamilton (D). Winnipeg traded this selection and the eighth overall pick in this year's draft to Hamilton for the third overall pick in this year's draft. * Calgary → Saskatchewan (D). Calgary traded this selection and the 35th overall pick in this year's draft to Saskatchewan for the 15th overall pick in this year's draft and a second round pick in the

Round three

* BC → Hamilton (PD). BC traded this selection and a conditional pick in the

to Hamilton for

Arland Bruce III Arland Richard Bruce III (born November 23, 1977) is a former Canadian football wide receiver. He is a two-time Grey Cup champion, having won in 2004 with the Toronto Argonauts and in 2011 with the Lions. He has played 10 seasons in the CFL with ...

. * Toronto → Winnipeg (PD). Toronto traded this selection and a first round pick in the 2011 CFL Draft to Winnipeg for

. This selection, originally a fourth round pick, could be upgraded to as high as a second round pick, contingent upon the number of games that Jyles plays for Toronto. Jyles played in eight games and this pick became a third round selection. * Edmonton → BC (D). Edmonton traded this selection and the second overall pick in this year's draft to BC for the fourth overall pick, the 14th overall pick, and the 38th overall pick in this year's draft. * Saskatchewan → Calgary (D). Saskatchewan traded this selection and a second round pick in the

to Calgary for the 12th overall pick in this year's draft and the 35th overall pick in this year's draft.

Round four

* BC → Calgary (PD). BC traded this selection and a second round pick in the 2011 CFL Draft to Calgary for

Jesse Newman Jesse Newman (born September 23, 1982) is a former Canadian football guard for the Calgary Stampeders and BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted in the first round with the 3rd overall pick in the 2008 CFL Draft by the ...

. * Edmonton → Toronto (PD). Edmonton traded this selection to Toronto for

Delroy Clarke Delroy Clarke (born December 29, 1982) is a Canadian football former cornerback. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2008 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argonauts. He played CIS Football for the Ottawa Gee-Gees. Early years Clarke was born in ...

. * Saskatchewan → Winnipeg (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection, a second round pick in the 2012 CFL Draft, and a conditional draft pick in the

to Winnipeg for

and a conditional fifth round draft pick in the

Round five

* Saskatchewan → Winnipeg (PD). Saskatchewan traded this selection, a sixth round pick in the

2010 CFL Draft The 2010 CFL Draft took place on Sunday, May 2, 2010 at 12:00 PM ET on TSN. 47 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. After a number of trad ...

Adarius Bowman Adarius Bowman (born July 10, 1985) is a former American professional gridiron football wide receiver in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2008. Bowman has also been a ...

, Jean-François Morin-Roberge,

Brady Browne Brady Browne (born April 24, 1983) is a former professional Canadian football defensive back. He last played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the BC Lions in the fifth round of the 2008 CFL Draft. He ...

, and a player from the Roughriders negotiation list to Winnipeg for a fifth round pick in the

2009 CFL Draft The 2009 CFL Draft took place on Saturday, May 2, 2009 at 11:00 AM ET on TSN. 48 players were chosen from among 774 eligible players from Canadian universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 48 draft ...

, a fifth round pick in the 2011 or 2012 CFL Draft, the option to swap first round picks in the

Dan Goodspeed Dan Goodspeed (born May 20, 1977) is a former American football offensive tackle whose longest stint was with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He also played in the National Football League (NFL) and the XFL ...

, and the rights to

Tyler Roehl Tyler Roehl (born January 29, 1986) is an American football coach and former running back. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football for North Dakota State University. In June 2009, he ...

. * Winnipeg → Calgary (PD). Winnipeg traded this selection conditionally to Calgary for Pat MacDonald.Winnipeg Acquires Pat MacDonald in Trade with Calgary
/ref> * Winnipeg → BC (PD). Winnipeg traded this selection conditionally to BC for

Kelly Bates Kelly Bates (born July 27, 1975) is the offensive line coach for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a former professional Canadian football guard and former head coach of the Simon Fraser Clan. He was drafted by the Lions ...

. * BC → Edmonton (D). BC traded this selection, the fourth overall pick, and the 14th overall pick in this year's draft to Edmonton for the second overall pick and the 20th overall pick in this year's draft. * Calgary → Saskatchewan (D). Calgary traded this selection and the 12th overall pick in this year's draft to Saskatchewan for the 15th overall pick in this year's draft and a second round pick in the

Round six

* Hamilton → Toronto (PD). Hamilton traded this selection conditionally to Toronto for

Steve Schmidt Stephen Edward Schmidt (born September 28, 1970) is an American communications and public affairs strategist who worked on Republican political campaigns, including those of President George W. Bush, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ...

. * Edmonton → Montreal (PD). Edmonton traded this selection and a sixth-round pick in the

to Montreal for

Dylan Steenbergen Dylan Steenbergen (born July 24, 1987) is a former professional Canadian football offensive lineman who played for the Montreal Alouettes and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the ...

. * Winnipeg → Calgary (PD). Winnipeg traded this selection to Calgary for

Neil Ternovatsky Neil Ternovatsky (born October 15, 1984) is a former Canadian football linebacker. He was signed by the Edmonton Eskimos as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadia ...

.Bombers get Walls, Ternovatsky from Stamps
/ref>

Forfeitures

* Winnipeg forfeits their first round selection after selecting

Kito Poblah Kito Poblah (born September 18, 1987) is a retired Canadian football wide receiver. He played professionally for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. He played college football with the Central Michigan Chippe ...

in the 2011 Supplemental Draft. * Edmonton forfeits their second round selection after selecting Ted Laurent in the 2011 Supplemental Draft. * BC forfeits their sixth round selection after selecting

Alex Ellis Alexander Ellis may refer to: * Alex Ellis (born 1991), Canadian racecar driver *Alexander John Ellis (1814–1890), English mathematician and philologist *Boo Ellis (Alexander Ellis, 1936–2010), American professional basketball player * Alexande ...

Top prospects

Trades

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

Forfeitures

Round one

Round two

Round three

Round four

Round five

Round six

References