The Calgary Stampeders selected receiver Damien Alford first overall in the CFL draft Tuesday night.
Alford, of Montreal, transferred to Utah after four seasons at Syracuse, where he had 67 catches for 1,291 yards.
Alford appeared in four games with Utah last season but the six-foot-five, 224-pound receiver has both size and speed (4.46-second 40-yard dash time).
He addresses a need for Calgary as Cole Tucker retired during the off-season.
The selection was the first of four Calgary had in the first 20 picks of the draft.
Calgary secured the first overall pick after finishing last in the CFL standings with a 5-12-1 record to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2004.
The Ottawa Redblacks went for another receiver at No. 3, taking Montana’s Keelan White. The six-foot-two, 190-pound native of North Vancouver, B.C., had 161 catches for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns over his collegiate career and was the school’s MVP in 2023.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders followed with Bowling Green defensive lineman Ali Saad. The six-foot-three, 280-pound Windsor native was a two-year starter in college, recording 35 tackles (14 for loss), nine sacks and four forced fumbles.
The Montreal Alouettes shored up their offensive line by selecting UNLV’s Tiger Shanks. The six-foot-five, 325-pound Shanks started 51 games over four seasons with the Rebels and twice was a first-team All-Mountain West selection.
The Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts looked to defence with the seventh pick, taking Montreal defensive lineman Jeremiah Ojo. The six-foot-two, 240-pound Ojo was a first-team All-Canadian the last two seasons and posted a 4.59-second time over 40 yards at the CFL combine.
Calgary completed the opening round by taking UConn offensive lineman Christopher Fortin. The six-foot-five, 300-pound native of St-Rene, Que., was just a one-year starter in college but did suit up for 41 games.
