The 2021 CFL global draft took place on April 15, 2021 and was the first CFL draft that pooled all of the global players together after previously having separate drafts for Mexican players and European players in 2019. 36 players were chosen from among eligible players following a virtual CFL Combine. The order of the draft was determined by random lottery, similar to the system used for the 2021 CFL draft. As a snake draft, each odd round was in the opposite order of each even round.

Background The Canadian Football League introduced global players for the 2019 CFL season through the LFA and European drafts where each team was required to have one of these players on the active roster and up to two on the practice roster. The league had planned to have one single draft for global players in 2020 just before the start of the season, but with the 2020 CFL season cancelled, so was this draft. The 2020 draft was planned to have five rounds

For the 2021 CFL season, teams were required to keep two global players on the active roster and up to three on the practice roster. Global players are required to sign their first contracts for a length of two years plus a one-year club option.

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

Round three Toronto → Calgary (PD). Toronto traded this selection and a fifth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft to Calgary in exchange for a sixth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft, a fourth-round pick in the 2021 global draft, and the rights to Eric Rogers, Cordarro Law, and Robertson Daniel.

Round four Calgary → Toronto (PD). Calgary traded this selection, a sixth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft, and the rights to Eric Rogers, Cordarro Law, and Robertson Daniel to Toronto in exchange for a fifth-round pick in the 2021 CFL draft and a third-round pick in the 2021 global draft.

Draft order

Round one Pick # CFL team Player Position University/club team Nationality 1 BC Lions Jake Ford P Ouachita Baptist Australia 2 Edmonton Football Team Steven Nielsen OL Eastern Michigan Denmark 3 Toronto Argonauts Tigie Sankoh DB Kent Exiles Great Britain 4 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Les Maruo LB UTSA Japan 5 Saskatchewan Roughriders Christopher Ezeala RB Ingolstadt Dukes Germany 6 Montreal Alouettes Joseph Zema P Incarnate Word Australia 7 Calgary Stampeders Cody Grace P Arkansas State Australia 8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Joel Whitford P Washington Australia 9 Ottawa Redblacks Anthony Mahoungou REC Purdue France

Round two Pick # CFL team Player Position University/club team Nationality 10 Ottawa Redblacks Tyron Vrede LB North Dakota Netherlands 11 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Chris Mulumba DL Colorado Finland 12 Calgary Stampeders Franklin Agbasimere DL Missouri Nigeria 13 Montreal Alouettes Akio Yamagishi LB Fujitsu Frontiers Japan 14 Saskatchewan Roughriders Kaare Vedvik P Marshall Norway 15 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Tomoya Machino OL Fujitsu Frontiers Japan 16 Toronto Argonauts Toshiki Sato K IBM Big Blue Japan 17 Edmonton Football Team Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei DL Washington State New Zealand 18 BC Lions Bo Qiao Li DL Charleston China

Round three Pick # CFL team Player Position University/club team Nationality 19 BC Lions Takeru Yamasaki K Obic Seagulls Japan 20 Edmonton Football Team Tibo Debaillie DL Towson Belgium 21 Aaron Donkor LB Arkansas State Germany 22 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Ayo Oyelola LB Nottingham Great Britain 23 Saskatchewan Roughriders Jon Henry Nell K N/A (Baltimore Brigade) South Africa 24 Montreal Alouettes Taku Lee RB Obic Seagulls Japan 25 Calgary Stampeders Isaac Alarcón OL Monterrey IT Mexico 26 Hamilton Tiger-Cats David Izinyon LB Rostock Griffins Great Britain 27 Ottawa Redblacks Chris Ferguson OL Cincinnati The Bahamas

Round four Pick # CFL team Player Position University/club team Nationality 28 Ottawa Redblacks Tony Anderson DB Grand View France 29 Hamilton Tiger-Cats Dominik Eberle K Utah State Germany 30 Max Duffy P Kentucky Australia 31 Montreal Alouettes William James DB North Dakota Sweden 32 Saskatchewan Roughriders Sebastien Sagne REC Frankfurt Universe Finland 33 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Arryn Siposs P Auburn Australia 34 Toronto Argonauts Sammis Reyes REC Tulane Chile 35 Edmonton Football Team Matt Leo DE Iowa State Australia 36 BC Lions Niklas Gustav DL Morningside Germany

See also 2021 CFL draft

References Trade references

General references