2014_CFL_Draft
The 2014 CFL Draft took place on Tuesday, May 13, 2014 at 7:00 PM ET on TSN. 65 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA.[1] A total of 19 trades were made involving draft picks from this year, including six made on draft day itself, with five involving picks from the first round.[2]
The Ottawa Redblacks were scheduled to pick first in each round of the 2013 CFL Draft, and were supposed to have two bonus picks at the end of the draft.[3] Due to stadium delays, Ottawa will join the Canadian Football League in 2014, and those stipulations will be applied to this year's draft instead.[4][5] After the CFL announced that drafts would be expanding to seven rounds, it was stated that this draft would have 63 selections, implying that Ottawa would no longer receive the two bonus picks at the end of the draft.[1] However, after the 2014 draft order was released on February 23, 2014, it was revealed that Ottawa would, indeed, receive two selections at the end of the draft, increasing the total number of draftable players to 65.[6]
Beginning with the 2014 draft, non-import CIS players will be eligible to be selected in the draft three years after completing their first season of eligibility. This eliminates any rookies who sat out or redshirted for their first playing year and would be eligible to return to university. Prior to this change, players were eligible to be selected after their fourth year of post-secondary education. Additionally, for non-import players playing in the NCAA or NAIA, they are now eligible to be selected after completing their senior year. This change eliminates the possibility of NCAA or NAIA students returning to college after being drafted.[7] This change had a significant impact as it was the highest percentage of CIS/CIAU players drafted (90.8%) since 1972 when only Canadian institutions were included in the draft. Additionally, the 59 CIS players drafted was the most since the 1978 CFL Draft when 74 of 90 players drafted came from CIS programs. Finally, only one drafted player, Tchissakid Player, was from a U.S. school (Northwestern State). The other five non-CIS draftees were all from Simon Fraser, the only NCAA member in Canada.
The first round was broadcast live on TSN with CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon announcing the first selection. The production was hosted by Rod Black and featured the CFL on TSN panel which included Duane Forde, Chris Schultz, Paul LaPolice, Farhan Lalji, and Lee Barrette who analyzed the teams' needs and picks.[8] However, the broadcast was not without controversy as viewers initially needed to be subscribed to Bell Satellite TV or Rogers TV in order to view online. TSN later recognized the mistake and made the draft viewable to everyone online.[9]