Ottawa Selects Aidan Laros First Overall in 2026 CFL Global Draft
Published on April 29, 2026 under Canadian Football League (CFL) News Release
TORONTO - The Ottawa REDBLACKS have selected South African punter Aidan Laros out of the University of Kentucky with the first overall selection in the 2026 Canadian Football League (CFL) Global Draft.
Toronto drafted Australian offensive lineman Jordan Spasojevic-Moko at No. 2, followed by Edmonton taking Mexican kicker Jesus Gomez with the third pick. In total, 18 players were selected from 12 countries.
The 2026 CFL Canadian Draft conducted on April 28 saw Ottawa select Winnipeg offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro out of Purdue University with the first overall selection. Complete results can be found here.
Additional information surrounding the Class of 2026 can be found in the CFL Draft Guide (available for download below).
Rookie camps will open on May 6, with training camps following on May 10. The upcoming campaign kicks off on June 4 with the Montreal Alouettes visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The 2026 season will be broadcast in Canada by Bell Media across TSN, CTV and RDS. Select games in the U.S. will air exclusively on CBS Sports Network, while the remaining slate will be available live and on-demand for 48 hours through the league's free online streaming platform, CFL+. Viewers outside of North America will be able to tune into the whole season on CFL+.
2026 CFL GLOBAL DRAFT
(No. (Overall) | Team | Name | POS | College/Team | Country)
FIRST ROUND
Ottawa | Aidan Laros | P | Kentucky | South Africa
Toronto | Jordan Spasojevic-Moko | OL | California | Australia
Edmonton | Jesus Gomez | K | Arizona State | Mexico
Winnipeg | Edward Vesterinen | DL | West Virginia | Finland
Hamilton | Nick Haberer | P | Vanderbilt | Australia
Calgary | Jude McAtamney | K | Rutgers | Ireland
BC | Brett Thorson | P | Georgia | Australia
Montreal | Mark Petry | OL | Syracuse | Germany
Saskatchewan | Mapalo Mwansa | LB | Loughborough | England
SECOND ROUND
(10) | Ottawa | Paul Geelen | K | Southern Illinois | Netherlands
(11) | Toronto | Fa'alili Fa'amoe | OL | Wake Forest | American Samoa
(12) | Edmonton | Jeffrey M'Ba | DL | SMU | France
(13) | Winnipeg | Keegan Andrews | P | Massachusetts | Australia
(14) | Hamilton | Mitch McCarthy | P | Indiana | Australia
(15) | Calgary | Jireh Ojata | DL | Purdue | Nigeria
(16) | BC | Seydou Traore | TE | Mississippi State | England
(17) | Montreal | Jack Burgess | P | Texas Tech | Australia
(18) | Saskatchewan | Kansei Matsuzawa | K | Hawaii | Japan
BY THE NUMBERS
Position breakdown
Ten punters/kickers
Three offensive linemen
Three defensive linemen
One linebacker
One tight end
Country breakdown
Australia | 6
England | 2
South Africa | 1
Mexico | 1
Finland | 1
Ireland | 1
Germany | 1
Netherlands | 1
American Samoa | 1
France | 1
Nigeria | 1
Japan | 1
Canadian Football League Stories from April 29, 2026
- Stampeders Launch Updated Home and Away Uniforms - Calgary Stampeders
- Alouettes Select a German and an Australian - Montreal Alouettes
- Riders Sign Towering Offensive Lineman Percy Lewis IV - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Riders Select Linebacker, Kicker in 2026 Global Draft - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- RedBlacks Sign 2026 First Overall Pick Giordano Vaccaro - Ottawa RedBlacks
- Edmonton Elks Select Two in the 2026 CFL Global Draft - Edmonton Elks
- Ottawa Selects Aidan Laros First Overall in 2026 CFL Global Draft - CFL
- RedBlacks Select a Pair of Specialists in 2026 Global Draft - Ottawa RedBlacks
- Toronto Argonauts 2026 CFL Global Draft Class - Toronto Argonauts
- Tiger-Cats Select Two Punters in 2026 CFL Global Draft - Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Red and White Select Two in 2026 CFL Global Draft - Calgary Stampeders
- Elks Announce 2026 Game Themes, Single Game Ticket On-Sale Date - Edmonton Elks
- Lions Select National Champion Punter & Dolphins Prospect in Wednesday's Global Draft - B.C. Lions
- Boatmen Ink DL Malachi Bailey - Toronto Argonauts
- RedBlacks 2026 Single Game Tickets on Sale Now - Ottawa RedBlacks
- Tiger-Cats Add Eight Players in 2026 CFL Draft, Headlined by OL Jonathan Denis - Hamilton Tiger-Cats
- Riders Select Eight Talented Canadians in 2026 CFL Draft - Saskatchewan Roughriders
- Alouettes Select Montrealer Rohan Jones with Their First Pick - Montreal Alouettes
- RedBlacks Select Seven Players in 2026 CFL Canadian Draft - Ottawa RedBlacks
- Edmonton Elks Select Nine in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft - Edmonton Elks
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