The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had to wait all the way until the 18th pick to make their first selection of the 2020 CFL Draft.
After surrendering their first round choice to the Toronto Argonauts as part of the Zach Collaros trade, the Grey Cup champion Bombers selected defensive back Noah Hallett in the second round on Thursday.
It was the second straight year the Bombers drafted a member of the Hallett family. Noah is the younger brother of current Bombers defensive back Nick Hallett. The Bombers selected Nick in the seventh round of the 2019 CFL Draft and now the two will be competing against each other for a job.
Noah had five interceptions, 47 total tackles and one sack in 11 games for the McMaster Marauders in his third season in Hamilton.
Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters had hinted they were looking at the defensive side of the ball for their first pick with all their Canadian starters back on offence.
The Argos used the first round pick acquired from the Bombers to grab University of Regina Rams offensive lineman Theren Churchill with the ninth overall selection.
The Bombers also didn’t have a third round draft pick, as that too was traded to the Argonauts in the swap for Collaros.
READ MORE: Three U of M Bisons ranked among top Canada West prospects for CFL Draft
Winnipeg had a total of seven selections in the eight-round draft.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers Draft Picks
18. Noah Hallett – DB (McMaster)
37. Brendan O’Leary-Orange – WR (Nevada)
39. Marc Liegghio – K (Western) *Acquired From Toronto
46. Nicholas Dheilly – DL (Saskatchewan)
55. Kyle Rodger – LB (Ottawa)
64. Tanner Cadwallader – LB (Wilfrid Laurier)
73. Bleska Kambamba – DB (Western)
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Winnipeg’s Mason Bennett was drafted ahead of his 10th ranked projection from the final CFL Scouting Bureau rankings. The defensive end from the University of North Dakota was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats eighth overall.
Bennett had 39 total tackles in 10 games last season. He registered 22 solo tackles and 17 assisted tackles for the NCAA division one Fighting Hawks in his senior season.
The one-time member of the Vincent Massey Trojans also had 5.5 quarterback sacks. The six-foot-four, 258-pounder also had a forced fumble and recorded 6.5 tackles for losses.
Only one member of the Manitoba Bisons was selected. Defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock was taken in the eighth and final round by the Montreal Alouettes with the 66th pick.
Both receiver Macho Bockru and offensive lineman Ryan Wengelinski were not selected.
READ MORE: Winnipeg’s Mason Bennett ranked 10th in final CFL Draft projections
At the start of the day the Calgary Stampeders owned the first overall selection after acquiring the pick from the Ottawa RedBlacks for the rights to quarterback Nick Arbuckle. But moments before the start of the draft they flipped the top selection to the BC Lions in a swap of four draft picks.
The Lions used the top overall pick to select linebacker Jordan Williams out of East Carolina University.
2020 CFL Draft – 1st Round
- BC Jordan Williams – LB (East Carolina) *Acquired From Calgary
- TOR Dejon Brissett – WR (Virginia)
- CGY Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund DE (Southeastern Louisiana) *Acquired From BC
- EDM Tomas Jack-Kuryla OL (Buffalo)
- HAM Coulter Woodmansey OL (Guelph) *Acquired From Montreal
- OTT Adam Auclair DB (Laval) *Acquired From Calgary
- SK Mattland Riley OL (Saskatchewan)
- HAM Mason Bennett DE (North Dakota)
- TOR Theren Churchill OL (Regina) *Acquired From Winnipeg
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