Indiana University quarterback Kurtis Rourke headlines the Fall edition of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Scouting Bureau. The native of Oakville, Ont., sits in the No. 1 spot among prospects eligible for the 2025 CFL Draft.
The CFL Scouting Bureau, comprising CFL scouts, as well as player personnel directors and general managers from the league’s nine clubs, releases its rankings three times each year: in the fall, winter and spring.
CFL SCOUTING BUREAU: FALL EDITION
Rank | Name | Position | School | Hometown
- 1 | Kurtis Rourke | QB | Indiana | Oakville, Ont.
- 2 | Damien Alford | WR | Utah | Montreal, Que.
- 3 | Paris Shand | DL | LSU | Toronto, Ont.
- 4 | Eric Schon | OL | Duke | Barrie, Ont.
- 5 | Jackson Findlay | DB | Western | North Vancouver, B.C.
- 6 | Nolan Ulm | WR | Eastern Washington | Kelowna, B.C.
- 7 | Akheem Mesidor | DL | Miami | Ottawa, Ont.
- 8 | Isaiah Bagnah | DL | BYU | Lethbridge, Alta.
- 9 | Wesley Bailey | DL | Rutgers | Ottawa, Ont.
- 10 | Keelan White | WR | Montana | North Vancouver, B.C.
- 11 | Jett Elad | DB | UNLV | Mississauga, Ont.
- 12 | Rene Konga | DL | Louisville | Ottawa, Ont.
- 13 | Devynn Cromwell | DB | Texas Tech | Toronto, Ont.
- 14 | Jeremiah Ojo | DL | Montreal | Montreal, Que.
- 15 | Devin Veresuk | LB | Windsor | Windsor, Ont.
- 16 | Nate Martey | DL | Arkansas State | Ottawa, Ont.
- 17 | Erik Andersen | OL | Western | London, Ont.
- 18 | Harold Miessan | LB | Montreal | Montreal, Que.
- 19 | Darien Newell | DL | Queen’s | Brampton, Ont.
- 20 | Jaylen Smith | DB | North Texas | Hamilton, Ont.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The fall rankings include:
- Eight defensive linemen
- Four defensive backs
- Three receivers
- Two offensive linemen
- Two linebackers
- One quarterback
- 18 schools are represented in the rankings. Western (No. 5 Jackson Findlay and No. 17 Erik Andersen) and Montreal (No. 14 Jeremiah Ojo and No. 18 Harold Miessan) feature multiple players
- 14 prospects are from the NCAA; six are from U SPORTS
- Four of the nine first-round selections in the 2024 CFL Draft were listed in the 2023 CFL Scouting Bureau: Fall Edition
TOP-5 SPOTLIGHT
1 | KURTIS ROURKE | QB | INDIANA | OAKVILLE, ONT.
- Transferred to Indiana after five seasons with Ohio
- 11 starts last season, passing for 2,207 yards and 11 touchdowns with a 64 per cent completion rate
- Rushed for 219 yards and four majors
- Reese’s Senior Bowl Watchlist
- Second-team All-MAC as a senior
- 2022 MAC Offensive Player of the Year
- In 36 career games, completed 638-of-963 passes for 7,651 yards and 50 touchdowns
2 | DAMIEN ALFORD | WR | UTAH | MONTREAL
- Transferred to Utah after four seasons at Syracuse
- Started all 13 games last season, recording 33 catches, 610 yards and three touchdowns
- In 42 career games with Syracuse, notched 67 catches for 1,291 yards and seven touchdowns
- 19.2 yards per reception ranks fifth in program history
3 | PARIS SHAND | DL | LSU | TORONTO
- Entering second season with LSU after three years at Arizona
- 12 games in 2023, recording 17 tackles, five tackles for a loss and a pair of sacks
- In 37 collegiate games, tallied 59 tackles (29 solo, 30 assisted), 10.5 tackles for a loss and seven sacks
- Member of Canada’s U16 National Team in 2017, winning a silver at the FIBA U16 Americas Championship in Argentina
4 | ERIC SCHON | OL | DUKE | BARRIE, ONT.
- Transferred to Duke after four seasons at Holy Cross
- Two-time All-Patriot League selection (2022 First Team and 2023 Second Team)
- 38 games with Holy Cross, including 24 starts
- Four Patriot League titles and three appearances in the FCS Championship
- 1,802 career snaps
5 | JACKSON FINDLAY | DB | WESTERN | NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C.
- 11 games in 2023, registering 50 tackles (30 solo, 20 assisted), seven interceptions and 15 passes defended
- 2023 U SPORTS All-Canadian First Team
- 2023 OUA First All-Star Team
- 2021 Vanier Cup
- 30 career games at Western, notching 119 tackles (63 solo, 56 assisted), four sacks, eight interceptions and 23 passes defended
