North to South

In the U.S., Canadians are known for being polite and skilled at hockey. However, they are increasingly sending players to all the professional leagues. Although Canada has its professional football league (CFL), it constantly sends players to the NFL rosters. Some players are from the CFL, and some attend universities in the U.S. and get drafted from there. 

The NFL season is heating up and you can find all the odds for the NFL at BetUS. Head over to our Sportsbook to place all your favorite bets and get the best prop bets on football players from Canada.

The Best Canadian Football Players Ever in the NFL

There have been a total of 164 Canadian-born players who have joined the NFL, with the first ones joining in 1920. 26 Canadians are currently playing in the NFL. Two guys stand above the rest as the best Canadian football player in the NFL.

Bronko Nagurski from Rainy River, Ontario, and Arnie Weinmeister from Rhein, Saskatchewan, are the only Canadian-born players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Nagurski won three NFL Championships and led the league in rushing touchdowns in 1932. Weinmeister was a defensive tackle who played in four Pro Bowls but had only a six-year tenure. His career is one of the shortest of any Pro Football Hall of Famer.

The Best of the CFL in the NFL

Several other Hall of Famers have played and coached in the Canadian Football League. Bud Grant’s legend is such that in Canada, a statue of him stands in front of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers‘ current stadium. Grant played and coached in both leagues, but he is remembered most for coaching. He coached the Blue Bombers for 10 CFL seasons (1957-66), winning the Grey Cup four times. He then went on to win the NFL Championship and Coach of the Year in 1969 as the coach of the Minnesota Vikings. 

Marv Levy had a long coaching career in the NFL and is the winningest coach in Buffalo Bills history. He won four straight AFC Championship games but never won the Super Bowl. He did, however, win two Grey Cups with the Montreal Alouettes.

Warren Moon, another Gold Jacket guy, is the most accomplished NFL player who also played in the CFL. In 23 pro seasons between the NFL and CFL, he passed for 70,553 yards and 435 TDs, easily making him the best NFL player to play in the CFL.

The 10 Best Canadians Currently in the NFL

10. OL Alaric Jackson, Los Angeles Rams

Alaric Jackson grew up in Windsor, Ontario, before moving to Detroit, Michigan. Undrafted out of Iowa, he has impacted the Rams’ offensive line when starters have gone down with injuries the last few years. He won a Super Bowl ring in his first year with the Rams.

9. WR/TE N’Keal Harry, Minnesota Vikings

K’Neal Harry was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, before moving to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as a baby. He is the only player on the list who has been drafted in the first round. He has never panned out, but he has totaled 64 receptions for 714 receiving yards and five touchdowns. 

8. OT Michael Hoecht, Los Angeles Rams

Hoecht lived in Oakville, Ontario, until his family moved to Oakwood, Ohio, when he was three. He was undrafted in 2020 after playing collegiately at Brown University. He was selected in the second round of the CFL draft but signed with the Rams instead. Hoecht was on the practice squad his first year and worked his way into being a 17-game starter in 2023.

7. DT Nathan Shepherd, New Orleans Saints 

Shepherd grew up in Ajax, Ontario, and was selected by the Jets in the third round of the 2018 draft. He played for the Jets for four years. In 2023, the Saints picked up the big man and signed him to a three-year deal. Shepherd has 172 total tackles and 9.5 sacks.

6. CB Benjamin St-Juste, Washington Commanders

St-Juste was born in Montreal, Canada. He played collegiately at Michigan and Minnesota before being drafted by the Commanders in the third round of the 2021 draft. He played his rookie year, but he has been battling injuries ever since. In his career, St-Juste has 164 total tackles, three sacks, and one interception.

5. WR Josh Palmer, Los Angeles Chargers

Palmer grew up in Brampton, Ontario, and was the 77th pick in the 2021 draft after playing four years at the University of Tennessee. Palmer has played every year since getting drafted, putting together a nice NFL career so far. 

4. WR Chase Claypool, Buffalo Bills

Claypool attended Abbotsford Senior Secondary School in Abbotsford, British Columbia. The 6’4” receiver had a promising career at Notre Dame and was drafted by the Steelers in the second round of the 2020 draft. As a rookie, Claypool caught 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns, in addition to two rushing touchdowns. He was named to the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He hasn’t lived up to his first year in the NFL and has slowly declined to be on the Bills practice squad.

3. LB Alex Singleton, Denver Broncos

Singleton was undrafted and fought to stay in the league in 2015 and ‘16. He then signed with the Calgary Stampeders, where he won the Most Outstanding Player Award (2017) and a Grey Cup (2018). The Eagles took notice and signed him where he first played on special teams and eventually won the starting linebacker job. He would leave for Denver in 2022, where he had a career year, ranking 5th in combined tackles during the season with 163.

2. RB Chuba Hubbard, Carolina Panthers

Hubbard grew up in Edmonton, Alberta, and attended college at Oklahoma State, where he won Big-12 Offensive Player of the Year (2019). The Carolina Panthers drafted him in the fourth round of the 2021 draft. He played at least 15 games in his first three seasons, and his best year is coming in 2023. This year he is having an even better year, averaging over five yards a carry, and is on pace to rush for over 1,000 yards for the first time in his career. 

1. S Jevon Holland, Miami Dolphins

Holland was born in Coquitlam, British Columbia into a football family. He was a standout at Oregon for two years before declaring for the NFL draft. The Dolphins selected Holland in the second round (36th overall). As a rookie, he appeared in 16 games, of which he started 13, earning him the honor of the PFWA All-Rookie Team. He started all 17 games the next year and had 96 tackles and a team-high seven interceptions. Holland is an impact player who seems should have a long lustrous NFL career.