The BC Lions are set to participate in the 2025 Global Draft and CFL Draft, scheduled for Tuesday, April 29. The Global Draft starts at 11:00 a.m. ET (8:00 a.m. PT) at the CFL Draft starts at 3:00 p.m. PDT.

📺 How to Watch

Fans can follow the draft proceedings live:​

Global Draft: Live updates on CFL.ca starting at 11:00 a.m. ET.

CFL Draft: First two rounds broadcast on TSN and RDS beginning at 6:00 p.m. ET; subsequent rounds available on TSN+. ​

🏈 What Is the CFL Draft?

The CFL Draft is an eight-round event where teams select eligible Canadian players from the University of Saskatchewan (U Sports) and NCAA programs. The Draft is one of the many avenues for teams to recruit domestic talent onto their rosters, ensuring they adhere to the CFL's national player ratio requirements.​

Lions' CFL Draft Order and breakdown

With the signing of Nathan Rourke and Mathieu Betts in 2024, the Lions exceeded the salary cap. They were fined $347,889 for salary cap violations, forfeiting their original first-round (3rd overall) and second-round (9th overall) picks. ​

B.C. Lions Draft Pick Order:

The Lions have the following picks in the CFL draft.

2nd Round (11th overall): Retained own pick.

2nd Round (19th overall): Awarded as a bonus pick for having one of the highest percentages of Canadian player snaps in 2024.

4th Round (29th overall): Acquired from Calgary in the Vernon Adams Jr. trade.

5th Round (41st overall): Own pick.

6th Round (50th overall): Own pick.

7th Round (59th overall): Own pick.

8th Round (67th overall): Own pick.

Global Draft Participation

In addition to the national draft, the CFL conducts a Global Draft to incorporate international talent into the league. The BC Lions hold the 4th pick in each of the two rounds of the Global Draft, allowing them to scout and select promising players from around the world. ​

2024 was a disappointing season for B.C.

The Lions entered 2024 with high expectations, as they were set to host the Grey Cup and had achieved two consecutive successful 12-6 seasons before that. They had back-to-back playoff births in 2022 and 2023, losing both times to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final.

2024 saw them roar out to a 5-1 start before injuries to key players, including quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., led to a stumble and a drop to 5-6.

The Lions would play roughly .500 ball the rest of the way despite the return of 2022 star quarterback Nathan Rourke, whose stint in the NFL came to an end. 

End of 2024 Season brought sweeping changes.

The Lions ended the season 9-9 and lost to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Western Semi-Final 28-19.

I was in attendance at the season ending press conference on Nov 4th, 2024 in what would prove to be the last official one for Head Coach and co-GM Rick Campbell, who was let go the day after the Grey Cup ended on November 20th.

That same day, Co-GM Neil McEvoy was elevated to Vice President Football Operations, while Assistant General Manager Ryan Rigmaiden was named GM.

Buck Piece Name Head Coach, Looking ahead with optimism to 2025.

In the weeks that followed, B.C. announced that Buck Piece would be the team's head coach in early December.

Pierce had been a quarterback for B.C., signing with the Lions as a free agent on May 16, 2005. He emerged from his first professional training camp with a spot on the active roster before making one start in his rookie campaign. He would be in B.C. until 2010.

Pierce then fleshed out the coaching staff in early January, setting the stage for the work to begin on the 2025 season.

Want More Vancouver sports coverage?

The Golden V Podcast, based in Vancouver, Canada, dives deep into the exciting world of local sports. Launched in 2021 by Ben Abel, the podcast aims to illuminate Vancouver’s sporting events across various disciplines, including hockey, football, baseball, soccer, and lacrosse.

We have lots of exciting B.C. Lions coverage from Seasons Three and Four of our podcast, including interviews with Lions analysts Giulio Caravatta and former player TJ Lee.

Check out our podcast page here.

#Vancouver sports #BC Lions #CFL #Golden V Podcast #Ben Abel #WBN News Vancouver

Ben Abel, Abel Marketing. Content Creator.

E-Mail Here: info@abelmarketing.ca

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