Indiana QB Kurtis Rourke still atop CFL Scouting Bureau’s top-20 list

By Canadian Press on January 22, 2025.

TORONTO — Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke remains atop the winter edition of the CFL Scouting Bureau’s top-20 list of eligible prospects for the league’s 2025 draft.

Rourke, of Oakville, Ont., topped the fall list, which was released in August.

The CFL scouting bureau consists of scouts, player-personnel directors and GMs from the league’s nine clubs. The top-20 rankings are released each fall, winter and spring.

Six players from the fall list — No. 2 Damien Alford (WR, Utah), No. 6 Nolan Ulm (WR, Eastern Washington), No. 7 Akheem Mesidor (DL, Miami), No. 9 Wesley Bailey (DL, Rutgers), No. 11 Jett Elad (DB, UNLV) and No. 12 Rene Konga (DL, Louisville) — have been reclassified to 2026. Also, fourth-ranked Eric Schon (OL, Duke) has retired.

And that’s helped create a lot of movement on the winter list.

Toronto’s Paris Shand, a defensive lineman from Louisiana State, moved from third into second behind Rourke. Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, of Medicine Hat, Alta., is now ranked third after being unranked in August.

Ayomanor recently declared for the ’25 NFL draft.

Isaiah Bagnah, a defensive lineman at BYU from Lethbridge, Alta., moved four spots into fourth, followed by Montana receiver Keeland White, of North Vancouver, B.C., who was ranked at No. 10 in August.

Hamilton’s Jaylen Smith, a defensive back at North Texas State, moved up 14 spots into No. 6 while Montreal’s Jeremiah Ojo, a defensive lineman at Montreal, is No. 7 from No. 14 in the fall.

Rounding out the top-10 are Western defensive back Jackson Findlay of North Vancouver, (No. 8 from No. 5), Montana defensive lineman Hayden Harris (unranked) and Western offensive lineman Erik Anderson of London, Ont., (No. 17 in August).

Others moving into the top-20 after being unranked in August were: UConn offensive lineman Christopher Fortin, of Saint-Rene, Que. (No. 11), Bowling Green defensive lineman Ali Saad, of Windsor, Ont. (No. 12), Laurier receiver Ethan Jordan, of Chatham, Ont. (No. 16), Calgary’s Samuel Carson, an offensive lineman at Louisiana at Monroe (No. 17), U.B.C. running back Isaiah Knight, of Ottawa, (No. 18), Calgary defensive back Nate Beauchemin, of Kelowna, B.C. (No. 19) and Laurier quarterback Taylor Elgersma, of London (No. 20).

The CFL draft will be held April 29.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 22, 2025.

The Canadian Press