TORONTO — University of Miami defensive lineman Akheem Mesidor sits atop the Fall edition of the Canadian Football League (CFL) Scouting Bureau. The Ottawa native leads the ranking of the top-20 prospects eligible for selection in the 2026 CFL Draft.
Two players in the rankings began their careers in U SPORTS. Devynn Cromwell (No. 8) played three seasons at the University of Guelph before transferring to Texas Tech and then Michigan State, while Giordano Vaccaro (No. 11) spent three years developing at the University of Manitoba before continuing his career at Purdue.
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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
Akheem Mesidor
DL
Miami
Ottawa
2
Logan Taylor
OL
Boston College
Lunenburg, N.S.
3
Wesley Bailey
DL
Louisville
Ottawa
4
Nick Cenacle
WR
Hawaii
Montreal
5
Albert Reese IV
OL
Mississippi State
Edmonton
6
Jett Elad
DB
Rutgers
Mississauga, Ont.
7
Rene Konga
DL
Louisville
Ottawa
8
Devynn Cromwell
DB
Michigan State
Toronto
9
Nolan Ulm
WR
Eastern Washington
Kelowna, B.C.
10
Dariel Djabome
LB
Rutgers
Longueuil, Que.
11
Giordano Vaccaro
OL
Purdue
Winnipeg
12
Malcolm Bell
DB
Michigan State
Montreal
13
Darius Bell
OL
East Carolina
Hamilton, Ont.
14
Jez Janvier
OL
Southern Mississippi
Montreal
15
Josh Baka
DB
Alabama Birmingham
Ottawa
16
Rohan Jones
TE
Arkansas
Montreal
17
Tyrell Lawrence
OL
Alabama A&M
Milton, Ont.
18
Darius McKenzie
LB
South Alabama
Ottawa
19
Aamarii Notice
DL
Coastal Carolina
Toronto
20
Trae Tomlinson
DB
Louisiana
Winnipeg
BY THE NUMBERS
The fall rankings include:
Six offensive linemen
Five defensive backs
Four defensive linemen
Two wide receivers
Two linebackers
One tight end
17 schools are represented in the rankings. Louisville (No. 3 Wesley Bailey and No. 7 Rene Konga), Rutgers (No. 6 Jett Elad and No. 10 Dariel Djabome) and Michigan State (No. 8 Devynn Cromwell and No. 12 Malcolm Bell) feature multiple players.
Four of the eight first-round selections in the 2025 CFL Draft were listed in the 2024 CFL Scouting Bureau: Fall edition.
TOP 5 NEED TO KNOW
NO. 1 | AKHEEM MESIDOR | DL | MIAMI | OTTAWA
(Miami Athletics)
2024: 13 games/starts, 32 tackles (17 solo and 15 assisted), nine tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and one forced fumble
All-ACC Honourable Mention (2022 and 2024)
All-Big 12 Honourable Mention (2021)
Shrine Bowl 1,000 List
Played two seasons at West Virginia before transferring to Miami
Career: 50 games, 37 starts, 145 tackles (85 solo and 60 assisted), 35 tackles for a loss, 23 sacks
NO. 2 | LOGAN TAYLOR | OL | BOSTON COLLEGE | LUNENBURG, N.S.
(Boston College Athletics)
2024: 12 games, 11 starts (10 at left guard and one at left tackle), 364 dropback snaps, no sacks allowed, five games with a PFF pass block grade of over 80.0
All-ACC Honourable Mention (2023-24)
Shrine Bowl 1,000 List
Entering third season at Boston College following two at Virginia
Career: 37 games with 34 starts
NO. 3 | WESLEY BAILEY | DL | LOUISVILLE | OTTAWA
(Rutgers Athletics)
Entering first season at Louisville after playing four at Rutgers
Academic All-Big Ten (2024)
Shrine Bowl 1,000
Career: 36 games, 25 starts, 71 tackles(31 solo and 40 assisted), 14 tackles for a loss, 9.5 sacks and five passes deflected.
NO. 4 | NICK CENACLE | WR | HAWAII | MONTREAL
(Hawaii Athletics)
2024: 12 games, nine starts, led team in receptions (63), receiving yards (721) and touchdown receptions (six)
Academic All-Mountain West (2022)
Career: 36 games, 94 receptions, 1,072 receiving yards, 11.4 yards per catch and seven touchdowns
NO. 5 | ALBERT REESE IV | OL | MISSISSIPPI STATE | EDMONTON
(Mississippi State Athletics)
2024: 12 games/starts (10 at right tackle and two at right guard) and 853 total snaps
Kent Hull Trophy as the best offensive lineman in Mississippi
Shrine Bowl 1,000 List
Career: 40 games with 13 starts