TORONTO - Linebacker Jordan Williams was the first player taken in the 2020 CFL draft Thursday night. The B.C.
Lions opened the draft with a bang, securing the No. 1 pick from the Calgary Stampeders then taking Williams first overall.
The five-foot-11, 219-pound Williams hasn't played football since 2017 when he finished second in tackles at East Carolina with 89 - including three for a loss - with a forced fumble.
The 27-year-old is an American by birth but is deemed a national for the draft because his mother is Canadian.
Williams shined at last month's Ontario combine, the CFL's final due to the novel coronavirus outbreak, posting a 40-yard dash time of 4.48 seconds, 20 reps in the 225-pound bench press, 39-inch vertical jump and broad jump of 10 feet, 8.5 inches.
B.C. (5-13) finished last in the West Division last season and made a coaching change, firing Devone Claybrookes and replaced him with Rick Campbell after he stepped down from that post with the Ottawa Redblacks.