Five years after the Kansas City Chiefs selected Central Michigan offensive tackle Eric Fisher with the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, another former Chippewa also went No. 1, this time in the CFL Draft.
The 2018 CFL Draft, held on May 3 in Toronto, included 69 selections over eight rounds. The first selection — made by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats from a pool of eligible Canadian players — was Mark Chapman, a 5-foot-11, 180-pound receiver from Central Michigan.
Chapman was born in Japan and raised in the United States but qualifies for the CFL because his mother is from Ontario. He had 147 career catches at CMU for 10 touchdowns and more than 2,000 yards. He also accepted a rookie minicamp invitation from the New York Giants.
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“I’m really grateful. It doesn’t happen often," he said of being the first receiver taken with the first pick since 2007. "It’s really exciting for me and I really can’t believe it. I’m just so excited about it.”
With Chapman's selection, Central Michigan becomes only the sixth school to have players selected No. 1 in both the CFL and NFL drafts.
| School | NFL Draft | CFL Draft |
|---|---|---|
| Central Michigan | Eric Fisher, 2013 | Mark Chapman, 2018 |
| Iowa | Randy Duncan, 1959 | Faith Ekakitie, 2017 |
| Oklahoma | 4 Players | Josiah St. John, 2016 |
| Syracuse | Ernie Davis, 1962 | Steve Scully, 1975 |
| Utah | Alex Smith, 2005 | Kevin Powell, 1979 |
| Washington State | Drew Bledsoe, 1993 | 2 Players |
