Winnipeg native Giordano Vaccaro projected to go first overall in CFL draft

What began as a dream years ago is very close to becoming a reality for Giordano Vaccaro.

Pro football wasn’t something Vaccaro pondered until he enrolled at the University of Manitoba in 2022 and started as a freshman. Now the six-foot-two, 307-pound Purdue offensive lineman is projected to go first overall in Tuesday night’s CFL draft.

“It was my first year in college when coach Dobie (Bisons head coach Brian Dobie) was like, ‘Hey, you could make a career out of this,'” Vaccaro said. “That’s something I’d never really thought about because I started playing football late (at Winnipeg’s St. Paul’s High School).

“Once I figured I could do this, that’s when that switch kind of turned on. Obviously, as it gets closer, it’s pretty surreal that I could be calling football my job.”

Vaccaro was ranked No. 11 last week on the CFL Scouting Bureau’s final list of the top-20 prospects for Tuesday’s draft. But of the top 11 players, only Vaccaro and Rutgers defensive back Jett Elad (No. 9) are immediately available to join a Canadian team, as the others were either drafted by NFL teams, signed as undrafted free agents or invited to rookie mini-camps.

Vaccaro, twice an all-Canadian in three seasons at Manitoba and U Sports’ top down lineman in 2024 before transferring to Purdue, has the ability to challenge for a CFL starting spot. The Ottawa Redblacks (4-14), who finished last in the East Division and missed the CFL playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons, currently own the No. 1 pick.

“I really don’t care (if selected first overall), and it’s honestly true when I say that,” said Vaccaro, a Winnipeg native. “I’d love to go to Ottawa or anywhere, I just want the chance.

“The draft is just another stepping-stone to ultimately making this a career … it’s an opportunity.”

Vaccaro appeared in all 12 of Purdue’s games last season, seeing action on offence and special teams. He played 22 snaps in the Boilermakers’ season finale, a 56-3 loss to eventual NCAA champion Indiana on Nov. 28.

This off-season has certainly been a unique one for Vaccaro. Instead of training to get bigger and stronger for the ’26 season, Vacarro’s focus was on speed and explosion to perform well in drills for scouts while also showing his football IQ in one-on-one meetings.

But Vaccaro said an even-keeled approach helped him enjoy the process.

“At the start, I’d say it was pretty stressful because you don’t know where you’re going to end up or how you’re going to get there,” he said. “But I felt like I enjoyed the process a lot because I really didn’t focus too much on if I did well or not, I just took it day by day.

“Purdue has done a great job the past month transitioning from combine work to getting you ready to go to a professional camp. So my mindset has switched to where I believe I’m ready for a professional camp.”

And once with a CFL team, Vaccaro doesn’t see having to change his approach to football.

“I’ve felt like from the start of college through to the end of this year, it’s been doing the same things,” he said. “Going back and relying on what I’ve already done, putting in extra effort in the film room, treating my body well as far as nutrition and ultimately getting ready for game day.

“There are no real secrets in football. If you put in the work, good things will come. If you put in extra work, then greater things will come from it.”

Vacarro will watch Tuesday’s draft at a banquet hall in Winnipeg with about 200 family and friends.

“That’s pretty much just family and a couple of friends,” he said with a chuckle. “It was extremely important to me to be in Winnipeg for the draft, just to share the moment with the people who’ve put so much effort into this … and supported me the whole way.”

And if he heads to a CFL camp as the first overall selection, Vaccaro feels more than ready to shoulder that weight of expectation.

“It’s just going back and trusting my training,” he said. “I’ve got here by just relying on myself and the support I get from those around me. 

“For sure, I’ll feel some pressure, but pressure is a privilege. You set expectations for yourself going into the draft and ultimately coming out of it as well regarding where you want to be.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 27, 2029.