Apr. 27—GRAND FORKS — The CFL Draft stock of former UND wide receiver Nate DeMontagnac is on the rise in the lead-up to Tuesday's event.
The CFL Scouting Bureau has slotted DeMontagnac as the No. 18 player available in the 2026 Draft, yet a projection from TSN published last week predicted DeMontagnac to go No. 6 overall to Calgary — the same place as his longtime friend and former UND teammate Quincy Vaughn, who was picked 17th overall (second round) by the Stampeders in the 2025 Draft.
CFL analyst John Hodge of 3DownNation projected DeMontagnac to go No. 11 overall to the Toronto Argonauts.
"The native of Mississauga, Ont., didn't have elite production with the Fighting Hawks but has become the clear No. 1 receiver in this year's draft," Hodge wrote. "The 6-foot-2, 186-pound target ran well at his pro day and put on a clinic during the on-field portion of the CFL Combine."
DeMontagnac was timed at 4.58 seconds in the 40-yard dash.
In 2025, DeMontagnac had a breakout season for UND. He caught 38 passes for 462 yards and two touchdowns.
DeMontagnac's highest projection would place him in some strong UND history. The highest-drafted UND player in the CFL during the school's Division I era was defensive end Mason Bennett, who went No. 8 overall to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2020.
Bennett was the first UND player picked in the first round of the CFL Draft since defensive lineman Scott Schultz was No. 1 overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2001.
The eight-round draft begins at 6 p.m. in Toronto. The first two rounds will be broadcast on TSN.