Trades and surprise picks punctuated Sunday’s CFL draft, but there was little suspense when commissioner Mark Cohon announced the first pick of the day.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who owned the top selection by virtue of their 4-14 record last season, had already tipped their hand that linebacker Henoc Muamba would be their man. In fact, the St. Francis Xavier product was in the Manitoba capital for the announcement.

“I’m excited to be a part of the organization right now,” Muamba told the Winnipeg Free Press after the Bombers made the news official. “It’s hard to describe, but I’m real honoured also to be here and to be able to share this moment with my family. I’m thankful for everyone who supported me.”

The six-foot, 230-pounder from Mississauga, Ont., had 47 tackles, 3 1/2 sacks, a forced fumble and an interception in eight games last season. He became the first player the Bombers selected first overall since offensive lineman Steve Scully in 1975.

Things got interesting quickly. There were three trades involving first-round picks as teams jockeyed for positioning in a draft deep at receiver. The Calgary Stampeders were the first to act, moving up to the third overall pick in a deal announced moments before the Bombers picked Muamba. The Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts also traded into the first round.

The Eskimos kept their second pick, taking Rice offensive lineman Scott Mitchell, but also acquired the fifth pick in a deal with Hamilton. Edmonton took Nate Coehoorn from the Calgary Dinos, considered the most pro-ready of all the receiving prospects.

“He has a pro body right now,” said Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman. “Probably as much as anybody coming into the draft, probably the only equivalent is Muamba. From Day 1 (Coehoorn) is physically strong enough to play in this league and he has a body that we feel he can help us on special teams.”

To get the fifth pick, Edmonton gave the Ticats the 10th and 13th selections. The Eskimos also got the rights to import offensive lineman Zipp Duncan.

The Stampeders had their eyes on hometown receiver Anthony Parker — and in order to get him they sent the sixth, 11th and 37th picks to the B.C. Lions for the third, 26th and 34th selections.

“We wanted to make sure we did everything we could to get a receiver in the first round,” said Stampeders coach and general manager John Hufnagel. “The way things were going, we weren’t quite sure how it was going to go. We made the deal, and Anthony was on the top of our list at the receiver position, although it was a very tight race. I’m very pleased Anthony was available.”

Parker, who made need a year or two of seasoning before he’s a full-time starter, was the first of four straight pass catchers to be selected in the middle of the first round.

The Bombers got into the receiver action at fourth overall, a pick they got from Toronto in March in the deal that sent quarterback Steven Jyles to the Argonauts. With Coehoorn and Harvard’s Marco Iannuzzi still on the board, the Bombers turned some heads by taking Saskatchewan’s Jade Etienne instead.

“Etienne was not really on anybody’s radar screen, but we really kind of liked him at the evaluation camp,” Bombers general manager Joe Mack told the Free Press. “He’s got great flexibility, he’s actually much taller than you think — he’s (six-foot-three), he’s growing into his body as he was 165 during the season but came in at 185. He can bang, he has good body control, he has change of direction.”

The Lions made it four receivers in a row in the middle of the first round, taking Iannuzzi with the sixth pick. The Calgary product was a duel threat with the Crimson, catching passes and returning kickoffs. He brought back a pair of kicks for touchdowns last season and if he can do the same at the CFL level he could be a ratio-breaker for the Lions.

The Argos traded back into the first round and took Tulsa Hurricanes offensive lineman Tyler Holmes with the seventh pick. Toronto general manager Jim Barker admitted it was a risky pick — Holmes is expected to play his senior year at Tulsa and could get a look from NFL teams after he graduates — but said his team’s depth meant a future pick was worthwhile.

“We had him ranked as one of the top players in this draft if not the top player,” Barker said after he shipped the 12th and 27th picks to the Saskatchewan Roughriders to get the seventh selection. “He has the question marks that you always wonder about. We were going to take a future offensive lineman with our second-round pick. That was what we wanted. There were only three of them that we thought we’d go on and that was (Philip) Blake, (Moe) Petrus and Tyler Holmes. And we had Tyler Holmes ranked as the top guy in that group. When the opportunity came to move to seven and ensure that pick after the top six then we felt it was good value for us to give up a fourth-round pick for a guy we really wanted at 12.

The defending Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes completed the first round taking kicker Brody McKnight from Montana. The Vancouver native made 14 of 18 field-goal attempts with the Grizzlies last season and had a 38.5-yard punting average. The Alouettes also dealt their first-round pick next season to the Lions to get kicker Sean Whyte.

The Ticats’ first pick came at No. 10 when they took Connecticut offensive lineman Moe Petrus. The Roughriders, who focused on upgrading their special teams, used the 12th selection to take Western defensive back Craig Butler.

The Stampeders were the lone team to draft a quarterback, taking Ottawa’s Brad Sinopoli in the fourth round.