Hawaii Athletics
The 2026 CFL Canadian Draft has come and gone with plenty to discuss.
Every year we say we didn’t expect some names to come off the board, but this time it happened earlier, more often, and with some names I didn’t expect to see at all coming off the board.
Teams will logically defend their decision making whenever a pick is called into question, but they should also be rightfully celebrated for those that landed with widespread approval.
Throwing a grade at each team is never easy because, like in life, there are pros and cons to all draft classes. That said, here is a letter to symbolize their respective nights.
CFL CANADIAN DRAFT
» View full results from the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft
» A team-by-team look at the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft
» 4 things you may have missed from the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft
» REDBLACKS sign first overall pick Giordano Vaccaro
» 8 NCAA prospects drafted in the first round
BC LIONS
GRADE: A
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Nate DeMontagnac | REC | North Dakota | 1st Round (7th) |
| Jett Elad | DB | Rutgers | 2nd Round (15th) |
| Pierre Kemeni | DB | Ohio | 4th Round (36th) |
| Nick Cenacle | REC | Hawaii | 5th Round (45th) |
| Ethan Graham | OL | Regina | 6th Round (54th) |
| Chase Henning | LB | UBC | 7th Round (63rd) |
| Ebenezer Dibula | DL | Kennesaw State | 8th Round (72nd) |
Nathan Rourke gets his new toys, the defence gets some added defensive back depth and a few big bodies enter the developmental pipeline.
A smart, sound draft from a team that didn’t have many high-value picks.
EDMONTON ELKS
GRADE: B+
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Dariel Djabome | LB | Rutgers | 1st Round (3rd) |
| Benjamin Sangmuah | DB | UBC | 2nd Round (12th) |
| Wesley Bailey | DL | Louisville | 2nd Round (19th) |
| Carter Kettyle | REC | Alberta | 3rd Round (21st) |
| Spencer Walsh | OL | Wilfrid Laurier | 4th Round (32nd) |
| Justin Pace | LB | Queen’s | 4th Round (35th) |
| Chris Pashula | OL | Calgary | 6th Round (50th) |
| Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald | QB/REC | McGill | 7th Round (58th) |
| Matthew Ljuden | OL | Alberta | 7th Round (59th) |
Rutgers’ linebacker Dariel Djabome is such a great player and his ability to move around with or behind Joel Dublanko is a tremendous way to build the Canadian front.
The Elks also added some ‘futures’ picks that included a few developmental linemen, local receivers, high-value tackling linebackers and a super athletic dual-threat quarterback. That gets the big thumbs up from me.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
GRADE: A-
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Eric Rascoe | LB | Angelo State | 1st Round (6th) |
| Jesulayomi Ojutalayo | REC | Wilfrid Laurier | 3rd Round (26th) |
| Tristan Marois | DL | Colorado | 3rd Round (27th) |
| Matt Sibley | REC | Calgary | 5th Round (44th) |
| Mitchel Schechinger | OL | Guelph | 6th Round (53rd) |
| Steven Kpehe | DL | Queen’s | 7th Round (62nd) |
| Jack Warrack | OL | Saskatchewan | 8th Round (71st) |
Angelo State’s linebacker Eric Rascoe and Wilfrid Laurier’s receiver Jesulayomi Ojutalayo were two of my favourite players at the CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness Canada.
Colorado’s defensive lineman Tristan Marois also impressed me at the combine with his energy in every rep, while Calgary’s receiver Matt Sibley has quickness that should get him open. That potentially creates a Calgary-Dinos-to-Calgary-Stampeders receiver crew headlined by star receiver Jalen Philpot.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
GRADE: A
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Malcolm Bell | DB | Michigan State | 1st Round (9th) |
| Dylan Djete | REC | Alabama State | 2nd Round (18th) |
| Darius Bell | OL | East Carolina | 3rd Round (29th) |
| Osasere Odemwingie | LB | Calgary | 4th Round (38th) |
| Jez Janvier | OL | Southern Mississippi | 5th Round (47th) |
| Albert Reese IV | OL | Mississippi State | 6th Round (56th) |
| Shemar McBean | REC | UBC | 7th Round (65th) |
| Ryan Speight | FB | Wilfrid Laurier | 8th Round (74th) |
Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell is going to be a problem if and when he gets to the CFL, while undersized-but-hyper-fast receiver Dylan Djete went earlier than expected.
East Carolina offensive lineman Darius Bell, Calgary linebacker Osasare Odemwingie and the rest of their highly capable and talented class have restocked multiple positions for the Riders.
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
GRADE: B-
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Nuer Gatkuoth | DL | Wake Forest | 1st Round (4th) |
| Dante Daniels | TE | North Carolina State | 2nd Round (10th) |
| Kevin Cline | OL | Boston College | 2nd Round (20th) |
| Charles-Elliot Bouliane | LB | Montreal | 3rd Round (24th) |
| Ethan Stuart | DB | McMaster | 4th Round (33rd) |
| Brody Clark | LB | York | 5th Round (42nd) |
| Benjamin Britton | REC | Calgary | 6th Round (51st) |
| Joshua Jack | REC | Saint Mary’s | 7th Round (60th) |
| Brady Lidster | K | Windsor | 8th Round (69th) |
Wake Forest defensive lineman Nuer Gatkuoth is a nice piece if he continues to develop lower body power that a pro defensive ends requires.
The selection of North Carolina tight end Dante Daniels pick had me dazed and confused for a solid round on Tuesday. I tried to understand the fit and usage rate expected from the big bodied, primarily blocking tight end who doesn’t show true tackle instincts if he were to throw some weight on and switch positions.
Getting McMaster defensive back Ethan Stuart and York linebacker Brody Clark is great value. Mike O’Shea also added another kicker in the pipeline capable of 50+ yards walk-off wins in Windsor’s Brady Lister.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
GRADE: B
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Jonathan Denis | OL | Louisiana Tech | 1st Round (5th) |
| Malick Meiga | REC | Coastal Carolina | 2nd Round (14th) |
| Devynn Cromwell | DB | Michigan State | 3rd Round (25th) |
| Brayden Szeman | OL | Calgary | 4th Round (34th) |
| Loïk Gagné | LB | Concordia | 5th Round (43rd) |
| Marc Djonay Rondeau | LB | Ottawa | 6th Round (52nd) |
| Aamarii Notice | DL | Coastal Carolina | 7th Round (61st) |
| Kyler Laing | DL | Mercyhurst College | 8th Round (70th) |
I hope Jonathan Denis can stay healthy but you never know with a history like his.
The real upside here comes in the form of Coastal Carolina receiver Malick Meiga, Michigan State defensive back Devynn Cromwell and centre Brayden Szeman, who has legitimate starting middle man potential within the next few years.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
GRADE: C+
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Niklas Henning | OL | Queen’s | 1s Round (2nd) |
| Isaiah Smith | RB | Guelph | 2nd Round (11th) |
| Ethan John | DB | Windsor | 2nd Round (16th) |
| Louis-Philippe Gauthier | DB | Montreal | 3rd Round (22nd) |
| Darius McKenzie | LB | South Alabama | 3rd Round (23rd) |
| Nolan Ulm | REC | Eastern Washington | 4th Round (30th) |
| Frank Vreugdenhil | OL | McMaster | 5th Round (40th) |
| Tyriq Quayson | REC | Windsor | 6th Round (49th) |
| Nathan Walker | K | York | 7th Round (57th) |
| Weagbe Mombo | RB | Windsor | 8th Round (67th) |
| Sebastian Parsalidis | FB | Wilfrid Laurier | 8th Round (68th) |
Queen’s offensive lineman Niklas Henning is a tremendous player who I hope will grow into a long term All-CFL threat, but picking a running back in the second round because there weren’t many others available doesn’t feel overly inspired.
Windsor’s Ethan John is a scrappy undersized defensive back which was a theme of the Argos draft. Their choice to take receiver Nolan Ulm and offensive lineman Frank Vreugdenhil might just save the Double Blue 2026 class depth.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
GRADE: A
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Giordano Vaccaro | OL | Purdue | 1st Round (1st) |
| Émeric Boutin | FB | Laval | 2nd Round (13th) |
| Charlie Parks | DL | Saskatchewan | 4th Round (31st) |
| Alassane Diouf | OL | Montreal | 5th Round (39th) |
| Benjamin Dobson | LB | Calgary | 5th Round (41st) |
| Rene Konga | DL | Louisville | 6th Round (48th) |
| Josh Connors | LB | Wilfrid Laurier | 8th Round (66th) |
As always, the class will be defined by the top overall pick, but addressing needs is the name of the game here.
Émeric Boutin stands next in line to be a long term fullback starter who can do much more than block. Meanwhile, Charlie Parks works in behind Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund to hone his pass-rushing skills and the back end of Calgary’s Benjamin Dobson, Louisville’s Rene Konga, and Wilfrid Laurier’s Josh Connors might be the best last three picks of the selection show.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
GRADE: B-
| Player | Position | School | Selection |
| Rohan Jones | TE | Arkansas | 1st Round (8th) |
| Shakespeare Louis | DB | Southeastern Louisiana | 2nd Round (17th) |
| Nathan Udoh | REC | Manitoba | 3rd Round (28th) |
| Liam Talbot | RB | Windsor | 4th Round (37th) |
| Harrison Daley | DB | Windsor | 5th Round (46th) |
| Michael Horvat | K/P | McMaster | 6th Round (55th) |
| Cyrus McGarrell | DB | Northern Illinois | 7th Round (64th) |
| Zachary Houde | REC | St. Francis Xavier | 8th Round (73rd) |
If first round pick Rohan Jones arrives on the scene this grade improves dramatically. That said, the Alouettes will be unbothered by a B- because they’ve done such a great job building depth on their roster that they can afford to spend a pick hoping someone like Jones comes North.
The selection of Southern Louisiana defensive back Shakespeare Louis in the second round felt like a reach to me, but the solid size and positional variety of their subsequent picks, plus a top notch kicker/punter prospect in Michael Horvat, means the Als are doing just fine.
