First Round, 3rd Overall: Dariel Djabome (LB, Rutgers)
I was admittedly a little surprised by this pick on draft night. As I tweeted, the Edmonton Elks have a good core of Joel Dublanko, Nick Anderson, and Brock Mogensen to fill two spots in the Will and the Mac in the LBing core. Djabome would presumably be fighting for one of those spots, because I don’t see him as a Sam (the Sam is a little more mobile and built like a DBH of a safety, and Djabome has prototypical size for the Will or Mac positions), and he would be fighting against three proven CFL’ers who aren’t just proven but are bluntly good CFL players. So, like I said, I was surprised. I figured he would cut his teeth as a teamer, and then since GM Ed Hervey seems to have a reluctance to pay LBers, in a few years when one of those three is gone, Djabome will be playing cheap.
My ElksNation co-host Eddie Steelie had a chance to be a part of an alumni meeting where he made the point that the Elks are very high on Djabome. Like, very high. And to be fair, it makes sense. He was the top-ranked LB in the draft, and kind of by a wide margin. He signed a rookie camp deal as well with the Commanders, so keep that in mind, but they fully expect him to come in and compete for a starting spot if he’s there. Which isn’t always, and probably often isn’t, said of even high slot CFL draft picks. Knowing that information, I don’t think you can help but be high on him. If there’s a real belief he can come in and compete with those guys, then well, ElksNation, you got one. To put a pin in it — he’s an absolute tackle monster with 105 in 13 games in 2024 at Rutgers. Sometimes tackles can actually be a misleading stat, but someone has to get them, and this guy loves to find the play.
Grade: A
Second Round, 12th Overall: Benjamin Sanguah (DB/LB, UBC)
I was again a little surprised the Elks didn’t target OL here, but with the upside of Sanguah you can understand it. And Hervey touched on it in the media availability: “His upside is tremendous.”
He can play the Sam and can also rotate in the secondary, and while his frame screams corner, he’s better suited as a DHB. He had 29 PBU’s in 41 games while playing at UBC. That’s a very impressive clip. He gets hands on balls, and plays very well when dropping into zone coverage. He’s also accepted an NFL mini-camp invite from the Indianapolis Colts following the 2026 NFL Draft, so that’s something to keep in mind but is far from unusual. I think the Elks’ secondary is the strongest part of their team, so again, I was surprised by this pick here, but if his upside is what Ed says it is, Elks fans will have something to write home about.
Grade: B+
Second Round, 19th Overall: Wesley Bailey (DE, Louisville)
Now Weseley is a tremendous talent, I’m not going to act like he’s not. He’s also signed an undrafted FA deal with the LA Rams and was drafted to the position I feel probably has more depth and competition than any at DE.
“Whether we see him in a year, or two, or three years, it’s just one of those selections that we felt very good about,” said Hervey.
Those were Ed’s comments regarding Bailey. And I mean, yeah, I agree. It’ll be awesome if he ends up here, because I think he’s really good. But isn’t there maybe a degree of we should spend a second-round pick, the 19th overall, on a position that maybe has a bit more need? That we can conceivably have play and produce for us sooner than later? Just my thoughts. No knock on the player because he can ball. Fast off the line and good with his hands, although I would’ve liked to see his sack totals a little higher throughout his college career. The draft grade may seem a little harsher than intended, and isn’t necessarily a reflection of the player, but more the pick and the factoring in of positional need etc.
Grade: C+
Third Round, 21st Overall: Carter Kettyle (WR, U of A)
The local kid stays home! Always a great story. Carter’s got a great motor, and really produced at the U Sports level. Eddie also made the astute point that if there was any pro team that knew a U of A product the best, it would be the Elks. So that should give you added confidence on the scouting. Ed said they felt he was most ready to come in and contribute, which I thought was a little surprising. I felt his game needed to be polished a little to be pro ready, and would like to see him add some strength. He’s got good hands, and is good with the ball in his hands when picking up YAC yardage. Another gripe that I hate bringing up is that I still wish there would’ve been an o-line pick.
Grade: B-
Fourth Round, 32nd Overall: Spencer Walsh (OL, Laurier)
I’m going to be completely honest with this one: I don’t know much about Spencer Walsh. I don’t watch a lot of OUA and I really don’t watch a lot of OUA linemen. Tape on OUA linemen can be hard to find. The OUA also isn’t a conference known for its lineman. All I know is that Eddie said if he saw a guard or a centre similar to his measurements (and Spencer is about 6’3″ and 290), he was licking his chops. So yeah, don’t love it as the first OL taken for the Elks. But they watched a HECK of a lot more of this guy’s tape than I did.
Grade: C- (It could be a D, it could be an A or B.)
Fourth Round, 35th Overall: Justin Pace (LB, Queens)
You want to talk about Djabome being a tackle monster? Pace had 232 tackles in 42 games. Again, tackles aren’t always the most indicative stat of a players ability, but someone has to make them. If nothing else, this guy loves to get involved in the play. And you love that. Because that’s a guy that is going to fly down on special teams and go make the tackle.
Grade: C
Sixth Round, 50th Overall: Chris Pashula (OL, U of C)
Now Chris Pashula hails from CanWest, which is a conference known for their linemen. He started primarily at LG, which certainly is a position that has room for improvement. When you draft a CanWest OL, you’re kind of drafting like a Nebraska, or Iowa, or Wisconsin OL. I tried to take it in the SEC direction, but Eddie steered me back to Big 10 country. I like the conference, I like the fit, but there’s also a reason he went 18 spots behind the previous OL.
Grade: C+
Seventh Round, 58th Overall: Eloa Latendresse-Regimbald (QB/WR, McGill)
Brad Sinopli? Is that you? The Elks sure hope so. But then again, who wouldn’t wish for that? I don’t see a future for Eloa as a QB in the CFL. He’s a super athletic dual-threat QB, but he’ll have to convert to WR.
Hervey said as much: “We know that’s a long-term project as far as a position change, but we also believe that he has some skills that he can play wide receiver, and do some things for us short yardage.”
He completed 48 per cent of his passes last season, and is one heck of an athlete. So we’ll see what the transition process looks like.
Grade: C-
Seventh Round, 59th Overall: Matthew Ljuden (OL, U of A)
Camp body? A 6’0″, 290 lb. centre. Eddie said it on the podcast: “Go prove us wrong.” And hey — he was at U of A. Which pro team would know him better?
Grade: D
First Round, 3rd Overall Global Draft: Jesus Gomez (K, ASU)
Hailing from Mexico, Gomez had a very good career as a college kicker. He was 77.3% on his FG’s (average is presumed to be 72-76 per cent), and he was 96 per cent on PAT’s. That’s a really, really good clip for the college game. Don’t let the sub 80 per cent fool you. Come in and be the hero, Mr. Gomez! That’s the kicker’s job.
Grade: C
Second Round, 12th Overall Global Draft: Jeffery M’Ba (DL, SMU)
Talk about raw natural talent and size. M’Ba is 6’6 312. My goodness, talk about built in a lab. He was signed by the Commanders, and quite bluntly does have lots to flesh out, but like I said the raw talent and sheer size is ridiculous, and something in and of itself to be excited about.
Grade: B-
