The Edmonton Elks have their guy, drafting Canadian linebacker Dariel Djabome third overall in the 2026 CFL Draft.
Djabome, a native of Longueuil, Que., just finished his senior season at Rutgers, playing 47 games across four seasons, making 25 starts at linebacker. He ended his collegiate career playing in 34 consecutive games, totaling 192 tackles, 13 for a loss, while notching 5.5 sacks.
Standing at 6-foot-2, 237 lbs., Djabome was a team captain this past season for the Scarlet Knights, starting all 12 games, finishing the season second on the team in tackles with 71. He was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, which recognizes the “absolute best football scholar-athlete in the nation for combined academic success, football performance, and exemplary leadership,” and finished as an All-Big Ten honourable mention. In 2024, he was a finalist for the Jon Cornish Trophy, awarded to the top Canadian player in NCAA football.
Djabome, who went undrafted in the 2026 NFL draft last week, received an invite to attend the Washington Commanders’ rookie camp, 3DownNation reported Sunday.
“Djabome is the perfect positional fit for Edmonton considering their previous lack of depth behind Joel Dublanko, a fellow Canadian who won the starting job at middle linebacker in 2025,” 3DownNation’s John Hodge said of the Elks’ selection.
He has family ties to the Elks, who drafted his older brother Rossini Sandjong-Djabome in the seventh round of the 2021 draft. Rossini, a defensive end, played five games for the Elks in 2021.
The Edmonton Elks entered Tuesday’s CFL draft with nine picks: one in the first round, two in the second (12th and 19th overall), one in the third (21st overall, from Ottawa), two in the fourth round (32nd, and 35th overall, from Calgary through Ottawa), one in the sixth round (50th overall) and two in the seventh (58th overall, from Toronto, and 59th overall).
