Canadians to hear names called at NFL Draft on Friday, Saturday; CFL Draft set for Tuesday
Jett Elad awaits court ruling regarding eligibility lawsuit against NCAA
Day 1 of the NFL Draft is in the books. Bring on the Canucks.
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Heading south ✈️
The first round of the 2025 NFL Draft saw some storylines, with the Jacksonville Jaguars and Cleveland Browns swapping picks so that the Jags could get Travis Hunter, and his Colorado Buffaloes teammate, Shedeur Sanders, falling out of the first round.
But if you’re subscribed to this newsletter — thank you, by the way — you’re more interested in the guys from north of the border who could come off the board Friday and Saturday. So, here’s a breakdown of which Canadians may hear their names called:
Stanford Cardinal wide receiver Elic Ayomanor will likely go the highest in this draft, with most projections putting the Medicine Hat, Alta., product between the second and fourth rounds. One intriguing team that could get him as early as Friday — the second and third rounds — is the Detroit Lions, whose new passing game coordinator, David Shaw, was the Stanford head coach who brought Ayomanor to the Cardinal in 2022 (H/T: Justin Dillon). The Canadian is particularly great at catching the ball on intermediate passes, tying for the most receiving touchdowns on 10-19-yard throws among all ACC WRs, according to Pro Football Focus. Oh, and there was also that 294-yard, three-TD game against Travis Hunter’s Colorado defence in 2023, too.
(Video: @LawsNation/X)
Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke is the second of two Canadian picks that I’m sure will hear their names called by Saturday; everyone else is up in the air. The Oakville, Ont., native played the 2024 college football season on a torn ACL, but still managed 3,042 passing yards, 29 TDs through the air and an 85.1 QB rating while bringing Indiana to its first-ever double-digit win season and College Football Playoff berth.
Laurier Golden Hawks QB Taylor Elgersma is the first longshot in this list. Elgersma became the first-ever Canadian university QB to compete in the Senior Bowl in February, and NFL teams have been asking CFL teams about the Hec Crighton Trophy winner, according to 3DownNation. Other than his deep ball and the fact that he’s 6-foot-5, one of the London, Ont., product’s biggest upsides is his ability to convert on second down: Elgersma converted 58 per cent of all second-down passes in the OUA regular season.
LSU Tigers defensive lineman Paris Shand isn’t expected to get drafted, but his versatility puts the Toronto native on the map as a potential undrafted free agent signing for any team looking at DL depth. Shand was the only SEC DL to play at least 40 snaps at at least four different alignments in 2024, per PFF.
Bowling Green Falcons DL Ali Saad told me earlier this month that his early-April Detroit Lions local pro day went well. Like Shand, Saad will be a contender for a UDFA call, especially if the Lions liked what they saw. The 280-pound defensive end from Windsor, Ont., had the fourth-best run stop percentage among Group of Five edge defenders who played at least 190 snaps against the run in 2024, per PFF.
ICYMI: Read more about Saad’s Detroit Lions local pro day
Utah Utes WR Damien Alford didn’t get much action on the field in 2024, but his Big 12 pro day got him some attention. Measuring in between 6-foot-5 and 6-foot-6, the Montreal native ran a 4.47-second 40-yard dash, which was just 0.03 seconds off Ayomanor’s best NFL Combine time (4.44 seconds).
Montana Grizzlies WR Keelan White has some of the stickiest hands you’ll watch on tape. Among the seven D1 WRs with at least 80 targets and zero drops in 2024, Vancouver's own had the top contested catch percentage (61.1 per cent), per PFF.
Rutgers Scarlet Knights safety Jett Elad is awaiting a court ruling following his lawsuit against the NCAA regarding his eligibility for the 2025 college football season, per multiple reports. The Rutgers transfer from Mississauga, Ont., who’s been in college football since 2019, argues he should be able to play one more season because:
He redshirted his freshman year with the Ohio Bobcats in 2019.
The NCAA gave eligibility waivers for the 2020 season.
Elad used up eligibility in his final year at Ohio in 2021.
He transferred to Garden City Community College in 2022, which he believes shouldn't count against his NCAA eligibility because of another case that provides precedent: Vanderbilt Commodores QB Diego Pavia won a similar injunction in 2024, allowing him to waive his JUCO year and play another season.
The NCAA’s current rule is that student-athletes must play four seasons within five years. Elad played the last two seasons with the UNLV Rebels before transferring to Rutgers to finish his college career in 2025. If he does play, the Canadian is expected to make $500,000 U.S. in NIL at Rutgers. Both Elad and Scarlet Knights head coach Greg Schiano have already testified in court, and a decision should be coming soon.
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Up north 🍁
The CFL Draft will be on TSN on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. As some Canadians await their future in the NFL this week, others are looking at making their mark within three downs.
ICYMI: Read my CFL Combine recap to learn more about CFL Draft prospects
The Canadian senior men’s football team ended their time in Italy with a 56-0 blowout of the host country.
The win marked the team’s first game since 2011.
QBs Michael O’Connor and Chris Merchant split reps.
Former Western Mustangs linebacker Max Nixon scored two TDs — one pick-six on defence and a punt block return to the endzone on special teams.