The Edmonton Elks selected linebacker Joel Dublanko first overall in the CFL draft Tuesday night.
Edmonton had the first selection after finishing last in the West Division with a 4-14 record.
The 6-foot-3, 240-pound Dublanko was regarded as the most pro-ready draft prospect. After his college career at Cincinnati, he spent time in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks before playing in 2023 with the USFL’s Philadelphia Stars.
An American, Dublanko was eligible for the CFL draft because he has a Canadian parent.
The Ottawa Redblacks followed by taking receiver Nick Mardner second overall. The 6-foot-6, 206-pound native of Oakville, Ont., played in the NCAA with Hawaii, Clemson and Auburn.
Over his collegiate career, Mardner had 81 receptions for 1,488 yards (18.4-yard average) and 11 TDs. Mardner was invited to the New York Giants rookie mini-camp.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders, preparing for their first season under rookie head coach Corey Mace, looked to shore up their offensive line at No. 3, taking Toronto native Kyle Hergel of Boston College. But the 6-foot-2, 300-pound guard signed a free-agent deal with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.
At No. 4, the Calgary Stampeders took McGill defensive back Benjamin Labrosse. The six-foot, 190-pound Labrosse was a first-team All-Canadian at cornerback in 2022 but was also invited to the Giants’ rookie mini-camp.
The Toronto Argonauts, who dealt Canadian receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to Edmonton during the off-season, landed Laval’s Kevin Mital with the fifth pick. The 2022 Hec Crighton Trophy winner impressed at the CFL combine, posting a 4.58-second 40-yard dash as well as 20 reps in the 225-pound bench press.
Earlier in the day, the Elks selected linebacker Eteva Mauga-Clements first overall in the CFL’s global draft.
The 6-foot-4, 218-pound Mauga-Clements, from American Samoa, last played football at the University of Nebraska in 2022. He participated in the CFL’s national combine last month, posting a 4.73-second 40-yard dash time, a 35-inch vertical leap and 13 reps in the 225-pound bench press.
A total of 18 players (two per team) were taken over two rounds.
Predictably, five of the first nine selections were specialists (punters or kickers). They included Australian punters Matt Hayball of Vanderbilt (No. 2, Ottawa), Nik Constantinou of Texas A&M (No. 5, Hamilton), Eastern Kentucky’s Jeremy Edwards (No. 7, Toronto) and James Madison’s Sam Clark (No. 9, Montreal).
Hayball signed as an undrafted free agent with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints on Monday.
The B.C. Lions took kicker/punter Carl Meyer of the Jacksonville Sharks, an Arena football team, at No. 6. Meyer is South African and a former rugby player.
The Lions made an interesting selection in the second round, taking Australian punter Tory Taylor at No. 15 overall. The former Iowa Hawkeye, a two-time All-American, was taken in the fourth round of last weekend’s NFL draft by the Chicago Bears after posting a 46.3-yard career average and 127 punts inside the opposition’s 20-yard line.
Specialists dominated the selection as seven punters/kickers were among the 18 players selected. Defensive linemen (four), linebackers (three), receivers (two), offensive line and defensive back (one each) rounded out the picks.
This was the fourth CFL draft that pooled global players together. Previously, separate selections were made for Mexican, European and Japanese players.