The Edmonton Elks have signed their entire 2022 CFL Draft class, including defensive back Enock Makonzo (round one), quarterback Tre Ford (round one), defensive lineman Jacob Plamondon (round two), offensive lineman Marc-David Bien-Aimé (round three), long snapper Peter Adjey (round three), receiver Gavin Cobb (round four), linebacker Wesley Appolon (round five), defensive back Jeremie Dominique (round six), running back Jean-Paul Cimankinda (round seven), and linebacker Nate Edwards (round eight).
Defensive tackle J-Min Pelley, who was selected in the 2022 CFL Supplemental Draft on May 5, has also been signed.
Makonzo took snaps as an edge defender, box linebacker, and slot corner as a redshirt senior at Coastal Carolina University in 2021. In 13 games with the Chanticleers, the five-foot-eleven, 195-pound defender made 71 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Over three seasons with the Chanticleers, he appeared in 27 games and made 150 tackles, 21.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, and five forced fumbles.
Prior to enrolling at Coastal Carolina, Makonzo attended New Mexico Military Institute where he played two seasons for the Broncos in the Southwest Junior College Football Conference. He recorded 105 tackles and 14.5 tackles for loss over 18 career games.
Ford swept university football’s top honours last season, winning both the U Sports and OUA Most Outstanding Player awards in 2021 while being named an All-Canadian and first-team OUA All-Star. In six games, he completed 63.4 per cent of his passes for 1,465 yards and 10 touchdowns, while adding 629 rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
Plamondon recorded 39 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, six sacks, and one forced fumble in four seasons with the Calgary Dinos. The Red Deer, Alta. product was part of Calgary’s 2019 Vanier Cup championship team, which claimed the U Sports national championship with a 27-13 win over the Montreal Carabins.
Bien-Aimé is returning to football after having his college career at Fresno State cut short by a meniscus injury. The Montreal product, who graduated with a sociology degree in 2021, appeared in just one game for the Bulldogs as a true freshman in 2018. He previously played two seasons as a defensive tackle for Montmorency College in Laval, Que.
Adjey played nine games for the Gaels last season. The Toronto native joined Queen’s back in 2018 and was the lone long snapper selected in the 2022 CFL Draft.
Cobb had 27 receptions for 340 yards and five touchdowns with the Manitoba Bisons this past season. The Victoria, B.C. native also had a punt return touchdown and combined for 322 yard on returns and was a Canada West All-Star as a returner. He shared the win in the vertical jump at the 2022 CFL Combine with a leap of 40.5 inches.
Appolon recorded 61 total tackles, one sack, and two deflected passes in 11 games for Tuskegee University in 2021. The Montreal native got draft night bragging rights over his twin brother, Woodly, who went 40th overall to the Ottawa Redblacks.
Dominique racked up 40 tackles, six tackles for loss, two sacks, and three pass deflections at the University of Charleston on his way to second-team all-conference honours at safety last season.
Cimankinda rushed for 426 yards in six games with the Gee-Gees in 2021. Prior to joining Ottawa, he played at Guelph (2018) where his top performance was a 256-yard effort against the Waterloo Warriors while adding eight touchdowns that season.
Edwards, who joined McMaster in 2017, played in six games last season for the Marauders, registering 33 total tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble. The Ancaster, Ont. product enjoyed his best season in 2019 when he recorded a total of 77 tackles, 6.5 sacks, five pass breakups, and an interception.
A month out from the start of the 2022 CFL season, the Elks are a bit of a longshot to win the West () and Grey Cup () at Ontario sportsbooks. That said, hopes are that this newly-signed class will be part of the solution in Edmonton.
