16 Canadian prospects and a bevy of CFL scouts descended on the Dallas-Fort Worth area last weekend for one of the most important dates on the league’s scouting calendar: the College Gridiron Showcase.
Since its inception in 2014, CGS has served an essential dual purpose in the three-down football ecosystem as both a fertile recruiting space for rookie free agents and a proving ground for U Sports prospects looking to test themselves against American competition. Dozens of current CFL stars, including reigning M.O.P Brady Oliveira and Elks starting quarterback Tre Ford, have kicked off their draft process at the event, with others like current Bears’ offensive lineman Theo Benedet using it as a launch pad to the NFL.
This year came with unique challenges, as Winter Storm Cora hit Texas in the lead-up to kickoff and caused travel disruptions for many. Nevertheless, a larger than normal group of Canadian prospects made it there on time for the two days of on-field activities, with at least one being forced to drive through the night in a rental car after his scheduled flight was re-directed. In the end, all the extra effort was worthwhile, with strong performances almost across the board.
Amongst CFL prospects, the most intriguing name in attendance was also by far the biggest winner. Wilfrid Laurier University quarterback Taylor Elgersma stepped into action on Saturday at Southern Methodist University’s indoor practice facility and could have easily been mistaken for a player on that College Football Playoff team. The reigning Hec Crighton Trophy winner turned heads with both his prototypical six-foot-five, 213-pound frame and his impressive throwing velocity. The ball whistled off his hand and drew whispers from the scouts watching, quickly developing a consensus that he had the best pure arm talent at the event.
Sunday was a more challenging day for the London, Ont. native, as he missed some throws and erred on more than a few reads during the seven-on-seven passing session — which replaced the regular scrimmage due to scheduling changes necessitated by the weather. However, those mistakes were to be expected in what was his first time ever reading an American college defence. Three years ago, Tre Ford had similar challenges in his early sessions but a longer format allowed him time to learn from his mistakes. Elgersma was simply thrown into the fire.
While Elgersma lacks Ford’s unique athletic ability, he is by far a more polished passer than his counterpart was at this stage and it showed in their level of interest. Despite some elite flashes, Ford didn’t interview with a single NFL team during his four days in Texas back in 2022. Elgersma sat down with four franchises — the Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, and New York Giants — and had a fifth interview request from the Buffalo Bills re-scheduled. Three other teams had him fill out their prospect questionnaires for potential future discussions.
If there were any doubts left as to Elgersma’s legitimacy as a pro prospect, they melted this weekend like the Texas snowfall. He is not a gimmick or media creation, but a player who some CFL scouts believe could enter into the first-round conversation — if he doesn’t sign an NFL contract first. His next step towards that goal will be in Florida later this week when he participates in the Tropical Bowl’s Stardom Scrimmage.
Elgersma wasn’t alone in elevating his stock against big school competition. Queen’s University defensive tackle Darien Newell was an absolute wrecking ball during Saturday’s pass rush one-on-ones, violently knocking back opponents regardless of the logo on their helmets. At six-foot-three and 298 pounds, the three-time All-Canadian showed special twitch at his size and NFL calibre power, which resulted in an interview with the New England Patriots. I fully expect the Brampton, Ont. product to be one of the biggest stars at the CFL National Combine and will be flabbergasted if he isn’t a first-round selection come May.
Frankly, it was a great weekend for Canadian defensive linemen all around. Université de Montréal defensive end Jeremiah Ojo was somewhat limited during Sunday’s inside run session due to his comparatively small six-foot-two, 237-pound frame but flashed during many of his pass rush reps, showing great get-off and elite bend around the edge. Newell’s university teammate, Silas Hubert, stood out physically at six-foot-five and 259 pounds, effectively using his 34-inch arms for solid reps at both end and tackle despite sharing some of the same stiffness that plagued his brother, Owen, last year.
Recent CFL Draft addition Hayden Harris of the University of Montana checked all the boxes he needed to, demonstrating the consistent pass rush ability that made him a second-team All-Big Sky selection last year. Unsurprisingly, the product of Mill Creek, Wash. is still focused on his NFL dream but he looks thin at six-foot-five and 247 pounds with just 32-inch arms, which has CFL teams hopeful they’ll get him sooner rather than later. Fellow “fake Canadian” Kolade Amusan of the University of Windsor had a workman-like outing, struggling to overcome the limitations inherent in being a six-foot-one, 235-pound defensive end south of the border but never embarrassing himself.
The two Canadians with the most to prove at CGS, York’s Brandon Davies-Lyons and Kansas’ Dre Doiron, had starkly different experiences. A nose tackle for a winless team for most of his U Sports career before being forced to convert to offensive line due to injuries in 2024, Davies-Lyons was so tepidly regarded by CFL scouts entering the week that he wasn’t even invited to the National Combine. The six-foot-four, 301-pounder from Oshawa, Ont. successfully won over several evaluators in attendance with his hustle and play strength during Saturday’s one-on-ones before sadly having to bow out on Sunday with a minor knee injury.
Doiron was far less effective at answering the questions he faced after seeing next to no playing time for the Jayhawks the last three seasons and declaring early for the draft. Hoping he could prove he was still the player who started at tackle for Buffalo as a redshirt freshman, the product of London, Ont. struggled with his footwork on a number of reps and looked a little lost in the team period on Sunday. My conversation with him dispelled many of my initial concerns regarding his approach to the CFL process, but he’ll travel to Regina for the Combine with the most to gain — or lose — of any player.
The other two Canadian blockers had solid, if uneventful, performances. Lousiana-Monroe’s Sam Carson, who transferred from the University of Calgary, was technically sound and looked functional at tackle, although his lack of length will almost certainly lock him into guard. University of Regina’s Connor Klassen, who got his start in the CJFL after playing six-man football in tiny Big River, Sask., had some ups and downs in pass protection but really excelled during the inside run period, generating noticeable displacement.
At linebacker, North Texas’ Jaylen Smith and Windsor’s Devin Veresuk both had some memorable moments. The former, a walk-on for the Mean Green from Hamilton, Ont., pulled double duty on Saturday to take coverage reps at linebacker, safety, and cornerback in order to prove his versatility. At five-foot-11 and 222 pounds, NFL teams view him as too small and CFL teams see him as too heavy to play the same volume of reps in space that he did in college, but Smith proved he moves well enough to play SAM or safety in a pinch even if he projects as a WILL.
Veresuk, meanwhile, was much more fluid in coverage than I expected him to be at six-foot-two and 234 pounds, easily keeping up with a talented group of running backs. You can tell he’ll be a real winner during Combine testing in March, though I thought he struggled to key on the ball carrier and make plays through traffic during Sunday’s session. That can sometimes happen when forced to hold something back during a “thud only” drill and teams will rely on the tape to dismiss their concerns.
This was easily the best group of Canadian defensive backs I’ve seen in my four years making the trek to CGS, with all three players measuring in around the six-foot-two, 200-pound mark — elite length for their position. Ottawa’s Eric Cumberbatch will likely blow up the testing in Regina like he did at the East-West Bowl a few years ago and it showed in how he moves, though he lacked the ball awareness to finish a lot of plays at corner.
Western safety Jackson Findlay, the top-rated U Sports prospect in the September Scouting Bureau rankings, lived up to the billing and showed exceptional range. Some team is going to fall in love with the aspiring doctor from North Vancouver and use a high pick to make him the fourth generation of his family to play in the CFL.
The biggest riser among the DBs may have been Queen’s University’s Ashton Miller-Melancon, who rounded out an impressive trio of Gaels. After making 16 interceptions in his U Sports career, the Montrealer added one during one-on-ones on Saturday and another during the team period on Sunday. The all-star halfback looked remarkably comfortable and very fluid at corner, recovering when beaten to make a couple of nice knockdowns as well.
Wrapping up the Canuck contingent was receiver Ethan Jordan, Elgersma’s favourite target at Laurier. Weighing in at just five-foot-10 and 168 pounds, the slight-bodied speedster is going to cause a lot of internal angst for scouts. He was as quick as any receiver in attendance with an excellent release and great route running, catching everything thrown his way. However, a player that size is a tough sell to keep on a CFL roster due to their special teams limitations and there will be debate as to whether the two-time All-Canadian has enough compensating factors to be worth the bet as a future starting receiver.
A solid CGS performance will help answer that question and has put several of these prospects on an upward trajectory early in the draft process. While it is just one step on a long journey and will impact players’ final grades only slightly, the final evaluation of this event continues to prove that Canadian athletes from all levels can perform and excel against players from even the most elite institutions.