CFL Draft: Abbotsford’s Nelson Lokombo goes second overall; Lions bet on the future
Abbotsford #Abbotsford
Nelson Lokombo will keep wearing the green and white, and in the same province, too.
The University of Saskatchewan defensive back was drafted second overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Draft on Tuesday, following in the football footsteps of his two older brothers Boloy and Boseko.
The Abbotsford native spent all of 2020 training with elder brother Bo — a member of the B.C. Lions — and was still one of the top prospects coming in, based on the defensive back’s standout five-year career with the University of Saskatchewan.
In 2017, he was the Huskies Rookie of the Year, making 38 tackles, one interception, five pass breakups, and a fumble recovery. In 2019, he was one of the best defensive players in the country, posting a team-high five interceptions, 39 tackles — including six for a loss — three sacks, four breakups, and a forced fumble. He was named a Canada West and Sports first team all-star, and took home the Presidents’ Trophy as the best stand-up defender in the country.
Lokombo credited his brothers for showing him what was possible.
“I really couldn’t get my eyes off of it,” Lokombo told CFL.ca . “I remember the day that my parents told me that they had gotten me into a team, I was probably the most excited kid you had ever seen. I was watching videos, just trying to play with pillows and pretend to tackle them. So it was great.
“Being able to watch both of my brothers play at high levels, it ingrained in me that I could do this too. I could be playing professional ball. Bo and Boloy were really crucial in me falling in love with the sport. Bo has sat me down and talked me through certain concepts and keys, and that’s really helped me through my development into University ball too.”
The B.C. Lions are betting on the future with this year’s CFL Draft.
Their two top picks — DE Daniel Joseph (fourth overall) and Alaric Jackson (15th overall) — won’t play a down for the Canadian Football League club this season, should it eventually happen.
Joseph is returning to N.C. State for his final year of eligibility, while Jackson, an Iowa Hawkeyes offensive tackle, signed a free-agent deal with the Los Angeles Rams earlier this week.
“They’re two guys …that we had very high on our board. Very good football players,” said Lions coach Rick Campbell. “We thought it was worth that pick that if (Joseph) shows up, he’s going to be an impact player. Also, Alaric Jackson played a lot of really good football for Iowa. We might have thought a little bit differently if he had been drafted, but that he wasn’t, we’re playing the odds that we will see them at some point.
“So we’ll wish those guys the best with this season, and look forward to seeing them in the future.”
The Lions had the first pick in the 2020 draft — linebacker Jordan Williams — but snagged a player in Joseph who many thought was going to be the first player taken this year. That honour went to Jake Burt, as Hamilton took the Boston College tight end at No. 1, a player no one had anywhere near the top end of the draft board.
The Lions felt they were rolling the dice a little bit with their two top picks, but were willing to take the risk.
“It’s a little bit of a bold strategy, but we want to think big picture. I think for us to get to where we want to be, a really strong organization and really build this team, his we got see the big picture, and that’s what we’re trying to do.”
Joseph, a 6-3, 250-pound Toronto native, is the brother of former CFL draft top pick Faith Ekakite (Winnipeg, 2017) and cousin of Wilfrid Laurier pass rusher Ese Mrabure-Ajufo, whom was taken by the Lions fifth overall in 2015.
Joseph had a goal of playing pro basketball until his junior year of high school — where he played with NBAers like Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson, Tyler Ennis, Jamal Murray and Dylan Brooks — but decided to concentrate on football,
He initially played for Penn State in college, but transferred to NC State, where be blossomed into one of the team’s top defensive players, recording a team-leading 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss in 10 games — third on the team — in eight starts.
The Lions made UBC’s Ben Hladik their third pick of the day, taking the Vernon, B.C., native 22nd overall in the third round.
A star at the combine, the Lions are hoping he can shine on the field and contribute right away.
Hladik ran an impressive 4.55 40-yard dash and pushed out 29 reps in the 225-pound bench press, part of an insanely athletic showing that led the Lions to draft him.
“We really think he has upside,” said Campbell, adding he had the potential to play anywhere from defensive end to linebacker.
“Man, he’s a unique guy when you see the way he tests. Height, weight, speed — Rick had a good interview with him. And like I said, at a minimum, we think he’s going to come in and have an impact on special teams. Those body types, they’re really hard to find, and in the CFL, special teams is just so important.”
Hladik was a standout with the Thunderbirds, being named a Canada West and USports in 2018 and 2019. The 6-foot-4, 238-pounder had 189 tackles, 28 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, five knockdowns, and one interception in 28 games with the UBC.
The Lions continued to beef up the line of scrimmage with their final two picks, taking DL Alfred Green of Wilfred Laurier (5th round, 40th overall) and OL lineman Tyler Packer of Calgary (6th round, 51st overall).
LOCAL LADS
Nick Cross of UBC was the final pick of the first round, with the six-foot, 182-pound linebacker going ninth overall to the Tiger-Cats. He’s more likely to play safety in the CFL game, netting 57 tackles, one sack and one interception in 2019 with the Thunderbirds.
The former Okanagan Sun player and Regina native had played for the University of Regina, becoming the first player in Rams’ history to win the Peter Gorman trophy — given to the national USports Rookie of the Year — in 2017, but a positive test for marijuana meant he had to give it up.
In the second round, the Edmonton football team took University of Calgary linebacker Grant McDonald 14th overall. The Dinos standout transferred to USports after playing tight end at the University of Maine so he could play with his two brothers.
The 6-3, 231-pound Tsawassen native, a South Delta grad, was a Canada West all-star in 2019.
It took until well into the second round for the top-rated receiver to come off the board in West Van’s Terrell Jana , with the former St. Thomas More Collegiate two-sport star going 17th overall to the Roughriders.
While not the fastest receiver in the class, his six-foot, 200-pound frame, character and hands helped him amass 122 receptions for 1,473 yards and five touchdowns in 33 games with the University of Virginia. His route-running and skillset seemed tailor-made for the CFL game.
The two-year captain of the Cavaliers was expected to go as high as the top five as one of the best offensive talents in the draft, but lasted until the second-last pick of the second round.
EAST OF THE ROCKIES
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats surprised everyone by taking Boston College tight end Jake Burt with the first overall pick. Burt, who was born in Regina and lived there for the first four years of his life, is a fast, athletic player with a six-foot-five, 245-pound frame.
He had 23 catches for 307 yards and two touchdowns with Boston College, and spent last season on the New England Patriots’ practice squad.
Ottawa’s Liam Dobson, an offensive lineman out of Maine, went third overall to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
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