How the Ottawa Redblacks attacked 2025 CFL draft day
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For the second year in a row, the Ottawa Redblacks went to the wide receiver well with their first pick in the Canadian Football League draft.
After making Nick Mardner the second overall choice in the 2024 selection process, the Redblacks opted for former University of Montana pass catcher Keelan White with the third pick Tuesday night.
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A 6-foot-2, 190-pounder former walk-on with the Grizzlies, White caught 161 passes for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns over his college career.
Last season he did not drop a ball while registering 57 receptions for 628 yards and four touchdowns, and in December he was presented the 2024 Jon Cornish Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian student-athlete in NCAA football.
A Brown (as in quarterback Dru) to White chemistry could form early this season if Redblacks GM Shawn Burke’s expectations that the 23-year-old North Vancouver product pushes for playing time can be met.
“Keenan is a productive, versatile receiver who brings dependability and football intelligence to our club,” said Burke. “We’re extremely pleased to welcome him to the Ottawa Redblacks.”
After a slow start that saw him have just 95 receiving yards through Week 11, the 6-foot-6 Mardner finished his rookie season with 26 receptions for 300 yards and three touchdowns.
To kick off the draft on Tuesday, the Calgary Stampeders selected Damien Alford, a 6-foot-6, 211-pound wide receiver who had 1,291 receiving yards in 44 games with Syracuse (2020-2023) and Utah (2024).
The Hamilton Ticats made Devin Veresuk, a 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker with the Windsor Lancers, as the second pick.
Focus turns to the lines
With their second pick (12th overall), the Redblacks grabbed Sam Carson, a 6-foot-4, 300-pounder from Calgary who made nine starts for the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks last season.
Before his time in Louisiana, Carson anchored a University of Calgary O-line that was coached by his father Paul, a two-time Vanier Cup-winning offensive guard with the Dinos in 1985 and 1988.
During Sam’s time in Calgary, the Dinos averaged 175 yards rushing per game and 6.2 yards per carry.
“Sam is a highly competitive offensive lineman who played at a very high level in 2024,” said Burke. “His combination of versatility and intelligence will serve as an asset to our team.”
Without a pick in the third round, the Redblacks took Northwestern Oklahoma State defensive lineman Muftah Ageli with the 33rd selection in the fourth.
The 6-foot-2, 298-pound Windsor native was named Third Team All-Conference last season after recording 34 tackles, four tackles for losses and one sack over 10 games.
Padding the backfields
With their fifth-round pick, the Redblacks took University of Ottawa defensive back Eric Cumberbatch 42nd overall, and in the sixth-round they took Wilfred Laurier receiver Ethan Jordan 51st overall.
In the seventh-round, Ottawa selected Wilfred Laurier linebacker Jayden Griffiths 60th overall, and in Round 8 grabbed King Ambers, a DB at East Texas A&M University.
What did the Redblacks do at the CFL Global Draft on Tuesday morning?
Ottawa brought in some ‘down under’ competition for veteran Richie Leone at the two-round selection process of players from outside Canada and the U.S.. With the fifth overall pick, the Redblacks selected Australian punter Callum Eddings from Stephen F. Austin and followed that by taking Australian under James Burnip, an Alabama product, with the 14th overall choice.
Eddings, who’s from Ivanhoe East, Victoria, transferred from McNeese State to Stephen F. Austin last season and averaged 45.3 yards on 50 attempts, including a 67-yarder against UIW in November. Burni, a native of Mount Macedon, Victoria, ended his college career with a 43.9-yard average that was second in Crimson Tide history. Last season, his 45.5 yards per punt was fourth best in the SEC and ninth nationally, which earned him recognition as a semifinalist for the Ray Guy Award as punter of the year.
But for either player, it’s going to be difficult to unseat the incumbent.
The 33-year-old Leone, who started his CFL career in 2015 with the B.C. Lions, has been the Redblacks’ punter for the last six seasons and he’s booting the ball as impressively as ever. Last season, his 48-yard average was third in the CFL, behind Edmonton’s Jake Julien (54-yard average) and Toronto’s Jake Haggerty (50.3), and was Leone’s best campaign since 2019, when he averaged 48.4 yards per punt.
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