Inside the CFL: Draft snub fuels Alouettes rusher Thomas Erlington's long run in pro football

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As a Canadian tailback, Sean Thomas Erlington didn’t believe he would be selected in the first round of the 2017 CFL draft.

But neither did he think he’d last until the eighth, and final, round on draft night, when Université de Montréal players gathered at CEPSUM for a watch party. Sixty-five names were called before Thomas Erlington heard his, selected 66th overall by Hamilton. Only five players were taken after him.

“After the seventh round I made up my mind — I’m not getting drafted,” Thomas Erlington, 33, the Alouettes’ starting tailback, told The Gazette this week. “Nothing against those guys, but I saw a lot (being drafted) I felt I was better than. It was late in the draft. All I wanted was a shot.”

As he was about to resign himself to what seemed inevitable, Thomas Erlington heard a shout from the back of the room. But while there was some immediate relief, reality also quickly set in.

“When you’re taken in the eighth round, you’re not necessarily in the plans,” he quipped.

But Thomas Erlington proved to be an exception, spending six seasons with the Tiger-Cats — starting for Hamilton in 2019 before suffering a torn knee ligament after four games. He signed with Montreal as a free agent in 2024. And Als management thought so highly of his running and blocking skills, the team made him the surprise starter this season at the expense of import Walter Fletcher.

Thomas Erlington played his 100th career game on July 5 against B.C.

“When you look at the career span in the CFL, it’s pretty low,” said the Montreal native. “Being able to make it five, six years and plus … it’s a big deal. That number marks a good milestone for any CFL player. I didn’t think I’d get to 100, but I kept going, rolling with the punches. And here I am.”

The Als didn’t have a first-round pick in 2017, having traded it for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., now with Calgary. Few from that draft class remain active, including only one — Toronto linebacker Cameron Judge — who was selected in the first round.

Als general manager Danny Maciocia, the Carabins’ head coach at the time, remembers being astonished as round after round was completed without hearing Thomas Erlington’s name.

“I don’t remember what he was going through, but I remember what I was going through,” Maciocia said. “I couldn’t believe that he was getting overlooked. I’ll go a step further — and I have no problem saying this — this is a guy that should have been drafted by the Alouettes. In their own backyard. On the other side of the mountain. Had the Alouettes … paid attention, he should have been here. It wasn’t a question of him being a first- or second-round pick. Do the math.

“This one was a serious miss. I never had the conversation, but I know him well enough. I know what drives him. That might have been the best thing that ever happened to him. He had to go out there with a chip on his shoulder and prove to people that he’s able and capable of playing in this league and playing at a relatively high level. Sometimes you’re better off breaking into the league and playing for another team and having the opportunity, hopefully, to finish it in your hometown.”

Thomas Erlington’s statistics won’t dazzle anyone, but only four teams run the ball less than the Als. He has 66 carries for 308 yards (a solid 4.6-yard average) and two touchdowns . He has also caught seven passes for 61 yards, scoring once, and returned one kickoff for 16 yards. At 5-foot-9 and 218 pounds, Thomas Erlington is hardly the CFL’s biggest tailback, but he can run, catch and, most importantly, block.

Not only is he a complete player, he’s also a ratio changer.

“I’ll be honest. When the year started, I wasn’t expecting to be the starter — not that I didn’t think it was possible,” Thomas Erlington said. “I was surprised, but very happy and excited. It was a big surprise. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

Soft-spoken and reflective, Thomas Erlington said the end of his parents’ marriage when he was 16 profoundly changed his life. It took years for him to recover from the shock. He said it affected him emotionally in school and with his friends.

He hasn’t cut his hair since 2019; his famous dreadlocks grown in homage to his Jamaican father, Clifford Erlington, although it’s his mother, Dominique Thomas, who attends games more regularly.

And as quickly as Fletcher’s Als career ended, Thomas Erlington realizes his status could change just as abruptly.

“I definitely know it’s a position that’s hard to keep,” he said. “The age I’m at … not being an American … you could say I count my blessings. I know, from one week to another, it could change. They could decide next week (to make a roster change) and move on from me. A lot can change and I don’t take anything for granted.”