In conjunction with the CFL Combine, Riderville.com is profiling the four attendees from Saskatchewan-based university teams. The four-part series continues today with a story on University of Regina Rams offensive lineman Ethan Graham.<\/p>\n
While routinely lining up in a three-point stance, Ethan Graham provides six-point credentials.<\/p>\n
The 6-foot-7, 315-pound University of Regina Rams standout \u2014\u00a0one of 82 participants at the 2026 CFL Combine \u2014\u00a0is the rare offensive lineman who can discuss the excitement of scoring a touchdown in the U Sports ranks.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, I still talk about that,\u201d Graham said from Edmonton, where the Combine runs from Friday to Sunday. \u201cThat is one of my favourite memories.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think it\u2019ll ever happen again. I don\u2019t get too many touchdowns, so when I saw that ball go up in the air, I knew I was coming down with it no matter what.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham caught a one-yard TD pass against the host University of Manitoba Bisons on Sept. 29, 2023.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Former Campbell Tartans all-star signal-caller) Brayden Wagg was a linebacker playing as our short-yardage sneak quarterback, so every time we lined up at the goal line, I was the sixth lineman at that point in my career,\u201d recalled Graham, who became entrenched as a starter in 2024.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery time we lined up near the goal line, I thought, \u2018Is this going to be the day we run it?\u2019 We kept saving it and finally, when we got to Manitoba, we ran it. We had been stuffed on the goal line once or twice that game, so we finally pulled it out.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was just excited. You can see it on the film. One thing the coaches told me was, \u2018Make sure you report (to the officials as an eligible receiver), because if you catch the ball and don\u2019t report, this is going to mean nothing,\u2019 so I think I looked at six different refs and reported several times.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then, when the time came, I saw the ball go up and I came down with it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham thus became just the second U of R Rams offensive lineman to be credited with a catch. Brenden Bennett registered the team\u2019s ice-breaking O-lineman reception in 2008.<\/p>\n
For Graham, the gridiron journey began in earnest shortly after he enrolled at Sheldon-Williams Collegiate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started taking football super seriously in Grade 9, after I was cut from the basketball team in high school,\u201d he recalled. \u201cI loved basketball growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cI played football (for the Sheldon-Williams Spartans) in my Grade 9 year and then tried out for (junior boys) basketball. When they cut me, I figured, \u2018I\u2019m going to put all my focus and energy into football,\u2019 and that\u2019s when I really fell in love with the game.\u201d<\/p>\n
Why, the towering Graham was asked, would the basketball team cut someone who now stands 6-foot-7?<\/p>\n
\u201cI was still just a short little fat kid,\u201d he responded with a laugh. \u201cI hadn\u2019t hit my growth spurt. In Grade 9, I was about 5-foot-10 \u2026 maybe six feet.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Grade 12, he dealt with the height of frustration. His senior season of high school football was wiped out by the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was definitely tough,\u201d Graham said. \u201cI don\u2019t know what I\u2019d be doing without football. It\u2019s my life. So when it was taken away from me, it made me realize how much I love it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Realizing there was a void for so many players, local football teams and organizations created an opportunity for Graham and others in his situation.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Rams, Regina Thunder and Football Saskatchewan put on a two-week camp for players to come out and just work on their football craft,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n
\u201c(Rams head coach) Mark McConkey immediately noticed my size and just the pure potential I had and offered me a scholarship \u2014\u00a0an opportunity to play for the team right there.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Thunder also made me an offer. I thought about it for a few days and ultimately decided I was going to go to the Rams. I took that opportunity, ran with it, and worked as hard as I could to get to where I am right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
To this day, Graham is grateful to the Rams, the PFC\u2019s Thunder and Football Saskatchewan for going the extra mile to benefit developing players.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven though we were in a dark time due to COVID and sport was taken away, people still banded together to keep sport going,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt meant a lot that they did that, because sport is really important.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mindset was instilled in Graham at a young age. His mother, Cori Watson, played college basketball in Alberta before becoming a member of Canada\u2019s national bobsleigh team.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy mom has always been an athletic person,\u201d her proud son noted. \u201cShe loves sports and played a lot of them growing up, so for her to give me some of those athletic genes, it was nice.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe could have very well made it to the Olympics, but she gave that up to become a mother.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham is now determined to make his mark nationally by becoming a mainstay in the CFL.<\/p>\n
One key step in that direction is the Combine. Today\u2019s agenda consists of testing in the morning and the bench press in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
The testing component consists of the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill, short shuttle, broad jump and vertical jump.<\/p>\n
Two practice sessions will follow on Saturday. A final practice is to be held on Sunday, concluding an event that is presented by Anytime Fitness.<\/p>\n
Prospects for the 2026 CFL Draft, to be held April 28, will also be interviewed by representatives of the nine teams.<\/p>\n
Graham and defensive back Carson Sombach are the Rams\u2019 representatives at the Combine.<\/p>\n