{"id":629455,"date":"2026-04-26T08:13:24","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T08:13:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/629455\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T08:13:24","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T08:13:24","slug":"4-under-the-radar-2026-cfl-canadian-draft-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/629455\/","title":{"rendered":"4 under-the-radar 2026 CFL Canadian Draft prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

The final countdown to Tuesday\u2019s 2026 CFL Canadian Draft is underway.<\/p>\n

The CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness is in the books. Marshall Ferguson has dropped his Mock Draft 2.0<\/a>. And the CFL Scouting Bureau has released their spring rankings<\/a>, which serve as their final rundown ahead of draft day.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve had our eye on top Canadian talent throughout the season, which includes University of Miami linebacker Akheem Mesidor. Ranked number one in all three releases by the Scouting Bureau, Mesidor was selected 22nd overall by the Los Angeles Chargers in the first round of the NFL Draft earlier this week<\/a>.<\/p>\n

While we expect Mesidor to go very late to a CFL team on Tuesday, if at all, the names at the top of this year\u2019s Canadian crop have become established. For instance, Ferguson has Purdue offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro going number one overall, up a few spots from his first mock draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wake Forest defensive lineman Nuer Gatkuoth, Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome, and Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell have all garnered plenty of buzz near the top of the order, as well.<\/p>\n

And now, with the big day approaching, here are four names we\u2019ve heard a little less about that you should also be keeping an eye on.<\/p>\n

\"CFLCFL CANADIAN DRAFT
\u00bb\u00a0CFL reveals 2026 CFL Draft and 2026 Global Draft order<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Mock Draft 2.0: Who\u2019s going first overall to Ottawa?<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Who should Ottawa pick first overall in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft?<\/a>
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KEVIN CLINE | OFFENSIVE LINEMAN | BOSTON COLLEGE
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Boston College offensive lineman Kevin Cline could hear his name called early in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft (Boston College Athletics)<\/p>\n

Kevin Cline could end up being selected right near the top of the first round, and yet he\u2019ll be a relatively unknown name for all but the most hardcore draft watchers. Added to the 2026 draft class late in the game after obtaining Canadian citizenship, Cline has plenty of draft experts buzzing about him as a potential cornerstone piece.<\/p>\n

Listed at six-foot-seven and 320 pounds, Cline spent a total of six seasons with Boston College and gradually worked his way up the depth chart. Partially due to a major injury as a redshirt sophomore, Cline was used sparingly until 2025 when he started all 11 games at right tackle. Cline also made his CFL Scouting Bureau debut at number seven in this month\u2019s final release<\/a>.<\/p>\n

MALICK MEIGA | RECEIVER | COASTAL CAROLINA
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Coastal Carolina receiver Malick Meiga turned heads with his speed ahead of the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft (Coastal Carolina Athletics)<\/p>\n

Also making his Scouting Bureau debut at 17, Malick Meiga is an intriguing prospect mostly due to his blazing speed. At his Coastal Carolina pro day, Meiga scorched the timesheet with an officially clocked 40-yard dash at 4.43 seconds. That would have been the fastest time recorded at the CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness Canada<\/a>, by a healthy 0.07-second margin.<\/p>\n

The rest of Meiga\u2019s pro day measurables were strong and he was also at the CFL Combine, where he clocked a 4.34-second shuttle time. It\u2019ll be hard for CFL teams to ignore Meiga\u2019s gifts as he comes off his most productive NCAA season. Last year with the Chanticleers, Meiga recorded 209 receiving yards and one touchdown in nine appearances.<\/p>\n

ERIC RASCOE | LINEBACKER | ANGELO STATE
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Angelo State linebacker Eric Rascoe has generated first-round buzz ahead of Tuesday\u2019s draft (Timothy Matwey\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n

Much like Cline\u2019s situation, Eric Rascoe obtained his Canadian citizenship late in the game. And while he didn\u2019t crack the Scouting Bureau\u2019s final rankings, Rascoe has been generating plenty of buzz as a first-round pick. In fact, Ferguson has him going to Toronto at number two in his latest mock<\/a>.<\/p>\n

After spending six seasons with Angelo State in the Division II Lone Star Conference, Rascoe played in the Indoor Football League last year with his hometown San Antonio. In 2024, his last year with Angelo State, Rascoe racked up 55 defensive tackles, four sacks, three interceptions, and a fumble recovery. As a three-time All-Conference honouree, Rascoe presents a well-rounded skill set for CFL teams to consider on Tuesday.<\/p>\n

JESULAYOMI OJUTALAYO | RECEIVER | WILFRID LAURIER
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Wilfrid Laurier receiver Jesulayomi Ojutalayo impressed at the CFL Combine and could be a name to watch (Paul Swanson\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n

The second receiver on our list, Jesulayomi Ojutalayo cemented himself as a prospect to watch with his solid performance at the Combine last month. Clocking in at 4.58 seconds, Ojutalayo recorded the fastest 40-yard time among receivers in the class<\/a>. He also finished number one overall with a 38-inch vertical jump and scored well in the shuttle.<\/p>\n

In 2025, his final year with the Golden Hawks, Ojutalayo finished with 270 receiving yards and three touchdowns and was named an Ontario University Athletics First Team All-Star. When you add in Ojutalayo\u2019s proficiency on special teams, it wouldn\u2019t be a surprise to see him go somewhere in Tuesday\u2019s second round.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The final countdown to Tuesday\u2019s 2026 CFL Canadian Draft is underway. The CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629456,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-629455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}