Two hometown success stories took the next step toward their professional football dreams as Canadian Football League teams turned to Saskatchewan talent in the 2026 Canadian Draft.<\/p>\n
Two hometown success stories took the next step toward their professional football dreams as Canadian Football League teams turned to Saskatchewan talent in the 2026 Canadian Draft.<\/p>\n
Regina products Charlie Parks and Ethan Graham each heard their names called, marking another proud moment for a province that continues to produce pro-ready talent.<\/p>\n
Parks, a defensive lineman from the Saskatchewan Huskies, was selected 31st overall in the fourth round by the Ottawa Redblacks. The 6-foot-4 product of Sheldon-Williams Collegiate has long been one of Regina\u2019s top multi-sport athletes, earning numerous honours, including Lorne Aston Male Athlete of the Year in 2022.<\/p>\n
For Parks, the moment his name was called was everything he imagined.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was awesome. I had family, friends, everybody, just ecstatic. The dream is finally coming true,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
That dream became reality with a FaceTime call from Ottawa\u2019s coaching staff, asking if he was ready to join the organization.<\/p>\n
\u201cI had my phone on my lap, picked it up, and they asked if I\u2019m ready to be a Redblack. I\u2019m like, \u2018yeah, I am.\u2019 It was just so awesome,\u201d Parks said.<\/p>\n
Hours later, Parks was already preparing for the next chapter, ready to head east and begin rookie camp with a clear objective.<\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure everybody knows my name. Make sure they know who I am, what I\u2019m about.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few rounds later, another Regina standout got his opportunity.<\/p>\n
Graham, a 6-foot-7, 315-pound offensive lineman from the University of Regina Rams, was selected 54th overall in the sixth round by the BC Lions after earning Canada West all-star honours in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cSounds like a dream coming true. I want to give them everything I have,\u201d Graham said.<\/p>\n
The draft experience itself was an emotional rollercoaster, as Graham waited through the rounds before finally getting the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was super nervous, and then the broadcast cut out, so that made everything ten times worse. I just waited by the phone,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When the phone rang, it was the Lions delivering the news, followed by a conversation with head coach Buck Pierce.<\/p>\n
\u201cI told them I\u2019m ready to play. I\u2019m going to give you everything I have.\u201d<\/p>\n
Graham credited his support system, especially his mother, for helping him reach the professional level, calling the moment a shared accomplishment with family, friends, and teammates who supported him along the way.<\/p>\n
Both Parks and Graham now turn their attention to rookie camps, where opportunities will be earned, and first impressions will matter. One is focused on making his name known, while the other arrives with a chip on his shoulder.<\/p>\n
Together, they represent the latest examples of Saskatchewan talent making the jump to the CFL and the next generation of players ready to carry that tradition forward.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Two hometown success stories took the next step toward their professional football dreams as Canadian Football League teams…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":647427,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-647426","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\/647426","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=647426"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/647426\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/647427"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=647426"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=647426"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=647426"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}