University of Connecticut receiver Kevens Clercius
They were already one of the toughest and meanest outfits in the entire Canadian Football League, long considered dominant along both sides of the line of scrimmage and perennially gritty on special teams.
And now — courtesy Tuesday’s CFL Draft — the Winnipeg Blue Bombers just added a whole lot of nasties to an already ornery roster.
The Blue Bombers added to their homegrown talent depth with 10 selections, although they ultimately had to wait to make their first pick. Winnipeg flipped their first-round pick, eighth overall, to the Calgary Stampeders – along with third-round selection, 28th overall – for the 13th and 14th overall selections. That meant the Blue Bombers had four picks in the second round at 13, 14, plus the 17th and 20th overall selections they already had.
Through the first two rounds Blue Bombers took University of Connecticut receiver Kevens Clercius 13th overall, running back Michael Chris-Ike of Delaware State at 14, University of Buffalo offensive lineman Gabe Wallace at 17 and UBC defensive tackle Kyle Samson at 20th overall.
RB Michael Chris-Ike — photo courtesy Delaware State Athletics
They then added a long snapper in Ian Leroux of Laval 37th overall, O-lineman Ethan Kalra of Waterloo at 40th overall – using the extra fifth-round selection through the Dru Brown trade to Ottawa in January – and then Giovanni Manu, the 6-6, 352-pound man mountain of an O-lineman who was drafted in fourth round pick by the Detroit Lions last weekend.
The club then went local by grabbing University of Manitoba receiver A.K. Gassama 55th overall, then McGill O-lineman Michael Vlahogiannis in the seventh round, 64th overall, and McMaster defensive end Owen Hubert in the eighth round, 73rd overall.
All added up, that’s four offensive linemen, two receivers and defensive linemen, and one running back and long snapper added to the club’s Canadian cupboard. Nine of the 10 picks – all but Manu – are expected to be at the club’s rookie camp beginning next week on May 8th.
Earlier in the day the club also added two global prospects in the CFL Global Draft in German linebacker Fabian Weitz and Austrian defensive back/linebacker Lucky Ogbevoen.
GM Kyle Walters is to meet with the media Wednesday morning to provide more detail about the club’s 2024 draft. In the meantime, here’s a more detailed look at the newest Blue Bombers:
THE NEW BLUE CREW
Kevens Clercius
Selected: Round 2, 13th overall
Position: receiver
School: Connecticut
Ht: 6-2; Wt: 212
Notable: Tough player from a tough neighbourhood in Montreal, the son of Haitian immigrants… Lost his mother to illness at age 14… Landed a scholarship at UConn and arrived speaking almost no English but enrolled in language classes before school started… Appeared in 37 games over three years with the Huskies, pulling in 49 passes for 604 yards and five TDs.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: He’s got the size and grit to make an impact right away on special teams and potentially fill the ‘dirty work’ role Rasheed Bailey did so well with the offence as a blocker at the line and downfield.
Michael Chris-Ike
Selected: Round 2, 14th overall
Position: running back
School: Delaware State
Ht: 6-1; Wt: 225
Notable: Has earned a rookie-camp invite with the New York Jets in the next couple of weeks… Did not carry the ball a lot at Delaware State, with just 14 touches last year for 90 yards… Tied for the fastest 40 time at the CFL Combine at 4.51 with DB Benjamin Labrosse (drafted by Calgary fourth overall).
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: He gives them added depth behind CFL Most Outstanding Canadian Brady Oliveira and Johnny Augustine but is another tough dude with good size and speed who should contribute immediately on special teams and, perhaps, be an option to fill the fullback spot.
Gabe Wallace
Gabe Wallace — photo courtesy Paul Hokanson/UBBulls.com
Selected: Round 2, 17th overall
Position: offensive line
School: Buffalo
Ht: 6-6; Wt: 344
Notable: Posted great numbers at the University of Buffalo pro day, including a 29.5-inch vertical which, as pointed out by John Hodge of 3Down Nation, was higher than 23 OL at the NFL Combine this spring. He also threw up 29 reps at the bench press… Dressed for 49 games at Buffalo, including 28 games at guard, seven at left tackle and two games at right tackle.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: He was called a ‘big mauler’ and a ‘road grader’ by TSN analysts Duane Forde and Jim Barker and that makes him a perfect fit in an O-line room already stacked with those types. Two Canadian starters in Chris Kolankowski and Pat Neufeld are in their 30s and give this guy some time with the best O-line coach in the CFL in Marty Costello and he could blossom.
Kyle Samson
Kyle Samson — courtesy Bob Frid/UBC Athletics
Selected: Round 2, 20th overall
Position: defensive tackle
School: UBC
Ht: 6-3; Wt: 290
Notable: Played in 33 games over four seasons with the T-Birds, with eight sacks, 47 solo tackles, one interception, 19.5 tackles for loss and three pass knockdowns… A foot injury prevented him from being a full participant at the UBC pro day, but he did throw up 34 reps in the bench press… A two-time U Sports Second Team All-Canadian.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: The club is loaded at defensive tackle with veterans Jake Thomas and Cam Lawson, with Tanner Schmekel and Collin Kornelson from last year’s draft class.
Ian Leroux
Selected: Round 4, 37th overall
Position: long snapper
School: Laval
Ht: 6-1; Wt: 225
Notable: Was a defensive captain at Laval and considered the best long snapper by many in this class… Vanier Cup champion in 2022.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: Mike Benson has a lock on this job, but as consistent as he is, he’s also 36. Leroux will come to camp, learn from one of the CFL’s best, and then head back to Laval. That gives the club a long-snapping heir apparent in their stable of Canadian talent.
Ethan Kalra
Selected: Round 5, 40th overall
Position: offensive line
School: Waterloo
Ht: 6-2; Wt: 309
Notable: Earned an invite to the main CFL Combine in Winnipeg after a solid showing at the Invitational Combine in Waterloo… Had 29 career starts with the Warriors, mostly at guard.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: Enters camp under essentially the same circumstances as Wallace, listed above.
Giovanni Manu
Selected: Round 5, 46th overall
Position: offensive line
School: UBC
Ht: 6-8; Wt: 340
Notable: Drafted last Saturday by the Detroit Lions in the fourth round… Absolutely freakish size and testing numbers to go with it – he ran an astonishing 5.03 yard 40 at his UBC pro day, which was attended by 16 NFL teams… Originally born in Tonga.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: Well, he might not ever play in Canada, given he’s a man mountain and has earned a long look by the Lions – even if they move on from him, the amount of NFL interest shown before the draft means several teams will line up to take their own look. Still, at this stage in the draft, it’s certainly worth the risk for the club.
AK Gassama
Selected: Round 6, 55th overall
Position: receiver
School: Manitoba
Ht: 5-9; Wt: 158
Notable: He’s an inspiration as his family fled Sierra Leone during the civil war to land in Winnipeg… He had 38 receptions for 465 yards and four TDs last season… Was a U Sports First Team All-Canadian last year and a Second Team All-Canadian in 2022 and was a two-time Canada West All-Star… Named Bison Sports Male Athlete of the Year in 2022 and 2023.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: He and Clercius give the Blue Bombers receiver depth behind veterans Nic Demski and Drew Wolitarsky and second-year man Jeremy Murphy. He’s a different body type than Clercius and more of a speed/deep threat target.
Michael Vlahogiannis
Centre Michael Vlahogiannis
Selected: Round 7, 64th overall
Position: offensive line
School: McGill
Ht: 6-3; Wt: 312
Notable: A Quebec conference all-star last year at centre… Started seven games last year and 19 in his career with the Redbirds.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: Canadian O-line depth is critical and now the club has it in abundance in Neufeld, Kolankowski, Liam Dobson, Tui Eli, Wallace, Manu (although he’s bound for the NFL) and Vlahogiannis.
Owen Hubert
Selected: Round 8, 73rd overall
Position: defensive end
School: McMaster
Ht: 6-4; Wt: 263
Notable: Good testing numbers at the CFL Combine with a vertical jump of 30 inches and 113 inches in the broad jump, while running a 5.03 40… Saw action in 17 games with the Marauders.
Why he’s a good fit for the Blue Bombers: The Blue Bombers are stacked at Canadian at defensive tackle, but Hubert could give them another option at end behind Anthony Bennett, last year’s top pick.
GLOBAL DRAFT SELECTIONS
Fabian Weitz
Selected: Round 1, eighth overall
Position: linebacker
School/last club: Cologne Centurions (European League of Football)
Ht: 6-0; Wt: 221
FYI: Played his college ball at the University of Buffalo (2018-22), appearing in 22 games and working primarily on special teams… Returned to his hometown to play with the Cologne Centurions in Germany and had 20 tackles and a fumble recovery in five games in 2023… Ran a 4.77 at the CFL Global Combine, the second-fastest time among a group that was primarily D-linemen and linebackers. Also 17 reps on the bench.
Lucky Ogbevoen
Selected: Round 2, 17th overall
Position: defensive back/linebacker
School/last club: Tirol Raiders (ELF)
Ht: 6-2; Wt: 223
FYI: Born in Vienna, Austria and began playing football in 2012, playing with the Austrian National U17 and U19 teams… Attended the 2022 NFL International Combine in London… He was the Raiders defensive MVP in 2022 after registering 79 total tackles, one and a half sacks, and 10 tackles for loss
