It’s a small football world for top CFL Draft picks
Football really is a small world.
On Tuesday night, with the first round of the 2024 CFL Draft in the books, the top-three picks gathered on a call. After the Edmonton Elks chose linebacker Joel Dublanko, the Ottawa REDBLACKS took receiver Nick Mardner and the Saskatchewan Roughriders selected offensive lineman Kyle Hergel, they all sat down for a media call. It didn’t take long to realize they were all connected in some way.
Hergel and Mardner, growing up in Toronto and Oakville, Ont. respectively, crossed paths early on as football players. Both were coached at one point by Adam Rita, who, after two decades coaching in the CFL, coached them at Clarkson High School in Mississauga, Ont. Mardner’s NCAA journey led him from Hawaii to Cincinnati and eventually to Auburn. It was in Cincinnati that he shared a locker room with Dublanko.
MORE CFL DRAFT COVERAGE
» First-And-Joel: Elks take Joel Dublanko first overall in CFL Draft
» A team-by-team look at the CFL Draft
» Elks take Eteva Mauga-Clements first overall in Global Draft
» REDBLACKS take WR Nick Mardner second overall
» CFL Draft Tracker: View the entire 2024 draft
» Mock Draft 2.0: How close were we?
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On Tuesday, as the top-three picks in the draft, there were partial reunions all around. During some technical difficulties on their media call, the trio got to talking.
“I didn’t even know you was from Canada,” Mardner told Dublanko.
“My dad is. A little ace up my sleeve,” Dublanko told his former teammate, laughing.
It was Dublanko who initially broke the silence for them on the call. With some NFL experience on his resume, he wished Mardner luck with the New York Giants’ rookie mini-camp. He told Hergel, who signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints just a few days ago, to be ready to deal with some real heat when he gets to New Orleans. In 2022, Dublanko signed as an undrafted free agent with the Saints.
While Hergel and Mardner will explore their NFL options before their CFL future comes into focus, Dublanko was in Edmonton on Tuesday night, diving headfirst into his CFL career. A year with the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL came to an abrupt end when the team was not included as part of the league’s merger with the XFL. (Another small world football fun fact: Dublanko’s coach in Philadelphia was one-time Toronto Argonauts head coach Bart Andrus.)
Wearing a Green and Gold Elks hat at Commonwealth Stadium and with some family living in Edmonton, Dublanko already feels at home in the Alberta capital.
“It’s just an exciting time for me and my family. I’m really blessed and excited to be here,” he told reporters on the call. The goal for the six-foot-two, 231-pounder is to hit the ground running when rookie camp opens in a week.
“My goal is to be a starter. I’ve got to go in there and win my job. I hold myself to a really high standard and I believe I can accomplish that. (It’s) one step at a time. I came from a very winning program at Cincinnati. Nick (Mardner) knows a little bit about that.
“My expectation is to win and I know we haven’t done a lot of winning here in the past couple of years but I think we’ve got a good shot to turn this thing around and that’s what I’m all about. Those are my goals and expectations. All the individual success will come after the team success. That stuff take care takes care of itself when you win and that’s what I’m here to do.”
Hergel’s selection at third overall surprised some, given that he’s signed with the Saints. Should he make his way to Saskatchewan, the Boston College product knows what kind of football environment he’d be walking into.
“I’m quite familiar,” Hergel said of the hold that the Riders have on the people of Saskatchewan and across the country.
“My first (NCAA) stop in North Dakota, there was a strength coach we had by the name of Will Ratelle and he played for Saskatchewan. He always told me that’s a place where Mosaic Stadium gets really loud and that they’ve got the best fans in the league. I know that Midwest area pretty well being in North Dakota for two years. It’s really exciting and it’s a great opportunity.”
Should Hergel or Mardner make their way back into Canada to continue their pro careers, Rita’s influence on them as high schoolers will certainly help them get re-acclimated to the Canadian game.
Mardner cited re-adjusting to the waggle as a challenge for him in the CFL, but saw plenty of perks with it for a receiver.
“Honestly I think it’s almost unfair, if you think about it, just getting a head start against a DB,” he said. “It’ll be an adjustment but I don’t think it’ll be a hard adjustment.”
Both Mardner and Hergel have their focus on the NFL for now, but expressed a lot of gratitude for being chosen so high on Tuesday night.
“I didn’t have any expectations going into the whole thing,” Hergel said of both his NFL and CFL Draft process. “Im looking forward to getting down to New Orelans. Any opportunity is a great opportunity. I’m just thankful.”
“Just thankful and blessed for the opportunity,” Mardner added. “I’m always blessed for any opportunity when it comes to football, just humbled and honoured.”
Mauga-Clements thrilled to be headed to Edmonton
You could hear the joy in Eteva Mauga-Clements’ voice. The Edmonton Elks got their draft day started on Tuesday morning by taking the former Nebraska linebacker first overall in the CFL’s Global Draft.
Mauga-Clements separated himself from the pack at the CFL Combine presented by New Era. The six-foot, 218-pounder ran a 4.73-second 40-yard dash, posted a 35-inch vertical leap, ran a 4.14-second shuttle and a 6.90-second 3 cone drill.
“We had some talks, but you never know until it’s done,” he said a few hours after he’d received the call from the Elks.
“I’m very blessed. And I’m always thankful every day but it was just great to see it and make it legit.”
Eteva Mauga-Clements was elated to go first overall in the Global Draft and join Joel Dublanko in Edmonton (Andrew Mahon/CFL.ca)
The year is taking a surprising turn for Mauga-Clements. He’d been out of football for a year after finishing at Nebraska and was unsure of what his next steps would be in football. He learned about the CFL’s Global program in January and ramped up his training to lead into March’s combine in Winnipeg. Worried about being rusty in front of scouts, he ended up winning them all over. He’ll soon get on a flight to Edmonton for the Elks’ rookie camp on May 8.
“It’s awesome, to say the least. I’m very thankful, first and foremost,” he said. “It’s nice, I’ve been playing the sport since I was a kid for fun, or school, now it’s going to be my job and I can officially say, ‘I’m going to be a professional player.’
“I tell my boys, ‘Let me be that person. Most people don’t get drafted to the NFL but don’t throw it away. Don’t start pouting. Put the work in. I didn’t get a call (from the NFL). Then a year later, now I’m with the CFL. It’s a blessing, definitely.”
