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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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