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CFL Draft April 29, 2025

Edmonton Elks select seven in 2025 CFL Draft

@arcurimike

EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks made seven picks in Tuesday night’s CFL Draft, bolstering their already loaded Canadian talent.

“All credit to our staff. I want to give our staff a lot of credit and the coaching staff,” Elks President of Football Operations a& General Manager Ed Hervey said. “This is a collective effort and we feel very good about the opportunity of working together and are feeling good about our draft.”

On the night, the Elks Football Operations focused on the trenches, making four selections on the offensive and defensive lines — while adding five players on the offensive side of the ball. In addition, every player the Green and Gold selected played U SPORTS last season.

Here are the Elks seven selections:

SECOND ROUND, NO. 10 OVERALL: Darien Newell (DL)

Newell (6-3, 309) joins the Green and Gold after four seasons with Queen’s University. The powerful defensive lineman suited up in 37 games for the Gaels from 2021-2025, recording 92 total tackles, 27.5 tackles-for-loss, 18 sacks, and forced one fumble.

 

“He plays with real power, real knockback plays on the other side of the line of scrimmage,” Head Coach Mark Kilam said about Newell. “One of the most explosive defensive players in the draft.”

 

The native of Brampton, Ontario, accumulated multiple personal accolades while at the University of Queens, being named a U-SPORTS First-Team All-Canadian twice, and a three-time OUA First Team All-Star.

THIRD ROUND, NO. 22 OVERALL: Skyler Griffith (FB)

Griffith (6’3, 225) adds size to the Elks offence. The graduate of the University of British Columbia played four seasons with the Thunderbirds, suiting up for 23 games from 2021 to 2024. Griffith was a contributor on both sides of the ball, recording 38 total tackles and a forced fumble on special teams.

“Our intent for him is the future,” Hervey said. “We look at him as a fullback, tight end, and special teams. He’s a jack-of-all trades, very athletic player that we’re very excited to get.”

THIRD ROUND, NO. 24 OVERALL: Isaiah Knight (RB)

Knight (6’2, 215) joins a stable of Elks running backs that helped pace Canadian Football in rushing yards last season. The Ottawa, Ontario product pairs up with his UBC Thunderbirds teammate Skyler Griffith in the Elks offence. Knight suited up for four seasons at UBC, dressing for 37 games where he recorded 3,603 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns on 571 carries — averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
In addition to his rushing prowess, Knight added 57 career receptions for 609 yards and three touchdowns. Knight demonstrated his big play ability last season with a dominant performance against the Calgary Dinos, rushing for a season-high 235 yards on 24 carries with a longest rush of 76 yards.

FOURTH ROUND, NO. 31 OVERALL: Silas Hubert (DL)

Hubert (6’5, 260) is the Elks second addition from the Queen’s Gaels defensive line, joining second-round pick Darien Newell. The lengthy defensive lineman played 33 games during his U SPORTS career from 2021 to 2025, recording 85 total tackles, 27 tackles-for-loss, 15 sacks, and two forced fumbles for the Gaels.

Hubert’s most productive season came in 2022-23, where in 11 games the defender recorded career bests across the board with 36 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, and 8 sacks. At the CFL Combine in Regina, Hubert made a name for himself with 20 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, and a 4.76 second forty-yard dash.

FIFTH ROUND, NO. 40 OVERALL: Domenico Piazza (OL)

Piazza (6’2, 290) is the first offensive lineman off the board for the Elks. The Mercier, Que. native dressed at left tackle for the McGill Redbirds last season, appearing in nine games. For his efforts, the lineman was named a U Sports Second-Team All-Canadian. In all, the 24-year-old suited up for all 32 games over four seasons in U Sports from 2021-2025.

SIXTH ROUND, NO. 49 OVERALL: Daniel Hocevar (OL)

Hocevar (6’4, 300) made it back-to-back additions to the Elks offensive line and a fourth addition to the trenches on the evening. The Hamilton, Ont. native played four seasons with the Guelph Gryphons from 2021 to 2025, dressing in 40 games during his university career.

SEVENTH ROUND, NO. 58 OVERALL: Kolby Hurford (WR)

Hurford (6’1, 183) stays in the Green and Gold after being drafted out of the University of Alberta. The Golden Bears receiver played four seasons for Elks President and CEO Chris Morris’s former team, hauling in 74 receptions for 1,254 yards, and 12 touchdowns — with a longest career reception of 84 yards.