WINNIPEG, MB., – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected 10 players in the 2024 CFL Draft held tonight.
The club began the night with a trade with the Calgary Stampeders, receiving the 13th and 14th overall picks in exchange for the 8th and 28th overall selections. With their first pick at 13th overall, the Club selected receiver Kevens Clercius.
Clercius (6-2, 217, University of Connecticut; born: October 7, 1999, in Montreal, Quebec) appeared in 37 games over three years with the UConn Huskies, pulling in 49 passes for 604 yards and five touchdowns.
The son of Haitian immigrants, Clercius lost his mother to illness at age 14 and arrived speaking almost no English but enrolled in language classes before school started, landing a scholarship at UConn.
With their second pick in the draft, 14th overall, Winnipeg selected Delaware State running back Michael Chris-Ike.
Chris-Ike (6-1, 225, Delaware State; born: January 2, 1999, in Hamilton, ON) dressed for 27 career games with the Hornets, rushing 114 times for 486 yards and three touchdowns over four seasons with the team.
In the second round, 17th overall, Winnipeg selected University of Buffalo offensive lineman Gabe Wallace.
Wallace (6-6, 333, University of Buffalo; born: January 9, 2000, in Salmon Arm, BC) dressed for 49 career games with the Bulls after redshirting with the team in 2018. He was a three-year starter, starting 28 games at guard, seven games at left tackle, and two games at right tackle. He was named third-team All-MAC as a senior in 2022 when he played exclusively at left guard, helping the Bulls rank top five in total offence.
With their final pick of the second round at 20th overall, Winnipeg selected University of British Columbia defensive lineman Kyle Samson.
Samson (6-3, 290, University of Columbia; born: November 14, 2000, in Hamilton, ON) dressed for 25 career games with the Thunderbirds over his four years with the team. He recorded 6.5 sacks and 48.5 total tackles, also adding an interception over his UBC career. He was named a two-time U SPORTS Second-Team all-Canadian (2023, 2022), a two-time Canada West all-star (2023, 2022), and won the 2023 Hardy Cup and Mitchell Bowl.
In the fourth round, 37th overall, Winnipeg selected University of Laval linebacker/long snapper Ian Leroux.
Leroux (6-1, 225, University of Laval; born: May 6, 1999, in Quebec City, QC) is committed to returning to Laval next season. Over his four seasons with Laval, Leroux dressed for 29 games, recording 14 tackles and one interception. He was a 2022 Dunsmore Cup, Mitchell Bowl and Vanier Cup winner.
In the fifth round, 40th overall, Winnipeg selected University of Waterloo offensive lineman, Ethan Kalra.
Kalra (6-2, 309, University of Waterloo; born: March 27, 2000, in Acton, ON) was a 2023 East-West Bowl participant (West Team) and started in all 29 games of his four-year career with the Warriors. Kalra started his collegiate career at right tackle before making the switch to right guard in his sophomore year.
In the fifth round, 46th overall, Winnipeg selected University of British Columbia offensive lineman Giovanni Manu.
Manu (6-8, 340, UBC; born: January 26, 2001, in Pitt Meadows, B.C.) was drafted in the fourth round of the 2024 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions. Manu enrolled at the University of British Columbia in 2018 and redshirted his first year on the team. He won a starting role on the offensive line in 2019 as the team went 2–6. Manu started all seven games at left tackle in 2021 and started games at both left tackle and left guard in 2022 while being selected second-team All-Canadian. He repeated as a second-team All-Canadian choice in the 2023 selection and helped UBC make their first appearance in the Vanier Cup since 2015.
In the sixth round, 55th overall, Winnipeg selected University of Manitoba receiver Abdul-Karim Gassama.
Gassama (5-9, 158, University of Manitoba; born: October 13, 1999, in Winnipeg, MB) arrived in Winnipeg as a refugee, growing up in Sierra Leone during the Civil War before moving to Canada as a young child. In 2017, he secured a scholarship to the U of M and became the seventh player in program history to record 100 catches and tally 1,000 receiving yards in 2022. Gassama was named the ’22-23 Bison Sports Male Athlete of the Year and is also a two-time All-Canadian.
In the seventh round, 64th overall, Winnipeg selected McGill University offensive lineman Michael Vlahogiannis.
Vlahogiannis (6-3, 312, McGill; born: November 11, 1998, in Montreal, QC) was named a 2023 RSEQ all-star and was a 2023 East-West Bowl participant (East Team) in a year in which he dressed for eight games, starting seven and helping his team amass 1,193 rushing yards. Over his four years with the Redbirds, Vlahogiannis started 19 games at centre.
In the eighth round and with their final pick, 73rd overall, Winnipeg selected McMaster University defensive lineman Owen Hubert.
Hubert (6-4, 263, McMaster; born: March 1, 2000, in Norwood, ON) played four seasons with the Marauders, seeing action in 27 games and recording 65 total tackles (42 solo, 23 assisted). In his senior year, Hubert also recorded five sacks and a forced fumble and was selected for East-West Bowl in 2022.
