Andrew Mahon/CFL.ca
OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Tuesday they have signed six players from their 2024 CFL Draft Class, ahead of the opening of their Rookie Camp on Thursday.
The list includes defensive lineman Daniel Okpoko, defensive back Dawson Pierre, receiver Jahquan Bloomfield, defensive back Yani Gouadfel, linebacker Zachary Philion and receiver Russell Dixon.
“We are thrilled to add these six players from our draft class,” said REDBLACKS General Manager Shawn Burke. “We are excited for them to showcase their talents at Training Camp.”
RELATED
» Cauz: 8 sneaky good CFL Draft picks
» REDBLACKS sign four players, including National RB Jared Chisari
» A team-by-team look at the 2024 CFL Draft
» Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates
Chosen in the second round, 11th overall, Okpoko was born in Lagos, Nigeria, but grew up in Saskatoon. He started all 12 games for the Aztecs in 2023; racking up 23 tackles, nine solo tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks, along with three pass breakups, and five quarterback hurries. Okpoko is the cousin of 10-year NFL veteran defensive lineman Israel Idonije, who was awarded the Order of Manitoba in 2014.
Hailing from Longueuil, Quebec, Pierre was selected in the third round, 22nd overall by the REDBLACKS, after an impressive CFL Combine performance. The hulking defensive back recorded 17 reps on the bench press, a 34-inch vertical jump, and a nine-foot 10-inch broad jump. Through 23 career games at Concordia, he made 81 total tackles, a sack, a forced fumble, and three interceptions, earning RSEQ All-Star honours in 2022.
A local product, Bloomfield was Ottawa’s fourth-round, 35th-overall pick, acquired from the BC Lions via trade in 2022. Suiting up in 17 games over two seasons with the Prairie View A&M Panthers, he logged 13 receptions for 298 yards and two touchdowns, also rushing for 39 yards and a touchdown. Bloomfield previously spent four seasons with the University of Louisiana at Monroe, where he caught 20 passes for 367 yards and one touchdown over 16 games. Born in Nepean, and raised primarily in Châteauguay, Quebec, he moved to the United States when he was 15, attending high school in Katy, Texas.
A well-travelled athlete who has spent time in France, Algeria, and Canada, Gouadfel is another big-bodied addition to the REDBLACKS secondary, taken in the sixth round, 49th overall. In eight regular season games with the Gaiters in 2023, he recorded 26 total tackles, 1.5 tackles for loss, a fumble recovery, four interceptions, and six pass breakups. In two playoff games that culminated in a Loney Bowl appearance for Bishop’s, Gouadfel added 10 more tackles, a tackle for loss, and two interceptions.
The 25-year-old Philion arrives in the nation’s capital via Ottawa’s seventh-round, 58th overall selection, after a standout season with the Stingers, following time spent with the New Mexico Military Institute, as a safety. In eight games during the 2023 campaign, he tallied 20.5 total tackles, 18 of which were solo tackles, four tackles for loss, and a sack. His father, Ed, spent time in the NFL before arriving to the Montreal Alouettes in 1999, where he spent eight seasons earning four East All-Star nods at defensive tackle, and recording 37 total sacks.
Ottawa’s final pick – in the eighth round, 67th overall – Dixon suited up for UConn, as a tight end. The Edmonton native made three catches for 28 yards in seven games, in 2022. Standing at 6’3 and 230lbs, Dixon’s 2023 season was cut short due to injury, and the big-bodied receiver is committed to the Carleton Ravens for the 2024 season.
The REDBLACKS will kick off preparation for the season with this year’s two-day Rookie Camp, beginning Thursday at 1:00 p.m. ET, on the field at TD Place.
