Elks trade down the draft board ahead of Tuesday night’s CFL Draft

It was expected Edmonton Elks head coach and general manager Chris Jones would hang on to their first overall draft pick in Tuesday night’s CFL draft and select Syracuse linebacker Tyrell Richards. Plans have changed.

Ahead of the CFL draft Tuesday night, the Elks traded their first overall pick to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for the fourth overall selection and the right to Canadian offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell.

The trade gives the Elks two first round picks with the 4th and 8th overall selections.

The Elks acquired the 8th overall pick Monday night along with a third round pick (28th overall), and ninth overall pick in the Global Draft from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in exchange for Canadian offensive lineman Kyle Saxelid, Canadian linebacker Grant MacDonald and the second overall selection in the Global Draft.

Along with two first round picks, the Elks have one second round pick, two third round picks, and one selection each in rounds four to eight in Tuesday’s CFL Draft.

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O’Donnell, a former standout with the University of Alberta Golden Bears, was originally drafted by the Alouettes in the third round of the 2020 CFL Draft. O’Donnell has spent the last two seasons with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts, mainly on the team’s practice roster.

The Elks also made three selections in the Global Draft Tuesday, picking kickers with all three picks.

In the first round, the Elks selected Australian punter Ben Griffiths who played Aussie Rules Football until 2018 when he retired to play college football in the United States. In three seasons with the NCAA’s USC Trojans, Griffiths recorded a 43.5 yard punt average and pinned his opponents inside their 20 yard-line 48 times.

In the second round, the Elks selected Brazilian kicker Rafael Gaglianone who played college ball at the University of Wisconsin. The Elks picked Belguim punter Corliss Waitman who played at the University of South Alabama and spent time with five NFL teams over the last two years.

The 2022 CFL Draft goes Tuesday night. Reid Wilkins will host 630 CHED Inside Sports from Commonwealth Stadium 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.