The Bombers charted a new direction in the CFL Canadian Draft—possibly with a nod to the upcoming rule changes.

At fourth overall,  the Bombers selected defensive end Nuer Gatkuoth from Wake Forest. The Edmonton native played high school football in Toronto and then his senior season south of the border.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 237 pounds, Gatkuoth has agreed to attend mini-camp with the Denver Broncos, per 3DownNation. which would would delay his availability to the Bombers.

Gatkuoth had 39 tackles and six sacks in his season at Wake Forest.

He would be the only Canadian defensive end on the Bombers roster. The Bombers took a defensive end in the first round in 2023 (Anthony Bennett, 8th overall) and in 2019 (Jonathan Kongbo, 5th overall).

In the second round, the Bombers traded up to the 10th pick to select tight end Dante Daniels from North Carolina State. Daniels is listed at 6-foot-6, 272 pounds—a size of player that doesn’t generally exist on CFL offences. He caught 10 passes for 106 yards in his final two seasons of NCAA football.

The Bombers are a team that has used an extra offensive linemen often. They are mainly used as a blocker, but occasionally as a receiver (as Tui Eli caught a touchdown last season). If Daniels can provide blocking on the edge and a better receiving option, that could be very valuable. And with the rule change coming this season to speed the game up with a 35-second play clock, a player who can both block and catch effectively will increase in value.

Get daily National news

Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.

The Bombers gave up a second-round pick in 2027 to move up from 13 to select Daniels.

With their second pick in the second round, the Bombers chose tackle Kevin Cline from Boston College. Cline is a mammoth body at 6-foot-7, 320 pounds. He started all 11 games at right tackle last season.

Cline has signed with the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent.

In the third round, the Bombers selected linebacker Charles-Elliot Bouliane from Montreal. At 5-foot-10, 229 pounds, he was a valuable special teamer for the Carabins in his university career.

The Bombers other selections Tuesday were:

4th round (33rd overall) – DB Ethan Stuart, McMaster University

5th round (42) – LB Brody Clark, York University

6th round (51) – REC Ben Britton, University of Calgary

7th round (60) – REC Joshua Jack, Saint Mary’s University

8th round (69) – K Brady Lidster, University of Windsor

The Bombers will have two picks in Wednesday’s Global Draft, 4th and 13th overall.

&copy 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.