REDBLACKS targeted specific type of players in 2026 Canadian Draft

The Ottawa REDBLACKS went looking for “dogs” in Tuesday’s CFL Draft.

Adding players with a bit of snarl and physicality in their game fits into the kind of attitude and culture the REDBLACKS are hoping to establish.

The REDBLACKS selected seven players during the eight-round CFL Draft, while also making a creative swap sending the 10th overall pick to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and getting the 13th overall, plus a second-rounder in 2027. It made a lot of sense with Ottawa landing its target – Laval fullback Emeric Boutin – in the later draft position.

REDBLACKS Director of Canadian Scouting and Football Analytics Chad Hudson said the team, which signed head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie in the off-season, changed its draft philosophy. They were looking for a certain type of mentality come draft time.

“We want to be a team that other teams don’t want to play,” said Hudson. “We’re picking guys like that. We did a great job in free agency, getting that tough attitude, getting strong-minded athletes with a high compete level.

“We want to play with edge and on the edge at all times. If you look at me in the past, guys I tended to go toward were guys with size and speed. (This year) we went with guys with a little more ruggedness. There’s also a high character grade among all these guys to go with the compete level. They’re all nice off the field and dogs on it. That was our theme this year.”

There was another underlying objective in finding the right mix of guys right out of college.

Said Hudson: “We wanted players from winning schools, good schools. We got that … the Lauriers, the Montreals, the Saskatchewans, the Lavals.”

After acquiring the rights to, then signing, defensive lineman Luiji Vilain in the days leading into the draft, the REDBLACKS took a mighty swing at a potential addition when they selected defensive lineman Rene Konga in the sixth round. Both players are from Ottawa. Vilain played five games over two NFL seasons with Minnesota (2022-23) and Carolina (2023), also spending time with Cleveland and Dallas from 2024-25. Soon after the conclusion of the NFL Draft, Konga agreed to a guaranteed contract worth a reported $287,500 with the Miami Dolphins. It means he’s probably not leaving the NFL anytime soon. But Ottawa felt the late draft pick was a worthy gamble.

Here’s a player-by-player breakdown of what the REDBLACKS were able to land during the draft, with Hudson providing a quick analysis for each:

1st Round: Giordano Vaccaro, OL, Purdue (1st)

“He’s a (JP) Metras winner (U SPORTS lineman of the year). He’s tough. You watch his film at Purdue, he’s the last guy to touch anybody on the field. He’s pushing guys from Michigan, he’s pushing guys from Ohio State. He’s a tough customer. I love this kid. He told me on the phone this is where he wants to be. We’re super excited. We’re going to see a lot of him.” Added Burke: “You watch his film, he’s exactly what you want in the trenches, a guy who wants to be great. The play is never over for him, he chases it down the field. He has the skillset to be a long-term CFL player.

2nd Round: Émeric Boutin, FB, Laval (13th)

“It was a great trade by (vice-president of football operations) Shawn (Burke). It was absolutely fantastic for us; we also got some stuff for next year. Based on their rosters and what they were doing, we knew the (teams) ahead of us weren’t going to take (Boutin) if we moved back. He’s the guy we targeted. He’s a tough kid, another kid that wants to be here. He’s a dog.”

4th Round: Charlie Parks, DL, Saskatchewan (31st)

“Charlie is another dog. He’s an absolute killer on the field. He’s another kid from a winning program. He’s got a great attitude and he wants to knock guys out. He was one of the best interviews we had at the Combine. He’s just one of the best kids, he’s got a great attitude and he’s tough as hell.”

5th Round: Alassane Diouf, OL, Montreal (39th)

“He’s like Vaccaro in a lot of ways, he’s a bit more technical. He’s super tough. When you watch his film, he’s putting guys down on the ground. He’s a Vanier Cup winner. Great program, great kid. He’s another kid that wants to be here.”

5th Round: Benjamin Dobson, LB, Calgary (41st)

“Dobson is another tough kid. Another great interview at the Combine. He could play some snaps all over the field, he’s really versatile. He was knocking people out. We love his attitude and his toughness. His biggest complaint about football is he can’t play 12 months a year. Those are the kind of guys we want on this squad.”

6th Round: Rene Konga, DL, Louisville (48th)

“Why wouldn’t we want to get his rights? We went through it with Luiji. I said to Konga, ‘I know you’re going to the NFL, I know you’re going to do well. Hopefully, we don’t see you for a couple of years, but should I take your rights?’ He said, ‘Yeah, I want to be there, too. It’d be so cool to come back and play there one day, like a victory lap.’ All the best to him. Tough kid, great athlete.”

8th Round: Josh Connors, LB, Wilfrid Laurier (66th)

“He flew under the radar, just because he had some injuries. He’s another tough cookie. If they’ve got a blue dot on their (scouting) card, it’s a special teams demon and a tough guy. He’s a violent tackler, a violent player.”