Blue Bombers spend to select tight end

Kyle Walters was going to do whatever it took to get his guy.

It was a hefty price to pay, and the type of move the Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager doesn’t make, but he made an exception in Tuesday night’s CFL Draft to land tight end Dante Daniels.

The Bombers traded pick No. 13 and their second-round pick in 2027 to the Ottawa Redblacks to bump up three spots to select the six-foot-six, 271-pounder out of North Carolina State.

“It’s very rare. I don’t recall us ever jumping up,” said Walters in a Zoom call with reporters on Wednesday.

“It was just one of those moments where (you go) ‘F it, let’s go get the guy.’”

Tight ends aren’t common in the CFL, but Walters and Co. have a vision for this one. Offensive line coach Marty Costello, running backs coach Jason Hogan and offensive co-ordinator Tommy Condell were all consulted and they agreed in unison that the Windsor, Ont., native can have an impact.

“It was just one of those moments where (you go) ‘F it, let’s go get the guy.’”

Daniels caught 11 passes for 147 yards and one touchdown in two seasons at N.C. State.

“They were very, very excited about the opportunity to add a body like this in the building,” said Walters. “I think it goes with the style of play Winnipeg wants to get back to, which is another big, dominant person on the line of scrimmage that can certainly move some people in the run game.”

The plan is for Daniels to drop 10-15 pounds so he can be a big-bodied receiver that can also help in the passing game.

“Our offence is built with the best running back in the league and wanting to get him as many touches as possible,” said Walters. “The ability to run the ball with that type of blocking and have defences honour the passing game more than they have in the past is real interesting to us.”

Daniels wasn’t their first pick of the night. The Bombers were on the clock in Round 1 at No. 4 and selected defensive end Nuer Gatkuoth out of Wake Forest.

Winnipeg’s own Giordano Vaccaro, a former Manitoba Bisons offensive lineman who transferred to Purdue for his senior campaign, went first overall to Ottawa.

Did the Bombers try to move up to grab the local star?

“We certainly kicked the tires on moving up and moving all around but I think Ottawa made a great pick with a great kid.”

“It was pretty clear (Ottawa vice-president of football operations Shawn) Burke wasn’t interested in that,” said Walters. “They had it set up pretty clear, so we certainly kicked the tires on moving up and moving all around but I think Ottawa made a great pick with a great kid.”

Walters is confident they also made a great pick in Gatkuoth. He was a finalist for the Jon Cornish Trophy as the top Canadian player in NCAA football in 2025 after registering six sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, 39 total tackles and one forced fumble in 12 games.

Despite some NFL interest, the club expects him to be in Winnipeg for training camp.

It’s been a long time since the Bombers have had a standout Canadian pass rusher.

“He’s explosive off the edge. He can get after the quarterback,” said Walters. “We just haven’t had that Canadian edge guy to add in a bit for ratio purposes, so we’re excited to see him. He’s got a mini-camp with the (Denver) Broncos, but by all accounts, he’s pumped. If it doesn’t translate to a contract, he’ll be up here as soon as he can.”

The Bombers were awarded an additional second round selection this year (20th overall) for being one of the two teams to play the most Canadians the previous season. They used it on Boston College offensive lineman Kevin Cline, a prospect from Boca Raton, Fla., who was recently granted national status as his mother is Canadian.

Cline started 11 games at right tackle in 2025 and signed an undrafted free agent deal on Sunday with the Miami Dolphins.

There’s no guarantee when, or if, the Bombers will see him, but the 6-7, 320-pound Cline has expressed interest in pursuing the CFL if his opportunities down south dry up.

“It seemed like a pretty good risk-reward,” said Walters. “If we see him later on this year, or even into next year, I think it will be well worth the wait for a player that I think has the ability to play tackle and at the very least, with his size and aggression, can slide down to a guard for us.”

The Bombers made nine picks in the eight-round draft, with LB Charles-Elliot Bouliane (Montreal), DB Ethan Stuart (McMaster), LB Brody Clark (York), WR Ben Britton (Calgary), WR Joshua Jack (St. Mary’s), and K Brady Lidster (Windsor) being the others.

CFL GLOBAL DRAFT

The Bombers selected defensive lineman Edward Vesterinen (West Virginia) fourth overall in the CFL Global Draft early Wednesday.

Vesterinen, who hails from Helsinki, Finland, started 12 games at defensive tackle last season for the Mountaineers and finished with 30 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one fumble recovery.

The 6-3, 282-pounder has been invited to attend rookie mini-camp with the Minnesota Vikings.

“Film is really interesting. He reminds me of (Jake) Ceresna,” said Walters.

“Just a 100 miles an hour lunatic, Tasmanian devil, in a really positive way for a big man and just plays the right way,” said Walters. “We’ll see. I spoke with the agent, I spoke with Edward, and they seem excited at the prospects of the CFL if nothing comes about from a mini-camp.”

In Round 2, the Bombers picked Australian punter Keegan Andrews (Massachusetts).

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