Six University of Windsor Lancer football players were selected in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft on Friday (Apr. 28) night, tying for the most among all U SPORTS programs with Calgary. Three Lancers (
Ethan John,
Tyriq Quayson, and
Weagbe Mombo) went to the Toronto Argonauts, two to the Montreal Alouettes (
Liam Talbot and
Harrison Daley), and
Brady Lidster was selected by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The first Lancer off the board was defensive back
Ethan John, who was selected by the Toronto Argonauts with the seventh pick of the second round (16th
overall). The Felton, Minn. native's 38 regular season solo tackles ranked fourth in the OUA in 2025 and he added 23 tackles in two playoff games. A 5-foot-10 defensive back, John has played in all 24 regular season games since his 2023 debut, recording 136.5 tackles in the process. This was his second season with top-five OUA tackling numbers. He was named an OUA second-team all-star and was awarded the male DeMarco Award for all University of Windsor athletes.
The fourth round saw
Liam Talbot go to the Montreal Alouettes wwith the 37th overall pick. Talbot, a 6-foot-1 running back, made his season debut midway through the campaign and put up 120 rushing yards on 28 carries before an 86-yard game in the quarter-final against Ottawa with a touchdown, and an 85-yard performance in the semifinal. Since his debut in 2022, he has played in 18 games, accumulating 465 rushing yards on 64 carries.
The Alouettes added another Lancer in
Harrison Daley in the fifth round at 46th overall. A 6-foot-4 defensive back, Daley was named an OUA second-team all-star for his 19 solo and 27 total tackles in the regular season. Since 2021, he has dressed in 30 regular season games, recording 58.5 total tackles and has been a key member of the blue and gold's secondary.
The second member of the blue and gold converted to the double blue in the sixth round,
Tyriq Quayson was drafted by Toronto 49th overall. Quayson caught 20 passes for 270 yards while also rushing for 78 yards and returning five kickoffs for 98 yards this season. Quayson had a season-high 82 all-purpose yards on Sept. 13 in a 29-13 win against McMaster. The 6-foot-2 receiver played 17 regular season and playoff games for the Laurier Golden Hawks in 2022 and 2023 before coming to Windsor.
Weagbe Mombo was the third of three new boatmen, selected 67th overall by the Argonauts in the eighth round. The Toronto native is a 6-foot-0 running back and rushed for 703 yards and three touchdowns on 77 carries in eight regular season games in 2025. He added 161 rushing yards in the playoffs, including 107 and the game-winning touchdown in the quarter-final. Since his debut in 2022, Mombo has played in 23 games, rushing for 1274 yards. He was named the University of Windsor's Super Sophomore Award in 2023 for his 613 all-purpose yards in eight games. He was named an OUA second-team all-star this season.
Brady Lidster was picked 69th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the eighth round to round out the 2026 Lancer draft class. He had a historic 2025 campaign, setting Lancer records for most field goals in a career (81), most points in a career, most field goals in a single season (27), and his seven field goals on September 27 against Waterloo tied the OUA record. His 27 field goals were the third-most in any OUA season, and he became just the fifth kicker to ever eclipse 25 made field goals in a season. Lidster had two 49-yard field goals this season, including a walk-off field goal at Queen's in Week 9 to clinch the third seed for the Lancers. He was named an OUA first-team all-star and a U SPORTS first-team All-Canadian.
