Edmonton Elks forfeit 2025 first-round pick to select REC Zach Mathis in supplemental draft

The Edmonton Elks have selected Canadian receiver Zach Mathis in the supplemental draft, forfeiting a first-round pick in the 2025 CFL Draft to acquire his rights.

Edmonton held the top waiver priority in the supplemental draft based on their last-place finish in 2023, meaning that no team was able to outbid them. That makes the selection equivalent to the first-overall pick that the Elks used on linebacker Joel Dublanko in the 2024 CFL Draft.

Mathis recently acquired his Canadian citizenship via the right of jus sanguinis (parental birth). The native of Tampa, Fla. has won three FCS National Championships as a player at North Dakota State University.

The six-foot-seven, 203-pound target played 53 games over six seasons with the Bisons. He caught 95 passes for 1,392 yards and nine touchdowns over that span, earning him a rookie mini-camp tryout with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last month.

This was the second supplemental draft that the CFL has held this season, both of which were won by the Elks. Edmonton forfeited an eighth-round pick to select Lackawanna College defensive end Antonio Alfano in May, a player who is now starting for the team.

The Elks (0-4) have a bye in Week 5 after losing 24-21 to the B.C. Lions on Thursday. They will return to the field on Sunday, July 14 when they host the Ottawa Redblacks.

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