NFL teams ask CFL teams for background information about Canadian QB Taylor Elgersma

Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgermsa attended training camp with the Toronto Argonauts in 2022 and 2023 along with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2024. As NFL teams gather background research on the intriguing QB prospect, both the Argos and Ticats head coaches have received calls from contacts south of the border.

Ryan Dinwiddie saw Elgersma up close as he entered his first season as QB1 at Wilfrid Laurier University. The London, ON native returned the following year to learn from Dinwiddie, quarterbacks coach Mike Miller, Chad Kelly and other quarterbacks on the roster.

“I had a scout from the [Indianapolis] Colts reach out to me during the Senior Bowl,” Dinwiddie said.

“I haven’t had a lot of calls, but I think he’s on the radar. I heard good feedback from those guys at the Senior Bowl, thought he did a good job, didn’t look out of place and the game wasn’t too big for him.”

Hamilton bench boss Scott Milanovich, who was an NFL quarterbacks coach for five seasons, has heard from two teams but did not specify which franchises contacted him about Elgersma. He did note both team representatives were people he knew and wanted his impressions about the 23-year-old reigning Hec Crighton Trophy winner.

“It’s always hard to project anybody, whether he’s Canadian, American, whatever. He certainly loves football. He fit right in in our room with Bo [Levi Mitchell] and Taylor [Powell] and the rest of the guys,” Milanovich said.

“He’s got a big arm, he’s got the size, loves football, loves the mental side of football. He would hit me after practice: ‘Why are we doing this? Why are we doing that?’ Not in a challenging way, but to understand. Why we’ve chosen to check a play to a different play based on coverage. All of those things tick the box.”

Elgersma has created a buzz during his NFL Draft process. He was able to carry it over from his Senior Bowl performance into the University at Buffalo pro day. If the six-foot-five, 227-pound QB does not hear his name called among the 257 selections in the 2025 NFL Draft, he’ll likely have multiple undrafted free agent contract offers.

“I saw him throw, I got to see from a physical standpoint what he can do, just not necessarily live. What is he like running the show? There’s something to be said for that, too,” Milanovich said.

Blessings from Dinwiddie and Milanovich could help Elgersma become the first Canadian university quarterback selected in the NFL Draft since the pick-fest moved to a seven-round format in 1994.