By Bird Bouchard
It was pure joy in the Bishop’s University locker room when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers selected defensive back Jake Kelly with the 15th overall pick of the 2023 CFL Draft.
According to the 24-year-old, six-foot 180-pound native of Markham, Ont., hearing his name announced when he was selected to the CFL was a dream come true.
“It was a great feeling and I’m excited to get to work,” said Kelly, who was named winner of the the Marcel Lebrun award for perseverance, commitment and personality this past season.
Kelly impressed many at the CFL combine in March. The defensive back won the vertical jump at the combine with a leap of 40.5 inches. He also recorded the fourth fastest 40-yard dash time, running a 4.56.
“I feel like I performed well at the combine and was coming in a little bit under the radar,” said Kelly.
Gearing up for camp on Monday, Kelly said he believes he has what it takes to make an immediate impact for the Blue Bombers. However, his main goal is to arrive at camp ready to learn.
