Photo: Zuma Press/NC State Athletics
It wasn’t shocking to see the Winnipeg Blue Bombers trade up with the Ottawa Redblacks to select a big-bodied blocker in the 2026 CFL Draft.
It was, however, a surprise to see when it occurred.
Purdue offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro, a Winnipeg native and former Manitoba Bison, was the consensus No. 1 pick heading into draft night. There was speculation the Blue Bombers may trade up in order to select Vaccaro, especially after they hosted him for a long visit on Monday.
Instead, according to longtime Winnipeg general manager Kyle Walters, the Redblacks had little to no interest in trading down.
“It was pretty clear (Ottawa vice-president of football operations Shawn) Burke wasn’t interested in that. 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,” he told the media on Wednesday.
“We’ve known Gio forever. He’s a good kid. He was through here on Monday and he’s got a great family, great kid. … It looks good on Winnipeg football with a kid that played high school here, that got picked number one overall. It’s pretty cool story for the city.”
One round later, Ottawa sent the No. 10 pick to Winnipeg in exchange for the No. 13 pick and a second-round selection in the 2027 CFL Draft. It was a steep price to pay to move up three spots, though it’s clear the Blue and Gold deeply coveted the player they selected: North Carolina State tight end Dante Daniels.
The Blue Bombers posted a video to social media on Tuesday evening revealing how the trade came about in their draft room. Walters was clearly thrilled to make the pick.
“Wait ’til you seeing this f—ing guy,” he told someone off-screen, who appeared to be team president and CEO Wade Miller. “(He’s a) s–t-kicking blocker. A mean motherf—er.”
Blocking tight ends aren’t a fixture of three-down football but the Blue Bombers clearly have a special role in mind for the six-foot-six, 271-pound native of Windsor, Ont.
“You just don’t see guys like that, bodies like that (in the CFL draft). We’ve spoken to him. The NFL wanted him to put on a few pounds as a road grader — essentially a guard at the end of the line of scrimmage. We envision him losing 10 to 15 pounds, being more of a dual receiver threat. He’s not blocking 280-pound defensive ends up here (in the CFL) — they’ll be smaller guys, so he doesn’t need that weight,” said Walters.
“When we sat down with our (offensive) line coach Marty (Costello) and (Jason Hogan), our running backs (coach), and most importantly (offensive coordinator) Tommy (Condell), to go over this … they were very, very excited about the opportunity to add a body like this in the building. 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 Blue Bombers often use tight end sets on first down, doing so to provide an extra blocker for Brady Oliveira.
Tui Eli, an offensive lineman who is projected to start at centre this year, has generally filled this role despite not being a trained receiver. The native of Richmond, B.C. may have caught a touchdown pass in 2025 but Walters sees Daniels as someone who can block at a high level while being a better threat in the passing game.
“The ability to have a receiving threat while being able to run a two-back system is pretty interesting for offensive coordinators. I think when we would run Tui in as an offensive lineman, teams didn’t give that overly respect from the pass game and we became pretty predictable,” said Walters.
“With the way our offence is built with the best running back in the league and wanting to get him as many touches as possible, the ability to be able to run the ball with that type of blocking and have defences have to honour the passing game more than they have in the past is real interesting for us.”
Daniels wasn’t a prolific receiver over two years with the Wolfpack, making 10 receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The same was true at Butler Community College, where he caught 11 passes for 147 yards and one score over his first two collegiate seasons.
Regardless, Winnipeg evidently sees him as someone who can be a legitimate passing threat while also blocking at an elite level.
It’s been many years since the Blue Bombers traded up to draft a prospect they strongly coveted with Walters suggesting their most recent attempt to do so was 2014 with Montreal defensive back Antoine Pruneau. The team was evidently unsuccessful as Pruneau was drafted fourth overall by the Ottawa Redblacks.
Based on consensus, Daniels felt like a bit of an off-the-board selection on draft night. After the event was over, 3DownNation polled a half-dozen CFL personnel people who were granted anonymity regarding the pick.
Two sources believed Daniels would be a second-round pick due to his exceptional blocking ability. However, two other sources said they did not expect Daniels to be picked before round five.
This type of discrepancy is somewhat common in the CFL draft, which is even less predictable than most others. It’s part of what makes the draft interesting and also what allows teams with different needs to get the players they most covet.
It remains to be seen which prospects taken in the 2026 CFL Draft develop into impact players, but one thing’s for sure: Winnipeg’s draft will be defined in part by how they handled the trade market with the Ottawa Redblacks.
