This summer, five Gaels kicked off the next chapter of their football journey with three of them hearing their names echo through the arena as they were selected in the 2025 Canadian Football League Draft .
The Edmonton Elks selected Gaels defensive linemen Darien Newell and Silas Hubert, both ArtSci ‘25, while the Calgary Stampeders picked defensive back Ashton Miller-Melancon, ArtSci ‘26. Offensive lineman Jas Khaira, Comm ’25, and wide receiver Nico Kwemo, Kin ’25, were respectively signed as undrafted free agents by the Toronto Argonauts and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The Elks made waves by selecting Newell with the 10th overall pick. A top-tier prospect heading into the draft, Newell had blossomed into a U SPORTS star, earning back-to-back First Team All-Canadian honours.
Newell’s imposing size and relentless power have tormented opponents and drawn attention south of the border, including a high-profile meeting with the New England Patriots, according to 3DownNation.
Despite being aware of a looming one-year suspension for violating the CFL’s substance policy after Newell tested positive for nine banned substances at the CFL’s national combine, the Elks still drafted Newell.
In a statement released by the Elks on April 30, Newell maintains that he “Didn’t knowingly or intentionally use a product that violated the league’s substance policy,” and believes that the positive test occurred due to supplements he took while attending a try-out in the USA.
Newell didn’t provide a statement to The Journal in time for publication. The Elks declined to comment on Newell, but they put their full confidence behind him.
“The Edmonton Elks organization was aware of Darien Newell’s impending suspension before selecting him on Tuesday night. Throughout the draft process, we completed our due diligence on Darien and came away satisfied with both the person and the player. The organization is committed to ing Darien throughout this process, and we look forward to when he can the Green and Gold,” said General Manager Ed Hervey in a statement released by the Edmonton Elks.
Newell closed out his Gaels career with an impressive 92 tackles and 18 sacks across 37 games.
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The Elks also selected Hubert with the thirty-first pick. Now in training camp, he’s overcome two shoulder injuries during his time at Queen’s and credits the school and his coaches for their , especially in building his mental resilience.
“My goal is to just improve overall and soak up as much as I can. That’s what I really came here to do and do whatever I can to and better the Team,” Hubert said in an interview with The Journal.
Elks’ Special Teams Coordinator and four-time Grey Cup Champion, Demetrious Maxie, doesn’t hold back on his confidence in Hubert.
“He has great character, he brings good size, good athleticism, and he fits well with what we’re doing up front as a defense. He’s going to be a great special team addition,” said Maxie in an interview with The Journal. With twenty years of CFL experience, Maxie’s praise carries weight, making it all the more meaningful for Hubert.
Hubert finished his time as a Gael with 85 tackles, 15 sacks, and one touchdown across 33 games.
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With the sixty-fifth pick of the draft, the Calgary Stampeders selected Miller-Melancon, who earned the nickname of “Minister of Defence” during his time with the Gaels. “I was surprised that he lasted this long in the draft,” Stampeder’s Director of Canadian Scouting, Dwayne Cameron, said in an interview with The Calgary Herald.
When Miller’s name was finally called, the whole room erupted with emotion. “All the years of hard work and dedication I put into the sport came to fruition at that moment, and it was pretty surreal. It took a day or two to really realize that, you know, I was a Stampeder,” Miller-Melancon said in an interview with The Journal.
Miller-Melancon gave credit to Queen’s for preparing him for this step in his career, as they instilled high character and standards that have allowed him to thrive so far in Calgary.
“Honestly, my goal every day is really to just get better and not make the same mistake twice. The initial goal is really to, you know, kill it in the preseason. [I just want to] keep working on my craft and earn a spot on the roster, through defence, through special teams, through whatever I have to. But until that happens, I can’t focus on anything else,” Miller-Melancon said.
“I have to earn my spot here,” Miller-Melancon said.
Big things are coming for Miller-Melancon, as the ‘Minister of Defense’ will work to carry his title from Ontario to Alta. Miller finishes his Gaels career with 150 tackles, 27 deflections, and 16 interceptions in 40 games.
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Going undrafted isn’t the end of one’s professional football hopes—Khaira proved this when he was signed by the Toronto Argonauts.
An OUA All-Star in his second year with the Gaels, Khaira was plagued by injuries throughout his time at Queen’s—he missed all of 2023 after hip surgery and much of 2024 with an upper-body injury.
“That hurt me in the draft process. I think what helped me the most was my third year, where I was an All-Star and I played really, really well. That helped me show teams that I’m capable of playing at that level,” Khaira said in an interview with The Journal.
Above all else, Khaira is extremely grateful to his family and the staff at Queen’s for helping him push through. Specifically, he gives credit to Gaels Football Head Therapist, Evan Knapp-Fisher, and his parents for ing him through such a difficult time. Khaira is very grateful for the coaching staff, making sure to note Offensive Coordinator, Matt Nesbitt, who he describes as “the best O-Line coach in the country,” and Defensive Coordinator, Ryan Bechmanis.
The Argos are taking a patient approach with Khaira, giving him the chance to develop alongside a veteran Offensive Line room featuring the likes of former Super Bowl and two-time Grey Cup champion, Ryan Hunter.
Khaira hopes to be a role model for kids in his community, as he’s one of only a few Punjabis who play American football professionally. “There’s not a lot of us playing football, and I like to like put it out for my community, showing that we can play football and that younger kids in the Punjabi community should get involved with football,” Khaira said.
More recently, Nico Kwemo, Kin ’25, has been picked up weeks into training camp by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. In 27 games with the Gaels, Kwemo caught 70 es for 882 yards and 6 touchdowns. Kwemo didn’t respond to The Journal in time for publication.
Students can watch Gaels continue to thrive at the professional level when the CFL season officially kicks off on June 5.
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