Congrats to QB Taylor Elgersma and LB Connor Shay
While the Green Bay Packers haven’t officially signed these players to undrafted rookie free agent contracts, they are reportedly bringing in quarterback Taylor Elgersma and linebacker Connor Shay to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. The Packers generally sign a couple of rookie tryout players following rookie minicamp, and both Elgersma and Shay look like top candidates out of the Packers’ tryout crop, as they were both selected in the Canadian Football League’s rookie draft on Tuesday night.
Elgersma was ranked the second overall prospect, from a pure talent perspective, in the CFL draft by 3DownNation. He was only second to former Stanford receiver Elic Ayomanor, who was taken in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans. Generally, players who have NFL aspirations end up slipping in the CFL draft because teams are uncertain if they’re ever going to be able to get their hands on these players. That is why Ayomanor, an NFL talent, hasn’t been picked yet in the CFL draft at the time of writing this article.
Like Ayomanor, Elgersma had a fall on draft day, coming off of the board at the 18th overall pick to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The fact that Elgersma committed to not only attending the Packers’ rookie minicamp but also the Buffalo Bills’ rookie minicamp probably hurt his draft stock in the league. For what it’s worth, Elgersma, who came to Green Bay on a pre-draft visit, was selected over fellow Canadian quarterback Kurtis Rouke, who was drafted in the seventh round by the San Francisco 49ers last week.
We wrote up a full scouting report on Elgersma earlier this month. On paper, he has good arm talent and limited athleticism, but he played Canadian football in college, rather than the 11-man counterpart, at the U Sports level. He won the equivalent of the Canadian Heisman Trophy Award, the Hec Crighton Trophy, in 2024 with the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks. He was also just the second U Sports player to ever earn an invite to the Senior Bowl.
Shay was the fifth-rated prospect in the CFL draft per 3DownNation and was projected to go as early as the first overall pick in the draft. Shay was a one-year starter with the Wyoming Cowboys and isn’t a Canadian national, but his father is — which allows the younger Shay to apply for a Canadian passport and qualify as a Canadian player. In the CFL, there are limits on how many non-Canadians are allowed on teams’ rosters and even on the field together at the same time, so “homegrown” players are extremely valuable to the league, especially at positions that Americans typically play in the CFL.
Like Elgersma, Shay’s NFL prospects probably hurt him on draft day. He was still taken in the first round, though, by the same Blue Bombers that took Elgersma. Ultimately, he went sixth overall in the draft. Beyond Green Bay, Shay has accepted a rookie minicamp invite with the New York Jets, too.