Nick Mardner, the second overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft, is expected to miss the entire 2025 season with the Ottawa Redblacks after undergoing knee surgery.
“I’m extremely disappointed for Nick,” head coach Bob Dyce told the media on Monday. “Nick had a fantastic offseason and great start to his camp. I feel absolutely awful for him but I also know that he will attack his rehab and everything and come back even stronger.”
The 26-year-old native of Mississauga, Ont. started all 18 regular-season games for the Redblacks as a rookie, making 26 catches for 300 yards and three touchdowns.
The six-foot-six, 208-pound target played five seasons of collegiate football at the University of Hawai’i, University of Cincinnati, and Auburn University, catching 81 passes for 1,488 yards and 11 touchdowns. He had his best collegiate season in 2021 with the Rainbow Warriors when he made 46 catches for 913 yards and five touchdowns and was named an All-Mountain West honourable mention.
Ottawa is expected to start at least one Canadian receiver, which opens the door for Keelan White, who was selected third overall in the 2025 CFL Draft. The North Vancouver, B.C. native played 57 games for the University of Montana, recording 161 receptions for 1,862 yards and 14 touchdowns.
The only other Canadian receivers on Ottawa’s roster are rookie sixth-round pick Ethan Jordan, who amassed 243 receptions for 3,274 yards and 27 touchdowns at Wilfrid Laurier University, and undrafted free agents Darius Simmons and Raidan Thorne.
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