Inside the CFL: Draft snub fuels Alouettes rusher Thomas Erlington's long run in pro football
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But neither did he think he'd last until the eighth, and final, round on draft night, when Université de Montréal players gathered at CEPSUM for a watch party. Sixty-five names were called before Thomas Erlington heard his, selected 66th overall by Hamilton. Only five players were taken after him.
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'After the seventh round I made up my mind — I'm not getting drafted,' Thomas Erlington, 33, the Alouettes' starting tailback, told The Gazette this week. 'Nothing against those guys, but I saw a lot (being drafted) I felt I was better than. It was late in the draft. All I wanted was a shot.'
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As he was about to resign himself to what seemed inevitable, Thomas Erlington heard a shout from the back of the room. But while there was some immediate relief, reality also quickly set in.
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'When you're taken in the eighth round, you're not necessarily in the plans,' he quipped.
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But Thomas Erlington proved to be an exception, spending six seasons with the Tiger-Cats — starting for Hamilton in 2019 before suffering a torn knee ligament after four games. He signed with Montreal as a free agent in 2024. And Als management thought so highly of his running and blocking skills, the team made him the surprise starter this season at the expense of import Walter Fletcher.
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Thomas Erlington played his 100th career game on July 5 against B.C.
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'When you look at the career span in the CFL, it's pretty low,' said the Montreal native. 'Being able to make it five, six years and plus … it's a big deal. That number marks a good milestone for any CFL player. I didn't think I'd get to 100, but I kept going, rolling with the punches. And here I am.'
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The Als didn't have a first-round pick in 2017, having traded it for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., now with Calgary. Few from that draft class remain active, including only one — Toronto linebacker Cameron Judge — who was selected in the first round.
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Als general manager Danny Maciocia, the Carabins' head coach at the time, remembers being astonished as round after round was completed without hearing Thomas Erlington's name.
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'I don't remember what he was going through, but I remember what I was going through,' Maciocia said. 'I couldn't believe that he was getting overlooked. I'll go a step further — and I have no problem saying this — this is a guy that should have been drafted by the Alouettes. In their own backyard. On the other side of the mountain. Had the Alouettes … paid attention, he should have been here. It wasn't a question of him being a first- or second-round pick. Do the math.
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