Nelson Lokombo
 Lokombo with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2025 | |
| No. 25 – Saskatchewan Roughriders | |
|---|---|
| Position | Defensive back |
Roster status | Active |
CFL status | National |
| Personal information | |
| Born | March 23, 1999 Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada |
Listed height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) |
Listed weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school | W. J. Mouat Secondary |
| University | Saskatchewan Huskies |
| CFL draft | 2021: 1st round, 2nd overall pick |
| Career history | |
| 2021–present | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Awards and highlights | |
| |
| Stats at CFL.ca | |
Nelson Lokombo (born March 23, 1999) is a Canadian professional football defensive back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
University career
[edit]Lokombo played U Sports football for the Saskatchewan Huskies from 2017 to 2019.[1] In 2019, he was named a First-team All-Canadian and was also awarded the Presidents' Trophy as the top defensive player in U Sports football.[1] He did not play in 2020 due to the cancellation of the 2020 U Sports football season.
Professional career
[edit]| Height | Weight | 40-yard dash | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Broad jump | Bench press | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+3⁄4 in (1.80 m) | 184.3 lb (84 kg) | 4.66 s | 4.03 s | 6.76 s | 9 ft 11+3⁄4 in (3.04 m) | 10 reps | ||||||
| All values from CFL Combine[2] | ||||||||||||
In the CFL Scouting Bureau's Final Rankings, Lokombo was named the 17th best player available in the 2021 CFL draft.[3] However, he exceeded those rankings and was drafted second overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and signed with the team on June 4, 2021.[4] Unfortunately, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a pre-training camp workout and sat out the entire 2021 season.[5][6]
Following 2022 training camp, Lokombo not only won a roster spot, but was also named an opening day starter at cornerback.[6][7] He made his professional debut on June 11, 2022, against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he had one defensive tackle.[8] He started the first three games of the season before being moved to the injured list for the fourth game of the season.[7] Upon his return the active roster, Lokombo moved primarily to a backup role before returning to the injured list for the final five games of the season.[7] He played in 12 regular season games, starting in four, where he had 13 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one forced fumble.[8][7]
In 2023, Lokombo played in the first 10 games of the regular season before sitting out seven of the last eight due to injury.[8][9] He played in 11 games, starting in one, where he had five defensive tackles and four special teams tackles.[8][9]
Personal life
[edit]Lokombo is the youngest of five brothers, with Boseko playing linebacker professionally in the CFL and Boloy having played defensive back for Minnesota–Duluth.[10][11]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Nelson Lokombo". Saskatchewan Huskies. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ↑ "Nelson Lokombo CFL Combine Results". CFL.ca. Retrieved June 14, 2026.
- ↑ "Josh Palmer tops spring CFL Scouting Bureau Rankings". Canadian Football League. April 26, 2021.
- ↑ "Riders sign second overall draft pick Nelson Lokombo". Canadian Football League. June 4, 2021.
- ↑ Vanstone, Rob (June 1, 2023). "Green scene appeals to Roughriders' Nelson Lokombo". Saskatchewan Roughriders.
- 1 2 "Former second overall pick Nelson Lokombo to make Riders debut as starting cornerback". 3DownNation. June 10, 2022.
- 1 2 3 4 "Game notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 "Nelson Lokombo". Canadian Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- 1 2 "Game notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved January 13, 2024.
- ↑ Adams, J. J. (May 7, 2021). "Football ties run deep with the Lokombos, but brotherly bonds run deeper". The Province.
- ↑ Olajuwon, Hakeem (August 20, 2008). "The dream chaser". The Province.
