EXCLUSIVE: Canadian QB Taylor Elgersma discusses his rare journey to 2025 NFL Draft prospect

Taylor Elgersma is among the most intriguing quarterback prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. He has a rare opportunity to be the fourth Canadian-born quarterback ever in the NFL and the first since Jesse Palmer was drafted in 2001.

Elgersma recently sat down with Sportskeeda's Tony Pauline and Adam Hulse for an exclusive interview to discuss his unique journey - from primarily playing hockey to pursuing a football career only after high school. He also touched upon how, despite a late start to his football journey, earning an invite to the Senior Bowl - one of the most prestigious events for NFL Draft prospects - is a silver lining moment.

Elgersma explained that he considered going to an American university, but the COVID year derailed his potential plans. The pandemic prevented him from potentially going on a US college tour to play football in the States, but he continued his pursuit of becoming a quarterback at the next level with a new approach.

This is when Taylor Elgersma committed to college in Canada to play football. While history has shown that it's challenging to make it to the NFL through this path, he has a rare opportunity to be one of the few exceptions. He has already done so, attending the Senior Bowl as a rare prospect outside of America.

He described his experience at the Senior Bowl:

"Getting the call that I got to go to the Senior Bowl was obviously something that I'll always remember. It's pretty cool as a Canadian kid getting the opportunity to go to that event," Elgersma said. "I think the whole week at the Senior Bowl, how well run that event is, how well coached it is, the quality of player that was there."

"So I think for me it was just an exciting opportunity to show that I can play with these guys, I can get coached up by these coaches, and I can get better throughout the week. That's something that I definitely wanted to take away from the Senior Bowl is the opportunity to be in rooms with NFL coaches and allow them to develop me."

Elgersma admitted that he initially wanted to be a professional hockey player before his football career started to take off in high school. He even got the opportunity to participate in the CFL internship program while attending college despite only playing quarterback for a couple of years prior.

He explained this process:

"The program is designed for draft-eligible players, quarterbacks specifically. They can go to participate in CFL training camp, all the way from rookie training camp to final roster cuts. I was fortunate enough to do the program three times. I did two with the Toronto Argonauts and one with the Hamilton Tigercats," Elgersma added.

"You're a member of the team, you get there for rookie camp like everyone else. You attend all of the meetings, all of the installs, you practice with the players, you're a professional football player for six weeks. And then at the end of camp when the final rosters are released, you go back to school."

This may have helped prepare him for the NFL Draft process, but his offseason workouts this year put him on the radar. Taylor Elgersma attended the College Gridiron Showcase and the Tropical Bowl before getting the coveted invite to the Senior Bowl. He said he interviewed with 25 or more teams when he was there, which could improve his chances of being drafted.

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Taylor Elgersma's time at QB Country contributed to his status as NFL Draft prospect

Taylor Elgersma is a strong prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft Class. (Credits: Getty)

Taylor Elgersma received the opportunity to attend QB Country in Birmingham, Alabama, to continue his development and get him closer to the transition to NFL quarterback. He believes his time there has been extremely important to his overall profile as a prospect.

"I think they really developed me and polished me up in terms of improving my feet, that was a big thing for me. I've been trying to showcase this, showcased it at my Pro Day, and showcase improvement from the Senior Bowl," Elgersma explained.

"I was in a traditionally gun-offense for most of my college career, so learning the more pro-style offense, the drops and actions from under center, they've really helped me to clean up my mechanics that way. Also just being able to have people that I can talk about the 11-man game with, and get on calls, and develop my football IQ as well. I think they've been really important for me transitioning from the Canadian game to the American game."

Elgersma worked extensively with coach Ben Neill during this process, which paid off for him. Senior Bowl executive Jim Nagy admitted that Neill convinced him to offer an invite to Elgersma despite the rarity of Canadian players getting that invitation.

He transitioned this into an invite to participate in Buffalo's Pro Day, where he said he was excited to show off his developments throughout the process. This represented one of his most recent opportunities to show off for NFL scouts ahead of the draft. He felt that he showcased what he wanted to and was even more excited that he got a chance to interview with more NFL teams.

Many NFL fans may not know about Taylor Elgersma yet because he plays college football in Canada instead of the States, but they may become more familiar with his name as the draft approaches. There are 27 Canadian-born players in the NFL, but he wants to join that exclusive list.

Among them are Chase Brown and Sidney Brown, whom Elgersma admits he looks up to, especially since they are from his "hometown" in Ontario. He concluded the interview by explaining that he tried to mimic his game after Matthew Stafford. If he can succeed, he can join the history books as the fourth-ever Canadian-born NFL quarterback.