Ese Mrabure-Ajufo (born December 5, 1992) is a

Canadian football Canadian football () is a team sport, sport played in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed oval-shaped ball into the opposing team's sco ...

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

who is currently a member of the

Edmonton Elks The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL). He played

CIS football U Sports football is the highest level of amateur play of Canadian football and operates under the auspices of U Sports (formerly Canadian Interuniversity Sport). Twenty-seven teams from Canadian universities are divided into four athletic confer ...

for the

Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, commonly shortened to Laurier Golden Hawks, is the name used by the varsity sports teams of Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The university's varsity teams compete in the Ontario University ...

Early career

Mrabure-Ajufo played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

in his senior year at

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School Our Lady of Mount Carmel Secondary School is a Catholic separate school in Mississauga, Ontario. It is part of the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board and is affiliated with the parish of St. John of the Cross. The Trustee is Brea Corbet ...

. From 2011 to 2014, he played university football for the

. He recorded 50 tackles, 5.5 sacks, and a

fumble recovery A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

. He was an OUA second-team all-star in his senior year. In 2014, Mrabure-Ajufo was invited to the East-West Bowl. During the East-West Bowl combine, he received the best scores in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, and broad jump among defensive lineman.

Professional career

BC Lions

Mrabure-Ajufo was drafted in the first round of the 2015 CFL Draft by the

BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions played their first season ...

with the fifth overall pick, despite being projected as a second round pick by the Canadian Football League Scouting Bureau. He made his CFL debut on July 4, 2015 against the

Ottawa Redblacks The Ottawa Redblacks (officially stylized as REDBLACKS) ( French: Le Rouge et Noir d'Ottawa) are a professional Canadian football team based in Ottawa, Ontario. The team plays in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). Startin ...

, where he registered one special teams tackle. Mrabure-Ajufo was released on June 19, 2016.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

On June 26, 2016, Mrabure-Ajufo signed with the

Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a professional Canadian football team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. The Roughriders compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division. The Roughriders were founded in 1 ...

. In two seasons, he played in 32 regular season games where he had 38 defensive tackles and three quarterback sacks.

Calgary Stampeders

On February 13, 2018, Mrabure-Ajufo signed with the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

on the first day of free agency. He played in 11 regular season games in 2018 where he had four defensive tackles and two sacks. He was on the injured list when the Stampeders won the

106th Grey Cup The 106th Grey Cup (branded as the 106th Grey Cup presented by Shaw for sponsorship reasons) was the Canadian Football League (CFL) championship game for the 2018 season. It was played on November 25, 2018, between the Ottawa Redblacks and the C ...

championship. He played in only two games in 2019 as he was on the injured list for the other 16 games that season. He became a free agent in 2020, but did not play due to the cancellation of the

2020 CFL season The 2020 CFL season would have been the 67th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it would have been the 63rd season of the Canadian Football League. It was originally scheduled to begin on June 11; on April 7, the start of the s ...

Ottawa Redblacks

On January 15, 2021, Mrabure-Ajufo signed with the

. He played in six games, but did not record any stats. He was released on May 6, 2022.

Edmonton Elks

The

announced the signing of Mrabure-Ajufo on May 16, 2022.

References

External links

Ottawa Redblacks profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mrabure-Ajufo, Ese 1992 births Living people BC Lions players Calgary Stampeders players Canadian football defensive linemen Canadian sportspeople of Nigerian descent Ottawa Redblacks players Players of Canadian football from Ontario Saskatchewan Roughriders players Sportspeople from North York Canadian football people from Toronto Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks football players