| Nelson Lokombo | |
| Number: | 21 |
| Team: | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Birth Date: | 23 March 1999 |
| Birth Place: | Abbotsford, British Columbia |
| Status: | Active |
| Import: | no |
| Position1: | Defensive back |
| Height Ft: | 5 |
| Height In: | 11 |
| Weight Lb: | 190 |
| Cis: | Saskatchewan Huskies |
| High School: | W. J. Mouat Secondary |
| Cfldraftedyear: | 2021 |
| Cfldraftedround: | 1 |
| Cfldraftedpick: | 2 |
| Cfldraftedteam: | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Playing Years1: | –present |
| Playing Team1: | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| Honours: |
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| Cfl: | nelson-lokombo/166236/ |
Nelson Lokombo (born March 23, 1999) is a Canadian professional football defensive back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
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.
In the CFL Scouting Bureau's Final Rankings, Lokombo was named the 17th best player available in the 2021 CFL Draft.[2] However, he exceeded those rankings and was drafted second overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and signed with the team on June 4, 2021.[3] Unfortunately, he suffered a torn Achilles tendon in a pre-training camp workout and sat out the entire 2021 season.[4] [5]
Following 2022 training camp, Lokombo not only won a roster spot, but was also named an opening day starter at cornerback.[5] [6] He made his professional debut on June 11, 2022, against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats where he had one defensive tackle.[7] He started the first three games of the season before being moved to the injured list for the fourth game of the season.[6] 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.[6] He played in 12 regular season games, starting in four, where he had 13 defensive tackles, one special teams tackle, and one forced fumble.[7] [6]
In 2023, Lokombo played in the first 10 games of the regular season before sitting out seven of the last eight due to injury.[7] [8] He played in 11 games, starting in one, where he had five defensive tackles and four special teams tackles.[7] [8]
Lokombo is the youngest of five brothers, with Boseko playing linebacker professionally in the CFL and Boloy having played defensive back for Minnesota–Duluth.[9] [10]