It has been a period of significant adjustment for the first overall pick in this year’s CFL draft.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive tackle Faith Ekakitie has had a lot of learning to do after arriving from the University of Iowa and he has made strong strides in the 16 days since rookie camp opened.

“I feel pretty comfortable actually,” the 6-foot-1, 302-pound Ekakitie said. “I’m a lot more comfortable with the playbook. There’s a couple of things here or there that I’m still a little iffy about but compared to a couple weeks ago when I first got here, definitely a lot more comfortable.”

“He looks it,” added Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.

Ekakitie will see his first game action with the Bombers Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 24-year-old will get his first chance to go up against an opposing offensive line while playing a yard of the ball and will hopefully get his hands on his first CFL quarterback.

“Yeah,” he grinned. “Trying to get there at least.”

Ekakitie said now the key for him is to relax.

“Not necessarily relax during the game but right now you’ve got nerves and the coach keeps saying, ‘Don’t play the game before you actually get there,’” Ekakitie said after the Bombers final walkthrough at the University of Manitoba.

“Just relax right now, try to take care of my body, keep going over the playbook over and over again. The little things you can take care of before the game actually kicks off.”

Ekakitie, from Brampton, Ont,, was asked if his first CFL training camp was an eye-opener, given the rules adjustments from U.S. college football and the new system he had to learn on the fly.

“Not necessarily an eye-opener, but just being forced to pay attention to the little details and holding yourself accountable to trying not to make the same mistake twice,” Ekakitie said. “Trying to learn a new playbook while trying to play as fast as you can to the best of your ability.”

O’Shea said Ekakitie is precisely the player the Bombers thought he would be when they drafted him and he’s looking forward to seeing what the big man can do on the field.

“I don’t care where you come from, it’s a jump,” O’Shes said. “It’s pro football. The guys are bigger, stronger, faster, better athletes and you are dealing with a new system. It is a jump and there’s a time-frame that you have to go to to get acclimated. Some guys it’s a lot shorter than others. I thought Faith, whatever his time frame was, it’s noticeable that he feels much more comfortable in there.”

A WELCOME BONUS

The Bombers will be the first team to ever visit the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina Saturday, which is nice since they’ll also be the first visiting team to play a regular season game there on July 1.

Coach Mike O’Shea said it’s a real benefit to the Bombers to be getting the opportunity to test things out before the season begins.

“New stadium, I think it’s especially important for the kicking game and feeling how the wind goes through the stadium and getting a sense of the crowd noise,” O’Shea said. “It’s a pretty good turn of the schedule for us to be there for the exhibition game and then open there.”

Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols said just getting some familiarity with the surroundings should make a big difference come Canada Day.

“Just being there and feeling the gameday atmosphere in a new stadium,” he said. “Even going from the hotel to find the locker room. It will be nice to show up Week 1 for us and already know the routine and not be scrambling to even find out where you are going.

“Just get a little bit more familiarity with it before we go and play a real game there. I saw the stadium at CFL Week and it’s pretty similar to ours so it won’t be anything too drastic to get used to.”

QB SHUFFLE

It looks like all four quarterbacks will see playing time Saturday, with Matt Nichols likely taking the first few snaps and the rest of the reps going to Dom Davis, Dan LeFevour and Austin Apodaca.

So what are they hoping to achieve in this pre-season opportunity?

“Touchdowns every play, right,” LeFevour joked.

“You want to make plays but it’s about being consistent, going through your reads and making smart decisions.”

While he is in competition with Davis for the backup quarterback position, LeFevour doesn’t see this chance as any more crucial than others.

“It’s important, just like every day,” he said. “We’ve had 12 practices and they’re all important. This is no different. It’s a little bit of a different stage and you are going against different guys, different looks from what you’ve seen in practice but every day is important at this point.”

ROSTER NOTES

Among the projected starters who will be among the 65 players in the lineup Saturday are offensive linemen Stanley Bryant, Travis Bond, Matthias Goossen, Sukh Chungh and Jermarcus Hardrick, receivers Kenny Stafford and Clarence Denmark, fullback Chris Normand, kicker Justin Medlock, defensive tackle Drake Nevis, defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo and defensive backs Terrence Frederick, Bruce Johnson and T.J. Heath.

Among the starters who will sit are running back Andrew Harris, receivers Darvin Adams, Weston Dressler and Julian Feoli-Gudino, defensive end Jamaal Westerman, defensive tackle Jake Thomas, weak side linebacker Ian Wild, middle linebacker Sam Hurl, strong side linebacker Moe Leggett, cornerback Chris Randle and safety Taylor Loffler.

Among the rookies who will get a chance Saturday are Winnipeg Rifles Xander Tachinski, a receiver and Andrew Ricard, a safety.

QUOTABLE

“Winning matters. It validates to the guys that their hard work is paying off. All the effort they put in during the off-season and the amount of work they’re doing through training camp is important and it’s going to put them in a good position to win games.”

— Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea

LOOKING FOR A LEADER

Kyle Knox will get a chance to show what he can do at middle linebacker Saturday, with his main competitor Hurl getting the day off.

Knox will need to make a strong impression, given that Hurl has taken most of the first-team reps in training camp.

O’Shea is looking for a defensive leader at the position but Knox said that’s something his teammates will figure out.

“It’s not for me to choose,” he said “It’s for the players to decide. I just let my play reflect.”

twyman@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/Ted_Wyman