LIVE: Tracking the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL draft selections

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The 2025 Canadian Football League draft was held on Tuesday night as the next wave of Canadians prospects were selected by CFL clubs.

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After the Calgary Stampeders selected receiver Damien Alford with the No. 1 pick, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats nabbed linebacker Devin Veresuk second overall before the Ottawa Redblacks took receiver Keelan White with the third overall pick.

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With the fourth overall selection, the Saskatchewan Roughriders drafted defensive lineman Ali Saad, a Windsor, Ont. product who played college football at Bowling Green State University. Last season, the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder racked up 40 total tackles, nine tackles for a loss and 4.5 sacks in 13 games. Saad was 11th ranked prospect according to the CFL scouting bureau’s spring rankings.

“(Saad) has versatility to play inside and outside,” said Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day. “Very productive, physical player that’s a playmaker type defensive lineman.

“We’re excited to get him; just a powerful player that is able to shed offensive linemen and play physical, so great to add a guy like that to our defensive front.”

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In the second round, 13th overall, the Roughriders selected offensive lineman Erik Andersen, a 6-foot-6, 307-pound London, Ont. product who played the last four seasons for the Western University Mustangs. Andersen, who played tackle at Western but could move inside according to O’Day, is a two-time U Sports first-team All-Canadian who is set to attend an NFL minicamp with the New York Giants.

“Another guy obviously high on our board,” said O’Day. “Very athletic and has the ability to play multiple positions and will add to the offensive line room.

“As I said pre-draft, I feel like we’re in a position where we could be flexible with where we took our players, and ultimately we decided, as I usually do, to stay with our draft board. We had those guys ranked really high and they’ll certainly come in and compete with the guys we have, and competition is a good thing.”

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Barring any trades, the Roughriders will also select 25th overall in round three, 34th overall in round four, 43rd overall in round five, 52nd overall in round six and 69th overall in round eight. The Riders previously traded away their seventh-round pick to Calgary in exchange for quarterback Jake Maier this off-season.

Global draft

Along with the Canadian draft, the CFL held its annual Global draft on Tuesday morning.

And with the sixth overall selection, the Roughriders selected defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjouen.

Last season with the NCAA’s Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, the 6-foot-4, 260-pounder from Belgium recorded 24 tackles, six tackles for a loss, five pass breakups and 2.5 sacks in seven starts along the defensive line.

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After going unselected in the NFL draft, Yondjouen earned a minicamp invite with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers this week.

With their second selection in the Global draft, 15th overall, the Riders drafted Australian punter Jesse Mirco.

Last season with the NCAA’s Vanderbilt Commodores, the 28-year-old averaged 48 yards per punt. Prior to suiting up for Vanderbilt, the 6-foot-4, 222-pounder played three seasons for the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2021-23.

CFL teams are mandated to dress one Global player and last season, the Roughriders routinely dressed two in punter Adam Korsak and defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado, who are both expected to return in 2025.

Riders add three Americans

Along with the draft selections, the Roughriders added an American running back and an American defensive lineman on Tuesday to go along with an American defensive lineman who was signed Monday.

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Running back Mario Anderson joins the Green and White after a strong college career at Memphis, where he rushed for 1,362 yards and 18 touchdowns in 13 games last year. In eight of his 13 games, the 5-foot-9, 208-pounder ran for more than 100 yards, including a season-high 183 yards and four touchdowns against North Texas.

Before playing for the Tigers, Anderson suited up for South Carolina following a stint at Newberry College.

The Roughriders also announced the signing of defensive lineman Octavious Oxendine on Tuesday. The 6-foot-2, 285-pounder is coming off a five-year career at the University of Kentucky, where he had 78 tackles and 10 sacks in 47 games.

Along with Anderson and Oxendine, this week the Roughriders also signed 5-foot-11, 234-pound defensive lineman Justin Jefferson, who spent the last four years at Eastern Michigan, racking up 121 tackles and eight sacks in 49 career games.

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