The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ latest seventh-round draft choice is poised to become No. 7 on a list, appropriately enough.
When rookie receiver Ajou Ajou makes his CFL debut, he will be only the seventh seventh-rounder in franchise history to play in a regular-season game.
“With the fact that he was a seventh-round draft pick, I think that put a little bit of a chip on his shoulder,” Head Coach Corey Mace said after Monday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.
“He came in here highly touted and he just put his head down and worked. He closed his mouth, put his head down, and did the dirty work. Those are all things we like.
“Then you see the flashes that led him to get to Clemson. If he continues to go that route, it’s maybe going to be a hell of a steal.”
Ajou was a highly touted recruit by the University of Clemson Tigers, a perennial NCAA powerhouse, in 2020.
He dressed for 22 games (two of which he started) over two seasons at Clemson, catching eight passes for 114 yards and one touchdown.
In 2022, he transferred to South Florida and caught two passes in his debut with the Bulls before suffering what proved to be a season-ending groin injury.
Next stop: Garden City, Kansas.
Last season at Garden City Community College, Ajou caught 17 passes for 186 yards and two touchdowns in seven games.
Entering the 2024 CFL Draft, he was touted as a possible third-round selection. When he was still available Round 7, the Roughriders wasted little time in claiming him 59th overall.
“I spoke to him the night before rookie camp started and said, ‘These are the things you’ve got to do to prove that you’re ready for this,’ and he has exceeded the expectations in that manner,” Mace said.
“We’ve asked him to move around positions. He has been prepared for that. Every rookie is going to make mental errors, but he gets those corrected.
“He does everything. He does the dirty work. If you want him to go in there and block, he’s willing to do that.
“Kudos to the kid for putting the priorities as the priority and it has led him here.”
Ajou turned heads in the Roughriders’ pre-season opener, catching three passes for 53 yards — including a 38-yard touchdown — on May 10 against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
After going 2-0 in the pre-season, the Roughriders are preparing for Saturday’s opener against the host Edmonton Elks.
As it stands, six seventh-rounders have suited up for the Roughriders in a CFL regular-season game — offensive lineman Mark Urness (who dressed for 60 career games after being drafted in 1985), linebacker Kelly Trithart (11 games, 1989), linebacker Peter Miller (21 games, 1992), defensive lineman Brandon Tennant (eight games, 2015), linebacker Alexandre Chevrier (34 games, 2017) and defensive lineman Emmanuel Adusei (one game, 2017).
In 1966, University of Alberta Golden Bears halfback Tyler Peter became the first of 33 seventh-round selections in Roughriders history.
Two of the Roughriders’ 24 eighth-rounders have played at least one game — punter Mike Vanderjagt (two games, 1992) and receiver Joshua Stanford (21 games, 2016).
None of the Roughriders’ four ninth-round picks made the team. The last ninth-rounder was in 1985.
Saskatchewan’s draft history also includes a pair of 10th-rounders, neither of whom cracked the roster. The Roughriders haven’t made a 10th-round pick since 1970.
PATTERSON PROGRESSES
Shea Patterson will begin the 2024 season as the Roughriders’ No. 2 quarterback, behind Trevor Harris.
As a first-year Roughrider in 2023, Patterson dressed for 13 games and was deployed primarily as the short-yardage specialist.
He will continue in that role while being elevated to the next man up.
“We kind of allowed him to do a little bit more and gave him more opportunity and he ran away with that,” Mace said.
“He does have the ability to create from the quarterback position. I think that’s important to have on the roster.
“Certainly, there’s his overall understanding of the playbook and his ability to make the throws and make the reads and also have that back-up in there where, if things hit the fan, he can make things happen.”
Patterson was among four returning quarterbacks at Coors Light Training Camp, along with Harris, Mason Fine and Antonio Pipkin.
Ultimately, it came down to Patterson or Fine for the No. 2 position.
“They were pretty tight, neck-and-neck, for the majority of camp, but we felt Shea really set himself above,” said Mace, who informed Fine and Pipkin of their releases leading up to Saturday’s final cutdown deadline.
“That was probably the Number 1 position we looked at with a magnifying glass, so to speak, and we felt we made the right decision.
“Certainly, Mason’s a good player and we wish him all the best moving forward. Those conversations are never easy, but it’s necessary with what we do. We’re happy with the roster we put together.”
Instead of revelling in his good fortune, Patterson made a point of praising Fine.
“I have so much respect for Mason and everything he’s done here,” Patterson said. “For three or four years, he was a guy who grinded it out every single day. I admire that and have a lot of respect for him.”
Harris and Patterson are joined in the quarterbacks room by newcomer Jack Coan, who was the Notre Dame Fighting Irish’s No. 1 signal-caller in 2021.
“We were impressed with his mental preparation, his understanding of the playbook, and his ability to process things very quickly,” Mace said. “We feel very comfortable with Jack and his progression as he develops here as a quarterback on the team.
“He’s got a bright future.”
TIME CHANGE
The kickoff time for Saturday’s regular-season opener in Edmonton has been changed to avoid a scheduling conflict with Game 1 of the Stanley Cup final.
The Roughriders-Elks game will now begin at 2 p.m., Saskatchewan time (TSN, CKRM). The original blueprint called for a late-afternoon start.
The NHL’s championship series, between the Edmonton Oilers and Florida Panthers, faces off on Saturday, 6 p.m., in Sunrise, Fla.
Edmonton clinched a berth in the NHL’s championship series by defeating the visiting Dallas Stars 2-1 on Sunday night.
The CFL, the Roughriders and the Elks quickly adjusted their schedules to allow fans in the Edmonton area to attend the football game without missing any of the Oilers/Panthers opener.
