Samuel Emilus was a spectacular catch for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Selected seventh overall in the 2022 CFL Draft, the 27-year-old receiver already has back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to his good name.
“The 2025 version of Sam Emilus is going to be pretty fun to see,” Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris says. “It’s going to be fun to see how he evolves even further.”
Emilus began his association with the Roughriders just under three years ago, when he became the second of three receivers to be chosen in the first round.
Jalen Philpot went fifth overall to the Calgary Stampeders. His brother, Tyson Philpot, went to the Montreal Alouettes four picks later.
Kiondre Smith, chosen by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the fourth round (37th overall), has also gone on to become a starting-calibre CFLer.
“It was a pretty good Draft if you look at the receivers who were in that class,” Roughriders Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O’Day says.
“Nothing against the other guys in the Draft. Those guys are off to a good start as well. But with Sam, we liked the fact that he’ll go up for the ball and compete.
“He’s an excitable guy — quiet in character but the opposite on the field. I wish I knew he was going to be as good a blocker as he is, too. He just does everything really well and he’s a great guy in the locker room.
“You hope that they turn out the way you evaluate them. There was a lot of conversation about what we were going to do with that pick. It became kind of clear that Sam was the guy.”
That sentiment was solidified when Roughriders Assistant GM Paul Jones attended Emilus’s pro day, at which he covered the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds and ascended 37 inches in the vertical jump.
“Funny enough, I had a good feeling that the Roughriders were about to draft me, just because when I did my pro day, I had talked to Paul Jones,” recalls the Montreal-born Emilus, who played NCAA football at Massachusetts (2018-20) and Louisiana Tech (2021).
“We just talked and chopped it up for about 30 minutes. He told me, ‘If we get a chance to draft you, we want to draft you,’ so I kind of knew a little bit that the Roughriders were on the radar.”
Sure enough …
“We felt like he was the guy we wanted and we stuck to it,” O’Day says in advance of Tuesday’s CFL Draft. “Across the board, he was the guy who we had a tick above the other guys.
“You just trust your draft board. Fortunately, in this case, it panned out.”
Did it ever.
Emilus enjoyed a breakout season in 2023, catching 70 catches for 1,097 yards and six touchdowns — three of which were scored in Week 2 against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“You’re just excited anytime you get a Draft pick who does well like that,” O’Day says. “In Sam’s case, he earned it, and he came in and learned everything.
“There’s always a moment when you think, ‘OK, this guy’s going to be a real player and he’s got a chance to be an All-Star.’ That was probably that moment — when he had the hat trick for touchdowns.”
Emilus followed up in 2024 by catching 87 passes for 1,064 yards and five majors en route to being named the Roughriders’ Most Outstanding Canadian for the second season in succession. He also earned divisional All-CFL honours for the first time.
Also of note was an 88-yard TD bomb from Harris to Emilus on Oct. 5, when the Roughriders secured a playoff berth by defeating the host Edmonton Elks 28-24.
“It was a huge play for us in a big moment,” O’Day says. “It’s nice to see those big plays being made.
“He makes the tough catches, but it’s nice to see that he can run by guys as well.”
The 88-yarder was the second-longest aerial advance in the CFL last season.
With 87 receptions, Emilus was fourth overall — and keep in mind that he sat out the regular-season finale because it did not have an impact on the standings.
“I feel like he’s not given enough credit, to be honest with you,” O’Day says. “He just quietly goes about doing his job and he ends up at the end of the year where he’s a really good receiver. He has been at the top for Canadians for the last couple of years.
“He’s not an ‘I’ guy. He’s not a guy who’s complaining if he doesn’t get the ball. He makes the plays that come to him and he’s a great player for us. He’s a fantastic guy.”
With a fantastic future.
“We all can say that it’s going well right now,” Emilus says as his fourth Coors Light Training Camp approaches.
“I love playing there. The fans are incredible. The city takes care of me. It’s a great situation that I’m in.”
