The Saskatchewan Roughriders tended to the trenches before selecting marquee quarterback Kurtis Rourke in Tuesday’s CFL Draft.
The Roughriders picked Bowling Green defensive lineman Ali Saad with the fourth overall pick. The 6-foot-3, 280-pounder is from Windsor, Ont.
“I’m really excited,” Saad told reporters during a Zoom call on Tuesday night. “My mom was actually crying. She’s really proud of me — really excited for me — and my dad as well.
“I’m just excited to go to work.”
Last season, the stout Saad registered 19 solo tackles, 21 assists, 4½ sacks, nine tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles and one blocked kick in 13 games. One of those sacks was recorded in the 68 Ventures Bowl against Arkansas State.
“He’s somebody who has the versatility to play inside or outside,” Roughriders Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager Jeremy O’Day said. “He played both at Bowling Green.
“He’s a very productive, physical player who is a playmaker type of defensive lineman. We’re excited to get him.”
The Calgary Stampeders opened the proceedings by selecting 6-foot-6 receiver Damien Alford (University of Utah).
Next up were the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who chose University of Windsor linebacker Devin Veresuk.
The Ottawa REDBLACKS then claimed receiver Keelan White (University of Montana).
His father, linebacker Richard White, was the Roughriders’ third-rounder in 1983. He played in six regular-season games, all in 1984, for Saskatchewan.
After Keelan White was chosen, Saad became the ninth defensive lineman to be selected by Saskatchewan in the first round.
“He’s a powerful player who is able to shed offensive linemen,” O’Day noted.
Saad followed Alex Squires (1969, sixth overall, from Toronto), Vic McLeod (1974, sixth, Western), Glen Scrivener (1990, third, William Jewell), Troy Alexander (1995, fourth, Eastern Washington), Scott Schultz (2001, first, North Dakota), Keith Shologan (2008, first, Central Florida), Shomari Williams (2010, first, Queen’s) and Lake Korte-Moore (2023, third, UBC). Williams was a defensive end/linebacker.
In the second round (13th overall), Saskatchewan took University of Western offensive lineman Erik Andersen.
The two-time First-Team All-Canadian, from London, Ont., was named the OUA’s top offensive lineman last season. The 6-5¾, 315-pounder has been invited to the New York Giants’ rookie mini-camp.
“He’s another guy who was high on our board — somebody who played tackle at Western,” O’Day said. “He’s very athletic and has the ability to play multiple positions. He’ll add to the offensive line room.
“You’ve got to build through the offensive line to protect the quarterback, so we’re excited about the guys we took (in the first two rounds).”
A quarterback took centre stage in Round 3, when Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke became the 25th overall selection.
The younger brother of B.C. Lions signal-caller Nathan Rourke was ninth in Heisman Trophy voting last season. He threw for 3,042 yards and 29 touchdowns in 12 games.
Kurtis Rourke was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the seventh round (227th) of the 2025 NFL Draft, so there is a chance that he may never play professional football in his home country. But if he does, it is a lottery win for the Roughriders, who took a calculated gamble on Tuesday night.
“I think it takes a little bit of guts to make a pick like that, knowing there’s a possibility that you don’t get him,” O’Day said. “It’s one of those risk-rewards. We’ve shown that we’re not scared to make those picks of guys we may or may not see. Obviously, you don’t want to miss too many times on those guys, and you want to re-stock your Canadian talent.
“It’s interesting. There’s no one in the room who’s going to argue with you when you’re picking a player like that. You get excited about the what-ifs. There wasn’t hesitation from everyone else.
“I think the guy who’s got to wear it a little bit more is standing in front of you (being interviewed). They’re definitely not afraid to voice their opinion and tell you what they think, but we didn’t have any objections, that’s for sure.”
Rourke is the ninth quarterback the Roughriders have selected since the CFL Draft was introduced in 1963. He follows Rip Ripstein (1966, Round 5, McGill), Doug Quackenbush (1968, Round 3, Dalhousie), Terry Lampert (1968, Round 6, Alberta), George Kunyckyj (1970, Round 6, Brandon), Greg Galan (1989, Round 8, Saskatchewan), Peter Rowe (1991, Round 4, Wyoming), Brent Schneider (1997, Round 7, Saskatchewan) and Teale Orban (2008, Round 6, Regina).
In Tuesday’s fourth round, the Roughriders chose Saskatoon-born University of Saskatchewan Huskies linebacker Seth Hundeby with the 34th pick. The 6-foot-3, 251-pounder ran the 40-yard dash in a brisk 4.7 seconds at the CFL Combine in March.
Hundeby plans to return to the U of S to complete his engineering degree, so he won’t be able to the Roughriders until 2026.
“He goes back (to the Huskies) and continues to develop,” O’Day said. “I thought he did a lot of great things on the field this year.
“He’s kind of a Swiss army knife. He plays linebacker and you can also move him around and play him at defensive end. He also does a little bit of the long snapping.
“Obviously, we’re excited to draft him. He’s a local kid as well, which helps. Certainly, that wasn’t the Number 1 determining factor, but anytime we can keep Saskatchewan kids here, we’re happy to do that.”
Saskatchewan selected University of Windsor defensive end Liam Hoskins in Round 5 (43rd). The 6-foot-2, 240-pounder’s athleticism was accentuated when he scored two interception-return touchdowns in 2022.
Calgary Dinos defensive back Gideon Agyei was the Roughriders’ sixth-rounder (52nd). The 6-foot-2, 189-pounder had two interceptions, one of which he returned for a TD, last season.
Agyei completed the 40-yard dash in 4.59 seconds at the Invitational Combine.
Saskatchewan’s seventh-rounder (61st) went to Calgary in a Dec. 23 trade that brought quarterback Jake Maier to Saskatchewan.
In the eighth round (69th), the Roughriders finished up by choosing Huskies receiver Daniel Wiebe.
At the 2025 Combine, the 5-foot-9, 185-pounder posted the second-fastest short shuttle time (3.95 seconds) in event history. He also ran the 40 in 4.52 seconds.
“When you’re a shorter receiver, you’ve got to do something special, and he certainly did with his testing. As I think everyone probably saw, he can fly. He’s a playmaker and he does a lot of great things. He’s a worker and he really wants to be a pro.
“We asked him about his size and how he overcomes being a little bit shorter, and he actually talked about Weston Dressler. It’s a strong name for him to throw out there, but good on him for thinking it through.”
Wiebe’s home field, Griffiths Stadium, will be the site of the Roughriders’ rookie camp (May 7-9) and Coors Light Training Camp (which begins May 11 in Saskatoon).
