LIVE: Tracking the Saskatchewan Roughriders CFL draft selections
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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.
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Last season, the 6-foot-3, 280-pounder racked up 19 solo tackles (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.
Barring any trades, the Roughriders will also select 13th overall in round two, 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.
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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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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.
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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.
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