‘It’s a really fun process:’ O’Day set for fifth draft as Riders’ GM

While Jeremy O’Day is no stranger to the CFL draft anymore, he did say there are still things he’s learning.

“I guess it’s a lot like football in my career. When I started, I thought I knew everything and then as I got older, I thought I knew nothing,” said the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ general manager, who will take part in his fifth CFL draft in that role Tuesday.

“I remember the first draft. I was all excited and you’re pumped up for the draft and then it starts and then it’s, ‘This is going a lot slower than I thought.’

“It’s a really fun process and it’s a good time. After the draft is over, it’s a big relief because there’s so much work that goes into it.”

The Riders hold the third overall pick in the draft after finishing the 2022 season with a 6-12 record. The draft gets underway at 6 p.m., with the Ottawa Redblacks holding the top pick and the Edmonton Elks holding the second.

O’Day wouldn’t go into specifics about his team’s plans heading into the draft, if the pick will fill a need or if they can take the best player available.

“When we talk about our draft, we will come up with what we need and where do we think we can get better and sometimes when you’re drafting guys, you want to say who is this guy going to beat out on your roster,” O’Day said during Monday’s media availability.

“In pro football, it’s not like high school or college where your starting guard graduated or moved on to the next level and now you need a new starter. Ninety per cent of the roster, you have guys coming in who were starters in the past but if you feel like you can get better and challenge them, that’s what you’ve got to try to do.”

A position that has been under a microscope for the Riders has been the offensive line.

After giving up 77 sacks last year, changes were expected for the group. The team signed centre Peter Godber and tackle Philip Blake in free agency, it has two 2022 draft picks coming to camp (Zack Fry and Diego Montoya), and it signed a number of American linemen this off-season. They’ll join the returning group of Logan Ferland, Logan Bandy, Evan Johnson, and Kooper Richardson. Centre Dan Clark remains a free agent but has still been active in the community for the franchise.

“I know everyone wants to talk about (the O-line) it seems like on a regular basis, which is fine,” O’Day said. “We’re planning on playing with three Canadian O-linemen. We have two guys — one who has been a two-year starter for us (Ferland) and one that has been starting for four years in our league (Johnson).

“We signed Peter Godber in free agency for a reason so that’s three pretty good players. We signed Philip Blake, who was a third-round NFL draft pick, and he has been here and been an all-star in our league and he can play multiple positions so he’s in the mix as well.

“We have Logan Bandy, who we drafted a couple years ago that played 10 games for us (and who’s) pretty good. Then we have two guys who we drafted last year – one in the second (round) and one in the third – that are coming to camp.

“By my math, if you’re starting with three and you have seven, it’s just a matter of if you think you can draft someone at that spot that’s an improvement to the players that you have.”

One thing O’Day and his staff also need to juggle is which Canadians may start the season with an NFL team. A record five Canadians were taken in last week’s NFL draft: Offensive lineman Matthew Bergeron (Atlanta Falcons), safety Sydney Brown (Philadelphia Eagles), guard Sidy Sow (New England Patriots), defensive end Tavius Robinson (Baltimore Ravens), and running back Chase Brown (Cincinnati Bengals).

All five were highly ranked CFL draft prospects according to the CFL scouting bureau.

“I think in general, over the last number of years, the (Canadian) talent has gotten better,” O’Day said. “I think the U Sports teams are doing a great job with the guys and I think the strength and conditioning programs have improved over the last number of years … I think the attention to the Canadian players at universities in the States has increased.

“I think back in the day, guys would come up and bring a couple diamonds in the rough down and now they’ve figured out there’s more diamonds than they thought up here so I think their recruiting is more intense for Canadian players.

“I think they are playing at a higher level and that makes them a little bit more pro ready. Everyone always asks how you compare this draft to the other ones. I think you make the case for this being a pretty strong draft when you see five guys drafted in the NFL and another two guys signed and the normal minicamp guys.”

While the draft is nearly here, there is more work to be done.

“We’re meeting right after this press conference; we go back and meet as a staff. You have a plan in place before the NFL draft and you have a plan in place for after the NFL draft,” O’Day said. “The higher they get drafted in the NFL or the higher amount of money they get up front, the lower they go in our draft.”

The CFL’s global draft also is to be held Tuesday.

Riders ink two

The Riders also added to their Canadian offensive line depth on Monday with a new signing.

Matthew Derks was selected by the Ottawa Redblacks in the sixth round (49th overall) of the 2021 CFL draft. The product of Brantford, Ont., attended training camp with Ottawa in 2022.

Derks spent five seasons at Delaware State. He played nine games as a senior and was named to the 2021 BOXTOROW HBCU All-America Team.

The Riders also announced they had signed American linebacker Ryan Henry. The Miami product played three seasons at Old Dominion.

In 24 college games, he recorded 127 tackles, 9 1/2 tackles for a loss, four sacks, one interception, one pass knockdown and one forced fumble.