Tough decisions ahead for Blades despite strong start to season
7h ago
The Blades are third in the eastern conference with a record of 11-5-1-1.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to bring some global talent to the Green and White in 2023.
In the first announcement from the 2023 CFL Global draft, the Riders came away with two picks from two different continents. Saskatchewan selected Australian punter Adam Korsak and Italian defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado.
Korsak, a 6-foot-5, 185-pound punter, is coming off what the Riders called “a sensational senior season” at Rutgers University, where he won the Ray Guy Award for best punter in U.S. college football.
While at Rutgers, Korsak led a unit that held opponents to -11 return yards – the best performance in the nation – and allowed just one positive return over more than 75 attempts. More than 14 of his kicks travelled more than 50 yards and 32 of his punts ended up inside the 20-yard line for another national best.
“He has been highly decorated over his career, earning 12 All-Big Ten honours, eight team honours – including spending three years as Team Captain — and twice being named Special Teams MVP,” the Roughriders said in a statement.
“Adam Korsak brings an unorthodox style, and an absolute cannon for a leg to the Riders’ Special Teams unit,” the team added in a social media post.
Korsak has been invited to the rookie mini-camps of the Kansas City Chiefs and Pittsburgh Steelers.
Baldonado — a native of Rome who stands 6-foot-5 and weighs in at 260 pounds — saw action in 40 games over five seasons at the University of Pittsburgh. He recorded 99 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 15 sacks, two pass knockdowns, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and one blocked punt.
“In the 2021 season, Baldonado led the Panthers with nine sacks and earned Second-Team All-ACC Honours,” the Riders added.
Baldonado signed with the NFL’s New York Giants as an undrafted free agent on Sunday.
In a second announcement later on Tuesday, the Riders announced a signing from the 2022 Global draft: Swiss linebacker Lukas Ruoss.
The 6-foot-1, 230-pound Ruoss played for the Rhein Fire of the European Football League in 2022, amassing 62 tackles, six tackles for loss and three interceptions over a dozen games.
The CFL draft gets underway Tuesday at 6 p.m. The Ottawa Redblacks hold the first pick and the Edmonton Elks will make the second selection. The Riders have the third overall pick after finishing with a 6-12 record in the 2022 campaign.
Game changer 🕹
Adam Korsak brings an unorthodox style, and an absolute cannon for a leg to the Rider's Special Teams unit.@AdamKorsak | #GlobalDraft pic.twitter.com/N4ssR5Ezgy
— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) May 2, 2023