Monday Morning Sentimonies: Rookie Camp

Football starts this week!!!!

Rookie camp opens on Wednesday and while odds are that most of those players will not actually make it onto the Mosaic turf, it’s still exciting. It’s a new Rider season and in the words of Michael Scott “No question about it. I am ready to get hurt again.” 

So lets take a look at some of the names to keep an eye on as rookie camp opens:

QB – Really the only thing to watch here is if Jack Coan can take another step forward or if Michael Hiers can overtake him. Baring something unexpected our QB depth chart is set and Coan and Hiers are competing for a practice roster spot. O’Day has always been high on Coan so I will be watching to see how big of a step he can take forward in year 2.

RB - Another veteran group that will be hard for a newcomer to crack. Ouelette will be the starter. Hudon the primary backup. Laborn has CFL experience. That leaves Trent Pennix and Mario Anderson needing to make a big impression to make the roster. Realistically I think Anderson has the better chance but dammit if I don’t want to see what a man of Pennix’s size can do. He’s 6’2, 234. Mostly I would like the opportunity to brag about the size of our Pennix.

OL – We brought in a ton of American OL. With Hardrick and Tate penciled in as starters, Brammer as dept and a chance Reid returns it may all be for nothing. But as last year proved, you can never have too many OL.  From a size perspective the 6’8 315 mountain of a man that is Julius Buelow stands out though his college experience is mostly at guard. Jamir Ross-Johnson was a free agent signing of the Packers and has played two seasons in the UFL so he is the most experienced guy.

DL – D-end is the place to watch here. Other than maybe Saad, I don’t see a newcomer cracking the tackle position with Rose, Micah, Dabire and Sanders. We do need depth at end though. I think there is more to Justin Jefferson than just the same name as one of the biggest stars in the NFL. I also am interested to see what Jordan Smith can do as a former 4^th round NFL pick.

LB – While I assume some of our new DB recruits will end up auditioning as cover LB, we only really have one true rookie LB at this point, Braxton Hill and even he spent time on the practice roster last season.

DB – If I am looking to make this team I think CB is one of the best chances. Like most spots, our starters are set but we need depth. Eddie Heckard is a guy I will be watching here. Solid college career that ended at BYU. He got an invite to Broncos mini-camp in 2024. At 5’10 he does not have the height the NFL wants but his skillset could translate well to the CFL game.

Special Teams – The surprise retirement of Adam Kosak leaves us with a riveting punter competition in camp. I mean I’m sure probably anything you can imagine is more riveting than two foreigners kicking a ball really high but its an important battle nonetheless. After 2 seasons of Korsak’s fantastic directional punting I am just hoping we don’t regress back to booming them straight down the middle and cheering punt singles.  

Assessing the 2025 Draft Class

It must be getting close to the CFL season if you start seeing me work more than one day a week. The CFL Global and Canadian draft went down Tuesday.

While I wholeheartedly support the global initiative, I’d be lying if I said I knew anything about the global draft. Past drafts have brought us solid players like Baldonado and Korsak so our 2025 picks may turn into to something of value down the road. But trying to hype and analyze the results of a draft that is half punters is like trying to hype economic policy discussions on public radio.

So let’s focus on the Canadian draft…

O’Day has been fairly successful as a GM when it comes to the draft and I think 2025 is a continuation of that. When in doubt focus on building the trenches. Take some educated risks. Add some late round guys with potential. I think he ticked all the boxes. We won’t know the full value of this draft class for a couple years (Emilus seemed like an odd pick at the time but certainly panned out well. Mattland Riley seemed like a safe pick and ended up being a waste) but at this point I like what O’Day has done.

Let’s take a closer look at the picks.

Round 1 – 4^th Overall, DL Ali Saad

I love our current D Tackles but they are both the wrong side of 30. We need to start planning for the future here. Other than my inherent trust of a football program from Bowling Green using orange as their primary colours, there is lots love about Saad. Big, strong presence in the middle. Pairing him with Dabire could allow a ratio switch down the road. We lack impact Canadians on D so this was a logical place to focus in round 1.

Saad has been invited to mini-camp with San Francisco but odds are good he will be in training camp when it opens.

Round 2 – 13^th Overall, OL Erik Andersen

Picking OL early is never a bad strategy. In theory we should have enough depth on our existing roster but just look at how far down the depth chart we got last season due to injury. You can never have too much OL depth. Andersen played tackle in university. While he likely moves to guard in the CFL he at least as the experience to play tackle in a pinch. He’s strong the in the run game. 

Andersen has been invited to mini-camp with the Giants but, like Saad, odds are good he will be in training camp when it opens. With Kyle Hergel yet to shake loose from the NFL, I think it was important to continue to add OL depth.

Round 3 – 25^th Overall – QB Kurtis Rourke

O’Day stepped up a took a big swing here and I love it. Rourke was drafted in the 7^th round by the 49ers so we likely have to wait a year or 2 minimum on him and there is risk he never comes north. But when you have the chance to add a starting QB with a 3^rd round pick I think its well worth the risk, especially for a team with uncertainty at QB beyond this season. Now is the perfect time to take a risk like this because we have no glaring needs. Even if Rourke never plays in the CFL I still like this pick, because in the event he ever does he will bring value 100 times more than the pick we used to secure his rights.

Round 4 – 34^th Overall, LB Seth Hundeby

This pick is also about building for the future as Hundeby will be going back to school in the fall. But his athleticism was on full display at the Combine and he has had a very productive career with the Huskies. He’s a guy that could step in on special teams next year and potentially grow into a contributor on D. With a ton of uncertainty around the durability of last years second round pick Wiebe continuing to search for LB depth is important.

Round 5 – 43^rd Overall, DL Liam Hosksins

At this point in draft you are either drafting raw talents you think have a chance be molded into top end players or grinders/effort guys to fill out special teams. Hoskins strikes me as the latter. He’s a bit of a tweener at 240. Team will likely have him bulk up to play DL or trim down to play LB.

Round 6 – 52^nd Overall, DB Gideon Agyei

Unlike Hoskins, Agyei strikes me as the other type of late round pick you see, a raw talent we think we can develop. Given that we plan on starting 2 Canadian DBs, I think Agyei has a chance to stick on the practice roster as we will need depth there.

Round 8 - 69^th Overall – WR Daniel Wiebe

I hate how every short white receiver automatically draws Weston Dressler comparisons. There will not be another Dressler. That said, if you are going to take a guy late in the draft, a local Saskatchewan kid who is going to work his tail off is as good a bet as any. Wiebe has speed so he has a chance.