Sunday Morning Sentimonies: Three Lists of Three

Football is back! And in honour of the new season you get a special Sunday edition of my Sentimonies. Truth be told I was pretty sure that if I waited until Monday that something would happen Sunday that would force me rewrite everything. 

**This post did not even make it an hour before the Riders annouced their first round of cuts and rendered part of this post irrelevant. This is what I get for trying***

Training camp opens today and the quest for the first ever repeat in franchise history is on. Today I want to highlight some of the things I will be watching for throughout the camp and the preseason. It specifically excludes Saskatchewan’s most talked about position (back-up QB) because quite frankly if it matters this season who our backup is then we better be petitioning the CFL to expand the playoff format early.

To get you primed for training camp I present 3 lists of 3.

Three Position Battles To Watch

Defensive End

I have said all offseason that D-End is the most important position coming into 2026. Offseason departures of pretty much anyone to ever have a sack leaves us without one established starter at DE… let alone the 2 we actually need. If we can’t find a solid DE rotation amongst the 19 D-lineman we have in camp then our defense is going to regress to the point it won’t matter how many all-stars you have in the secondary and linebackers. There’s a mix of veterans like Vaughters, Korte-Moore; second year guys Patrick, Bennett, Charles; and ton of new recruits. Finding 2 solid starters amongst this group is priority number one for training camp

American Receiver

We will be returning largely the same starting offense as last year so there are very few legitimate openings for starters. But with Meyers in the NFL and Robustelli in Edmonton, American wide receiver is more open than whoever Nelson Lokombo is supposed to be covering. There’s guys with NFL experience like Freddie Swain, Jaylen Johnson, Juwann Winfree and Tyrie Cleveland. Guys with time on our practice roster like Abdul Janneh and Siaosi Mariner. And raw rookies like Ali Jennings. A few of these guys impressed in rookie camp but it will be interesting to see who can still hold their own when lined up against veterans.   

Linebacker

AJ Allen’s departure leaves not only a vacant starting spot, but a decision as to whether or not the position is filled by an American or Canadian. I think odds are we go American and Aubrey Miller is favourite with a veteran like Josh Woods there to push him. Seth Hundeby’s retirement is less than ideal but we have Wiebe, Straker and newly signed Ryder Varga if we wanted to go Canadian.

Three First Year Players to Watch

WR Daniel Wiebe

He is making the team. He caught my eye multiple times last year. After another year developing in university (where he was one of the top WR’s in the country), he’s back and catching eyes again already. We are desperate for Canadian WR depth. I think Wiebe not only makes this team but when he gets a chance to get reps with the starting offense he will make plays.

WR Tyrie Cleveland

We are looking to replace an explosive player in Meyers. While I inherently distrust anything bearing the name Cleveland, Tyrie has the speed to step into that role as well as a number of years bouncing around the NFL.

DL JJ Weaver

A productive college career but undersized by NFL standards, Weaver is the kind of guy that excel in the CFL. Why I have my eye on him is that we know that Coach Mace likes character guys, and per his bio “Weaver has been consistently recognized for his outstanding commitment to the community”. This the kind of guy that fit very will in this province.

Three Second Year Players to Watch

** Antoine Brooks would obviously top this list but to me he is already a bona fide starter so I am excluding him.

DL Ali Saad

Last year’s first round pick had a solid rookie season rotating at D-tackle. He even got to sack Zach Collaros. He’s a guy I think is poised for a big jump in year two. Much like Keith Shologan who took until his second year to really show why he was a first round pick, Saad is ready to take on a larger role this season.

DB Benny Sapp

Had he not retired, this space would have gone to Sheldrick Redwine. While not to the same degree as Redwine, Sapp still did not look out of place in his limited playing time in 2025. Sayles, Milligan and Campbell are all great but the wrong side of 30. The only DB under 30 is far from solid. Having a guy like Sapp step up would help with depth now and have us ready for the future. 

DL Chico Bennett 

**This was orginally Aaron Patrick but he was released within an hour of me posting. Sorry Aaron. The Prophet curse is a real thing**

Guys who spend a season on the practice roster and then get brought back the next year are always worth watching. Obviously the team sees something in them to keep them around. With 2 games played in 2025, Bennett finds himself as one of the most experienced guys vying for a DE spot (yes that is sad). Other than a mini-camp invite from Philly Bennett has not been through the NFL ringer. He's young and ready to make a name for himself. 

Monday Morning Sentimonies: 2026 Draft Class

Last week both the Canadian and Global Drafts went down. In an amazing stat per @CFLStats it marked the first time since 1986 that every team made a first round pick. While we likely won’t know the true value of this draft for 2-3 years, at first blush it looks like O’Day did what was needed, addressing depth at OL, WR and getting a potential playmaker on D. The only thing that really surprised me was that we took zero DL. But that may have just been a product of picking late and not having anyone available worth reaching for.

In the CFL to have sustained success you need to hit on 2 of your first 3 round picks and hope to get lucky by finding 1 or 2 depth guys in the later rounds. Year over year O’Day has been doing that, which is a major reason we had the Canadian depth we had last year.

Round 1 - DB Malcom Bell

Based on how the first round went this was a very logical pick for the Riders. We start 2 Canadians in the secondary and don’t have much for depth, particularly behind Campbell. All Rider fans should collectively thank O’Day for taking steps to prevent Exume from ever needing to line up a corner again. 

Bell was a starting corner in D1 NCAA. He has good size and knack for making plays. He has a mini-camp invite from the Cleveland Browns but odds are good he will be in camp following that. Bell can immediately contribute on teams and provide depth. He also has a high enough ceiling to be a starter down the road. 

Round 2 – WR Dylan Djete

While I’m somewhat bummed that the guy taken before Djete was named Shakespeare, he is a good pick nonetheless. With Ajou, Picton and Neild all gone (off-field issues, retirement, banished to Winnipeg respectively), we need to start restocking our Canadian depth at WR. O’Day says they liked Djete from the beginning of their evaluation process. Given his recent track record in identifying and drafting WR that bodes very well. He’s a smaller WR but speedy and described by O’Day as “a willing blocker”. 

Round 3 – OL Darius Bell

In an effort to draft all the Bell’s O’Day added Darius (who I can only assume is Malcolm’s brother). For a 3^rd round pick this Bell offers potential good value for a team in need of OL depth. He can play centre which is important. He is not the most refined in terms of technique but certain has the size and athleticism needed. With a coach like Edwin Harrison he could be developed into a solid depth option. 

Round 4 – LB Osasere Odemwingie

The surprise retirement of Seth Hundeby makes this pick even more important and creates an immediate opportunity for Odemwingie. He made a ton of tackles for Calgary. He didn’t test well at the Combine but the Riders like his game film (which quite frankly is about 100 times more important than the combine) 

Round 5 - OL Jez Janvier

When you draft an OL this late in the draft it means they are a long-term development project. Janvier played some D-line in college in addition to OL. He started 5 games in 2024 and played sparingly in 2025. We are banking on his measurables… long arms, solid speed, impressive broad jump. Odds are he never develops into a contributor but the Riders like him enough to give it a try.

Round 6 – OL Albert Reese IV

As he has done every year, O’Day once again showed that he is more than willing to take a chance on a guy with an NFL contract. Reese would have been a first round pick if not for signing a free agent contract with the Carolina Panthers. He may never play in the CFL but if he does, securing his rights for the low price of a 6^th round pick is well worth it.

Round 7 – WR Shemar McBean

McBean was a Can-West all-start last season who put up impressive numbers in his career with the Thunderbirds. But obviously falling this far down tells you that GMs have some concern about his ability to develop into a pro. Best case scenario is either practice roster or sent back to school (like Daniel Wiebe last year).

Round 8 – TE Ryan Speight

8^th round picks are always just lotto ticket picks. Overwhelming odds are they don’t pan out but great value for the few that do. Speight is coming off major injury so we might have to wait on him. He would project as a special teams/FB (think Awachie/Runge) if he makes it.

Global Round 1 – LB Mapalo Mwansa

As you can clearly guess by his name, Mwansa is from England. This is a futures pick. Mwansa was also a part of the NFL International program and currently on the Carolina Panthers.

Global Round 2 – K Kansei Matsuzawa

Whether or not he ever comes to Saskatchewan, Matsuzawa is likely the most interesting story you will read. Known as the Tokyo Toe, he taught himself to kick by watching YouTube while working at a restaurant to pay for college. He ended up becoming a star at the University of Hawaii and was signed by the Las Vegas Raiders. Let that be just another reminder that no job in North America is safe from outsourcing to cheaper and more productive Asian labour.