The Riders selected seven players in Thursday’s CFL draft from six different positions. A range that pleases Riders GM Jeremy O’Day.
“We put players in all the areas that we thought we could add some depth to. So I think overall, as the whole draft, we did have a pretty good variety of players.”
Here’s O’Day’s thoughts on each of the players he chose in the 2020 draft.
Round (Pick)
1 (7) Matt Riley, OL, Saskatchewan, 6-3, 300 lbs, 23 years old
“He’s well-coached. He comes from a good school that we’ve had a lot of successful players come out of…we think he’s taken a big stride from the first couple years until the last year. And we like the flexibility that he brings to our offensive line.”
4 (30) Kian Schaffer-Baker, WR, Guelph, 6-4, 195 lbs, 22 years old
“We had him ranked higher than where we got him at. He fits the mold of the guys we drafted last year–he can play both slot and outside…ultra-athletic…40 inches in the vertical…was very productive when he’s able to play…has to stay healthy…he like his athleticism and his flexibility that he brings both inside and outside as a receiver…he’ll come in and create some good competition.”
4 (35) Junior Allen, LB, Guelph, 6-1, 210 lbs, 22 years old
“One of the things we wanted to do was to get some value in special teams….we like his athletic ability. We like the fact that he plays a different position. He does have some pass-rush ability that we like. More importantly we like that we think he can come in and compete right away on special teams.”
5 (44) Vincent Dethier, DB, McGill, 5-11, 196 lbs, 24 years old
“What we liked about his is his physicality. And his testing measurements were on par for what you need to be a pro…he’s a very good football player…he’ll come in to compete on special teams and also compete at safety.”
6 (53) Jonathan Femi-Cole, RB, Western, 5-10, 218 lbs, 24 years old
“A guy who originally went to the University of Minnesota as a running back…had extra eligibility so he went to Western this past year…possibility to move him to fullback…we like the way he can pass block…played some valuable minutes on kickoff for Minnesota and also for Western as well.”
7 (62) Jesse Lawson, OL, Carleton 6-6, 285 lbs, 24 years old
“A tackle at Carleton that has great size…has some things to work on but we like his length…at that point we figured we couldn’t pass on him. You can never have enough offensive linemen.”
8 (71) Neville Gallimore, DT, Oklahoma, 6-2, 330 lbs, 23 years old
“A guy that could really be a home run if he ever comes back to the CFL…if you get him down the line, even if you get him for a couple of years, he’s a guy that could really be a top player in our league.”
