Riders select defensive lineman Ali Saad fourth overall in CFL Draft

The Saskatchewan Roughriders focused on the trenches with their first-round pick in the CFL Draft.

Saskatchewan selected defensive lineman Ali Saad with the fourth overall pick in the 2025 draft. Saad, a product of Windsor, Ont., started all 13 games for the Bowling Green Falcons as a senior last season. He recorded four sacks last season. Prior to joining Bowling Green, he spent 2020 with the Minnesota Gophers but didn’t appear in any games.

Ali Saad is the newest member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders!#CFLDraft pic.twitter.com/H8iqbJwGI9

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 29, 2025

In last year’s draft, the team selected offensive lineman Kyle Hergel third overall. Hergel has been with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints.

Saskatchewan did find contributors in last year’s draft, with linebacker Nick Wiebe (second round), wide receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby (third round), linebacker Melique Straker (fourth round), Daniel Johnson (fifth round), and wide receiver Ajou Ajou (seventh round) all sticking with the team last season.

Riders select two in Global Draft

Earlier in the day, the Riders selected Belgium defensive end Sylvain Yondjouen and Australian punter Jesse Mirco.

Yondjouen, a product of Ruisbroek, Belgium, spent six seasons at Georgia Tech and appeared in 52 games for the Yellow Jackets. He recorded 76 career defensive tackles, including 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, seven pass breakups, seven pass deflections, and one forced fumble. Yondjouen accepted a minicamp invite from the Carolina Panthers.

Mirco played his senior season at Vanderbilt (2024), appearing in 13 games. Prior to that, he spent three seasons at Ohio State (2021-23) where he played in 39 games as a Buckeye. He averaged 48.0 yards per punt in his season at Vanderbilt — ranking first in the SEC.

In last year’s draft, the Riders selected defensive lineman Tyrone Taleni (Samoa) and Austrailian punter Jordy Sandy.