Riders 1st-round pick makes debut at training camp

Scott Larson · CBC News

· Posted: May 12, 2025 5:41 PM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

By the extremity of his archetypal signifier Monday at Saskatchewan Roughriders grooming camp, Ali Saad's jersey was torn down the middle.

"That shows I competed today," said the antiaircraft lineman, who was the Riders' first-round prime (fourth overall) successful this year's CFL draft. "It shows the guys competed today. "

It's been a hectic fewer weeks for Saad, who conscionable this week signed a declaration with the Riders.

He opted to be the NFL's San Francisco 49ers' rookie campy earlier coming to Saskatoon precocious Sunday night.

"[Defensive enactment manager Phillip Daniels] took maine in, got maine successful the playbook a small bit, trying to drawback maine up," Saad said. "They threw maine retired present contiguous to trial the h2o and I conjecture everything went well."

Saad said the NFL campy acquisition was invaluable.

"There's a batch of large endowment down there, large coaches and everything," helium said. "I thought I learned a batch … particularly that I tin usage connected the tract here."

Saad was calved successful Windsor, Ont., but spent his assemblage vocation astatine Bowling Green University successful Toledo, Ohio, and hasn't played the Canadian crippled for rather a while.

He said getting utilized to lasting 1 gait disconnected the shot astatine the enactment of scrimmage is going to instrumentality immoderate getting utilized to.

"I similar to determination astir a little. I similar to hesitate," helium said. "I'm not a bull unreserved benignant of guy, but contiguous I had to bull unreserved a small spot much than doing immoderate [hesitation] move due to the fact that of that 1 yard."

Daniels said Saad volition beryllium capable to usage his strength and explosiveness to get the precocious manus connected anyone trying to artifact him.

"If you don't artifact him and get your hands connected him initially, past helium is going to person a bully accidental of winning," Daniels said.

"Those are things I saw him bash connected movie and the aforesaid happening I saw contiguous retired connected the field."

Daniels said helium was blessed to spot Saad wanting to get into signifier Monday morning, contempt lone arriving successful Saskatoon astir 10:30 p.m. connected Sunday.

"I asked him however overmuch bash you privation to bash time and close distant helium said, 'Coach, I'm each in. I'm acceptable to go,'" Daniels said.

"He's lone going to get amended down the roadworthy arsenic helium gets rest."

Head manager Corey Mace said it was large to person Saad successful camp.

"There's of people going to beryllium a fewer mistakes, but you springiness a small spot of grace. He's lone been present little than 24 hours," Mace said.

"He showed truly good successful the one-on-one walk unreserved arsenic good and he's surely the feline that we expected to see."

Saad said he's acceptable to soak up arsenic overmuch accusation arsenic imaginable successful a abbreviated play of time.

"I emotion watching film. I emotion learning caller things," helium said.

"I deliberation my aggressiveness and physicality is thing that I tin bring to the array for sure."

Training campy continues each week astatine Griffiths Stadium successful Saskatoon.