Saskatchewan Roughriders take skill with first 2 picks of 2026 CFL Draft, follow for live updates

Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer, left, is sacked by Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell, right, during the first half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025, in East Lansing, Mich. (AP Photo/Jose Juarez)

Fresh off their fifth ever Grey Cup title, the Saskatchewan Roughriders are looking to fill the holes in their respective lineups in preparation for the 2026 CFL season.

Saskatchewan has one pick in each of the eight rounds, selecting at picks 9, 18, 29, 38, 47, 56, 65 and 74.

The Riders are expected to have Canadians starters Logan Ferland and Zack Fry start on the offensive line, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Dhel Duncan-Busby and Sam Emilus at receiver, along with Tevaughn Campbell and Nelson Lokombo in the defensive secondary.

Ali Saad was the team’s first round selection in 2025. Other notable first round picks include Kyle Hergel and Lake Korte-Moore, as well as Emilus and Lokombo.

Live updates can be found below:

7:45 p.m. – Calgary’s Osasere Odemwingie joins Green and White

With their fourth-round selection, Saskatchewan added Calgary Dino linebacker Osasere Odemwingie.

The 38th overall selection played 31 games over four seasons at U of C, making 161 tackles, 10.5 for loss. He added four sacks, four pass knockdowns, five forced fumbles and recovered two fumbles.

7:40 p.m. – Regina product Charlie Parks headed to Ottawa

Regina defensive lineman Charlie Parks was selected in the fourth round, 31st overall, by the Ottawa Redblacks.

The University of Saskatchewan product played three seasons for the Huskies.

In 23 games, he made 53 total tackles, had 11 sacks, forced one fumble and recovered another.

The U of S lost the Vanier Cup to Montreal at Mosaic Stadium in November.

Parks made one tackle, for loss, in the national championship.

7:33 p.m. – Riders add size in Round 3

With the 29th overall pick, the Riders added six foot five, 300 pound center Darius Bell, out of East Carolina University.

Bell started all 13 games at center for the Pirates, logging 968 snaps on the offensive line which was tied for a team-high.

He helped provide running lanes for three 100-plus yard rushing games and was a member of an offensive unit which averaged 449.0 yards of total offense per game (13th nationally) and 176.3 rushing yards per contest (45th nationally).

ECU rushed for 200 or more yards in a game on four occasions, including a season-high 358 against Temple before going on to win the Go Bowling Military Bowl.

Prior to his time in East Carolina, Bell also played at Maine University.

7:25 p.m. – Jeremy O’Day speaks after first two picks

General Manager and VP of Football Operations Jeremy O’Day needed to fill Canadian depth at some skill positions on both sides of the ball, doing so with DB Malcolm Bell in round 1.

“Malcolm Bell, he’s long corner, played at a high level at Michigan State, very good coverage corner” O’Day said about his first round draft pick. “Obviously, when you look at our roster and how we’re constructed, we’re starting with two DBs going into camp.”

“We like a lot about him going through his tape and his interview process. And he’s got length and speed,” he added.

In the second round, O’Day added to his receiver room, selecting Dylan Djete with the 18th overall pick.

“[We] like him from the beginning,” the GM said. “He’s one we went back and looked at multiple times, different from the receivers we have that are a little bit bigger. But he’s a fast receiver, willing blocker, can do a lot of different things with him in how we’re set up. He can play multiple spots.”

7:10 p.m. – WR Dylan Djete picked at 18

With their second round selection, the Saskatchewan Roughriders picked Alabama State Hornet Dylan Djete.

The 18th overall selection is a wide receiver from Levis, Que.

In 12 games with the Hornets in 2025, Djete had 28 receptions for 422 yards and four touchdowns.

Prior to playing at Alabama State, the six foot, 185 pound pass catcher played 11 games for Wofford College – starting four times - with 20 catches for 209 yards, along with two touchdowns.

6:15 p.m. – Riders select DB Malcolm Bell in first round

With the 9th pick of the first round, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have selected Michigan State defensive back Malcolm Bell.

The Montreal, Que. product played 45 collegiate games over the course of four seasons (2022-25), including 31 career starts, notching 142 career tackles on over 2,100 defensive snaps.

The six foot two, 190 pound defensive back played in 33 games at the University of Connecticut, with 20 starts from 2022-24 - including a redshirt year in 2021 - before transferring to Michigan State in January 2025.

Bell played in all 12 games for Michigan St. last season, including 11 starts at cornerback and recorded a career-high 49 tackles, which ranked second in the Spartan secondary and fifth most on the team, was second on the team with a career-high 5.0 tackles for loss, including a sack and tied his career high with six pass break-ups, which led the team.

He has accepted an invite to Cleveland Browns mini-camp this spring.