Roughriders’ first pick sees his dream come true

Justin McInnis got the phone call that he had long been waiting for Thursday – and he didn’t answer it right away.

“Even though my agent texted me and told me that they were going to call, when I saw the phone ring, I just let it ring a couple of times because I still couldn’t believe it,” McInnis said on a conference call moments after being taken in the first round of the CFL draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. “It’s just a blessing. It’s just a dream come true.

“I have so many people at home … who love the Canadian Football League and instantly I just saw my phone going crazy.”

The Roughriders selected the former Arkansas State University Red Wolves receiver with the sixth overall pick in the draft.

🔥🔥 such a blessing!! Thank you to the @sskroughriders organization and coaching staff for this amazing opportunity. https://t.co/xaljmhNn2x

— Justin Mcinnis (@justinmcinnis_) May 3, 2019

In 33 games over three seasons at Arkansas State, the 6-foot-6, 206-pound McInnis had 120 receptions for 1,631 yards and 10 touchdowns. After catching 10 passes for 83 yards and one major in 2016, he had 49 receptions for 800 yards and four TDs in 2017 and 61 catches for 748 yards and five majors last season.

The 22-year-old product of Pierrefonds, Que., was third in the CFL’s final pre-draft rankings.

McInnis currently is at the mini-camp of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. If they don’t sign him, he plans to attend the Tennessee Titans’ mini-camp the following weekend. After that, he may look to join the Roughriders.

“Growing up, NFL was always the dream but when I started to think more realistically, I was always thinking CFL,” McInnis said. “I just really love football. I would play anywhere for any team if they gave me the opportunity like the Saskatchewan Roughriders did.

“It just means a lot. Since they drafted me so high, if I end up there, I’m just going to give it my all. I’m going to do a lot for that organization and I’m going to do a lot for that city, for sure.”

Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day said the big receiver was on their radar for an early pick.

“He’s a guy that, when we looked at our draft board, was one of the highest guys we had up there, if not at the top. (He’s) a guy that we were hoping to fall on us at sixth (overall) and fortunately we got him,” said O’Day.

With its second pick, Saskatchewan used the 15th selection overall on New Mexico Lobos receiver Brayden Lenius. His father, Troy Dickey, was a receiver with the Roughriders in 1995.

Lenius, a 6-foot-5, 230-pounder out of North Vancouver, B.C., had 42 catches for 452 yards and three touchdowns over 39 games with the Washington Huskies (2014-18). Lenius, who spent part of his childhood in Regina, added six receptions for 39 yards and a TD in seven games with New Mexico last season.

Crazy how life works!! Thank you @sskroughriders for believing in me & bringing the hometown kid back! Let’s get to work Rider Nation🤟🏽🙏🏽 pic.twitter.com/wPYHSJvT91

— Brayden Lenius (@BraydenLenius) May 3, 2019

Receiver was an area of need for the Roughriders.

The team has veterans on the roster in Jake Harty, Patrick Lavoie and Cory Watson and a young player in Mitch Picton. But Harty didn’t play at all last season due to a knee injury and Picton has yet to dress for a regular-season game.

In the fourth round (35th overall), Saskatchewan selected linebacker Jacob Janke from the York Lions. The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder from Leduc, Alta., had 53 solo tackles and 30 assists in 20 regular-season games at York, where he also played safety and receiver.

The Roughriders used their fifth-round pick (44th overall) to select defensive lineman Charbel Dabire from the Wagner College Seahawks. A 6-foot-1, 300-pounder from Toronto, Dabire had 44 solo tackles, 29 assists, 8.5 tackles for losses and two sacks in 33 games at Wagner.

Saskatchewan’s sixth-round selection (53rd overall) was offensive lineman Vincent Roy from the Sherbrooke Vert et Or. The 6-foot-5, 285-pounder is a 24-year-old product of Granby, Que., who played on both sides of the ball during his four seasons at Sherbrooke.

The Roughriders used their final pick of the draft (eighth round, 71st overall) to choose defensive lineman Chris Judge from the Cal Poly Mustangs. Judge, whose brother Cameron is a Roughriders linebacker, is a 6-foot-3, 225-pounder from Vancouver.

Chris Judge, 28, began his college career at the Air Force Academy before transferring to Cal Poly. He recorded 25 solo tackles, 19 assists and four sacks in 31 games with the Mustangs.

“I think I say it every year but we feel like we got guys that we really like that can come and contribute and I think we got better today as the Roughriders,” said O’Day.

Saskatchewan traded its third-round selection to the Montreal Alouettes in August 2017 in a package deal for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. The Roughriders shipped their seventh-round selection to the Toronto Argonauts last season for receiver Brian Jones.

Two Saskatchewan Huskies — defensive lineman Evan Machibroda (fifth round, 41st overall, Edmonton Eskimos) and linebacker Benjamin Whiting (seventh round, 57th overall, Montreal) — were selected.

The results of the entire draft can be found here.