The Saskatchewan Roughriders used their selections in the Canadian Football League’s Global Draft to bolster their defensive line and special teams.
In the first round of the draft, sixth overall, the Roughriders picked DL Sylvain Yondjouen. Yondjouen a native of Ruisbroek, Belgium spent the last six seasons at Georgia Tech.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound defensive lineman played in 13 games last season, after missing the 2023 campaign with injury.
Yondjouen, ranked second on the team with six tackles for loss and tied for second with 2.5 sacks. Additionally, he led the team with seven quarterback hurries and five pass breakups.
Before joining Georgia Tech, Yondjouen played four years of football in his native Belgium, helping lead his team to the Belgian junior championships in 2015 and 2016. Additionally, he was selected to play for the Belgian national team and was named MVP in an international game versus Spain in 2016.
Following the 2025 NFL Draft, Yondjouen accepted a minicamp invite from the Carolina Panthers.
In the second round of the draft, fifteenth overall, the Roughriders selected Australian punter Jesse Mirco.
In 2024, Mirco played at Vanderbilt, appearing in 13 games. The Australian kicker punted the ball 51 times for 2,430 yards, averaging 48.0 yards per punt, which was the best in the SEC. Additionally, Micro landed 21 punts inside the 20-yard line and sent 20 punts over 50 yards. Mirco’s strong season earned him multiple All-SEC honours and an All-American Honourable Mention.
