Windsor dominated the Canadian Football League Draft early on Tuesday.

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Windsor dominated the Canadian Football League Draft early on Tuesday.

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The city produced two of the top four selections in the draft with linebacker Devin Veresuk going second overall to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, which is the highest a member of the Windsor Lancers has ever been selected.

“To be honest, anything’s possible in the draft, but from what I was hearing, I was anywhere from the first or second round,” the 23-year-old Veresuk said. “Hearing my named call second was awesome. I couldn’t be happier.”

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Two picks later, the Saskatchewan Roughriders selected defensive end Ali Saad, who played for the Bowling Green State University Falcons.

“It’s great,” the 22-year-old Saad said. “I met with every team after my pro day and (the Roughriders) kind of gave me a hint they were really, really interested. I’m excited for it and it’s a blessing.”

The six-foot-three, 280-pound Saad didn’t get into the game of football until after his family moved to Dearborn, Mich., but he’s now he poised to return to the northern side of the border to earn a living in the game.

“I didn’t play football in Canada at all,” Saad said. “I played a little bit of hockey when I was younger and a lot of soccer. Didn’t play football and didn’t know what it was.”

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His family moved to Michigan when he was in Grade 8 and he showed some interest in the game, but did not make the team in Grade 9 and did not play in Grade 10 before turning heads in Grade 11 at Dearborn high school.

“We had a guy play both ways, but I got six sacks in just one game and basically, from there, coach was like, ‘Oh wow, you’re going start,’” Saad said. “I didn’t know nothing. Didn’t know how many on the field or what I was doing. (Alex Duda) coached me up. Teaching me the small details.”

By his senior season, he was considered one of the top 25 college prospects in Michigan and accepted a scholarship to the University of Minnesota. He left after one season to join the Falcons.

“I left Minnesota because I wanted to get on the field quicker,” Saad said. “I picked BG because it was closer to home and my mom and I wanted to help my family.”

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A Mid-American Conference All-Academic team member, Saad wrapped up his final collegiate season by starting all 13 games for the Falcons with 40 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a loss, four sacks, two forced fumbles and a blocked kick.

“If you want to talk potential with me, there’s still so much more I can learn and I’m a fast learner,” Saad said. “Put it on the board and I’ll get it. That’s something different from me and other people is I learn quick. I like to compete with myself and how I can be better every day.”

Saad said he and Veresuk have actually been working out together in the United States. A Holy Names high school product, Veresuk became the highest player ever selected from the Lancer program. Offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais held the previous mark when he was taken fourth overall by Winnipeg in the 2019 CFL Draft.

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“I’m pretty happy,” said the six-foot-two, 236-pound Veresuk, who was fifth in the OUA last season with 48 tackles in eight games while adding 3.5 tackles for a loss, half a sack and a pass breakup. “I’ve gone to couple of Tiger-Cats games and,  of all the teams, I followed the Ti-Cats growing up, so this is full circle.”

CFL rookie camps open May 7th, but Veresuk will be at rookie camp that weekend with the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts. Saad is also weighing NFL rookie camp offers.

Still, Veresuk led the way in a record performance for the Lancers in the draft with four players selected. That broke the old mark of three selections set in 2016 when Frank Renaud, Randy Beardy and Nate O’Halloran were chosen.

“We are really proud of our student-athletes,” Lancers’ head coach Jean-Paul Circelli said. “They brought into our vision when we first took over this program and have helped put Windsor Lancer football on the map.

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“It’s special knowing that these players have laid the foundation for the rise of Lancer football and will pave the way for the next generation.”

Lancers’ defensive back Istvan Assibo-Dadzie went in the fourth round with the 30th pick overall to the Toronto Argonauts while defensive lineman/linebacker Liam Hoskins went to the Roughriders in the fifth round with the 43rd pick overall before the Argonauts came back to take running back Joey Zorn in the sixth round with the 55th pick.

Former Lancer defensive lineman Muftah Ageli went to the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the fourth round with the 33rd pick overall. The Kennedy high school product, who played three seasons with the Lancers, spent last season at Northwestern Oklahoma State University.

Meanwhile, Herman high school product Vyshonne Janusas was the fourth Windsor native taken in Tuesday’s draft. The Guelph Gryphons’ wide receiver went to the Calgary Stampeders in the fifth round with the 38th pick overall.

jpparker@postmedia.com

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