REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced on Monday they have signed five players from the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft.
The list includes Alabama State receiver Dylan Djete (18th overall), East Carolina offensive lineman Darius Bell (29th), Calgary linebacker Osasere Odemwingie (38th), Southern Mississippi offensive lineman Jez Janvier (47th), and UBC receiver Shemar McBean (65th).
Djete (six-foot, 185 pounds) spent his senior season (2025) at Alabama State, making 28 catches for 422 yards and four touchdowns over 12 games. He spent the previous three years (2022–2024) at Wofford College, where he caught 56 passes for 772 yards and four touchdowns across 31 games. Djete, who completed the 40-yard dash in 4.6 seconds at the 2026 CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness Canada, is from Lévis, Quebec.
Bell (six-foot-five, 300 pounds) played the last two seasons (2024–25) at East Carolina University, suiting up for 21 games and making 19 starts as a Pirate. The versatile lineman made six starts at left guard as a junior before transitioning to centre in his senior year, allowing just three sacks over that time. In 2025, he helped the Pirates’ offence average 449.0 yards of total offence per game (13th nationally), including 176.3 rushing yards per game. He is a two-time Go Bowling Military Bowl champion.
Prior to ECU, he spent three collegiate seasons (2021–23) at Maine, appearing in 18 games and making 16 starts across the line, including five at right guard as a redshirt freshman and nine at left tackle as a sophomore.
Odemwingie (six-foot, 220 pounds) spent his collegiate career at the University of Calgary (2022–2025). He suited up for 31 games at linebacker with the Dinos, registering 253 defensive tackles (171 solo), 15 tackles for loss, and three sacks. In his final Canada West season, he recorded 62 defensive tackles (38 solo), four tackles for loss, and one sack, following a stellar 2024 season in which he made 82 tackles (56 solo), four tackles for loss, and one sack. Odemwingie also competed in the 2025 East-West Bowl, where he had two solo tackles and a pass breakup.
Janvier (six-foot-five, 314 pounds) played his senior collegiate season at Southern Mississippi, appearing in six games, after spending four years at Eastern Michigan. He dressed for 26 games at Eastern Michigan, playing on both the offensive and defensive lines during that period. After switching to the offensive line in 2024, he appeared in nine games (starting five) without surrendering a sack. The Montreal-born Janvier dressed for 11 games as an offensive lineman in 2022 before suiting up for seven contests on defence the following year.
McBean (five-foot-10, 195 pounds) played four collegiate seasons at UBC (2022–2025), appearing in 41 games. Over that time, he caught 158 passes for 2,477 yards and scored 13 touchdowns. In his senior season (2025), McBean appeared in nine games, recording 49 receptions for 792 yards and four touchdowns. He competed in the 2025 East-West Bowl, where he had three catches for 142 yards and one touchdown. The Calgary, Alberta native was named a Canada West All-Conference receiver in 2025 and earned All-Conference honours as both a receiver and returner in 2023.
The Roughriders also announced they have signed American long snapper Reed Hughes, National defensive back Billy Jonas Pernier, American defensive lineman Nathan Pickering, and National defensive back Carson Sombach.
Hughes (six-foot-two, 228 pounds) spent the last six seasons (2020-25) at Auburn, suiting up for 37 games as a Tiger. The Arkansas native became the Tigers’ full time long snapper in 2023 after joining the program as a walk-on and spending his early seasons as the backup. He went on to play 36 games at snapper and made five special teams tackles. As part of the field goal unit, Hughes assisted kicker Alex McPherson in going 20-for-23 on field goals (87%) and 35-for-35 on PAT in 2025.
Pernier (five-foot-11, 203 pounds) signs with the Roughriders as the reigning RSEQ Special Teams Player of the Year, after a stellar season as Laval’s return specialist. Over eight games in 2025, he returned eight kicks 152 yards for an average of 22 yards per return. He also returned 14 punts for 135 yards and four missed field goals for 102 yards. On defence, he tallied 24 defensive tackles, one tackle for loss and two pass deflections.
The Cameroon native has spent four collegiate seasons at Laval (2022-2025), suiting up for 30 games for the Rouge et Or. He’s registered a total of 65 defensive tackles, 24 special team tackles, one tackle for loss and four pass deflections. As a returner, he’s recorded 28 kickoffs for 629 yards (22.5 yards per return average) and one touchdown, 14 punts for 135 yards (9.6 yards per return) and five missed field goals for 131 yards. He attended the 2026 CFL Invitational Combine, where he ran a 4.58 second 40-yard dash, ranking him in the top three amongst defensive backs, and in the top eight among all participants.
Pickering (six-foot-four, 305 pounds) signed with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent in May of 2024, spending training camp with the team. He spent five collegiate seasons at Mississippi State (2019-2023), appearing in 51 games and starting 30. Over that time, he recorded 124 total tackles (49 solo), including 30 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks and one pass breakup. He appeared in 12 games (starting eight) as a senior, recording 44 tackles (including eight in one game), two sacks, 10 quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. He participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl following the 2023 season.
Sombach (five-foot-11, 195 pounds) joins the Roughriders after a strong 2025 season with the Regina Rams that saw him named a U SPORTS Second-Team All-Canadian and a Canada West All-Star. The Regina native started at safety for his hometown team for all eight regular season games and both playoff games, earning 53 tackles, including one tackle for loss, nine pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick. He also earned two interceptions including a game-sealing 109-yard pick six in Week 2 – the longest interception return in University of Regina history and tied for the second longest in Canada West History. He attended the East-West Bowl in May of 2025 and participated in the 2026 CFL Combine where he placed sixth in the shuttle (4.19 seconds) and sixth in the 3-Cone drill (seven seconds).
In total, Sombach has played 36 games as a Ram over seven seasons (redshirting in 2019 and 2022), tallying 152 total tackles, including two tackles for loss, four interceptions (including two for touchdowns), 11 pass deflections, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one blocked kick.
