According to sources, Canadian receiver Sam Emilus worked out with the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday.
During the 2023 season, the 26-year-old had 1,097 yards on 70 receptions (15.7 yards per catch) and six touchdowns for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. What made his first 1,000-yard season even more astounding was that he did it with three different quarterbacks: Trevor Harris, Mason Fine, and Jake Dolegala.
Emilus made several ultra-athletic grabs that drew the eye of NFL scouts. Because he attended rookie mini-camp in Arizona in May 2022, the Cardinals are more familiar with the Montreal, Quebec native than other teams south of the border. During the 2022 CFL Draft, Saskatchewan selected him in the first round, seventh overall.
The six-foot-one, 200-pound receiver ran a 4.59-second forty-yard dash, a 4.13-second shuttle, and a 6.88 three-cone drill at his University of Massachusetts pro day. He had a vertical jump of 37 inches, a broad jump of 128 inches, and nine reps of 225 pounds on the bench press.
Emilus spent three seasons (2018-2020) with the Minutemen, catching 59 passes for 653 yards and seven touchdowns in 21 games. For the 2021 season, he transferred to Louisiana Tech University, where he caught 16 passes for 245 yards and three touchdowns in seven games.
He played CEGEP football for Vanier College while growing up in Quebec, with 100 receptions for 1,921 yards and 21 touchdowns. At Cure-Antoine-Labelle Secondary School, the multi-sport athlete participated in football, basketball, and soccer.
Emilus was voted the Riders’ Most Outstanding Canadian after a solid sophomore season in the CFL.
