Saskatchewan Roughriders’ rookie Drae McCray had a dynamic preseason performance in Winnipeg and it’s given him a chance to make the team, which would potentially put the man who taught him some tricks of the trade in roster cutdown crosshairs.
McCray used his 4.46-second forty-yard speed to rip off a 51-yard kickoff return in the Manitoba capital. The Tallahassee, Fla. native totalled five punt returns for 46 yards with a long of 16 along with three kickoff returns for 110 yards in his preseason debut with the Green and White.
“It felt good, some guys had really good blocks,” McCray said. “It’s exciting knowing that the hard work you put in pays off. I’m very appreciative of the guys taking me in and teaching me nuances.”
“He made quick decisions. He’s a north-south guy, he read the blocks really well,” head coach Corey Mace said. “He exploded through those holes and finished the run instead of going straight out of bounds. He’s a kid who is hungry, he saw the opportunity for him and I thought he made the best of it.”
Player personnel coordinator Larry Dean was the first person from the Riders to contact McCray and that led to him signing with Saskatchewan on May 3. The 22-year-old caught attention from the team with what he did at Texas Tech and Austin Peay as a returner and receiver.
“It validates his tape. He was an explosive returner in college and he was an excellent receiver at two schools. He showed exactly who he can be in the return game in the preseason game and him fine-tuning his skill sets as a receiver. I thought he’s been progressively better throughout camp. A kid that had a couple opportunities and he made the best of them,” Mace said.
The five-foot-nine, 185-pound speedster likes the bigger Canadian field. In four-down football, the field is 53 yards wide compared to fields north of the border that are 65 yards from sideline to sideline. Playing a game on a CFL field for the first time was quite an experience for McCray.
“I think that was very shocking to me when we played, the gaps were a lot bigger, the field is wider. In America, gaps are small and you have to go really, really fast to get there or it’s going to close very fast,” McCray said.
“It felt good to be playing football again. I think there are some things that I can work on, get better, go back to the drawing board and learn from, but I was pretty happy. Still learning the nuances of the game, the offence in general and making the plays when they come.”
McCary’s been learning about three-down football from his coaches and teammates — Mario Alford in particular. The 34-year-old earned the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Award in 2022. He holds the Roughriders record for most career return touchdowns with eight while tying the records for the most punt return touchdowns in a season (three) and game (two).
“Mario’s been great. Saturday he was helping me get lined up. He’s been a great person to take me under his wing and teach me the nuances of the game — I’m very grateful,” McCray said.
There’s an irony to Alford helping McCray: it could cost the veteran his job. Alford signed a one-year contract extension in February but it did not include any signing bonus or upfront money. If he makes the team, Alford could earn $92,000 in hard money with additional active roster, statistical, and award bonuses available. However, his status is as up in the air as the kicks he’s used to fielding due to McCray’s emergence.
“You can be born fast, but if you don’t work on it, you’ll get slower over time,” McCray said.
He’s certainly has quickly made a strong impression in training camp and proved his skills could translate into live action. That’s left Alford’s job hanging in the balance as final cuts are scheduled to be made by Saturday at 10 p.m. local time.
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