Emotional draft day leads to Riders rookie camp for Janke

Jacob Janke’s draft day was filled with emotions.

“It was nerve-racking,” the defensive back said Friday at Mosaic Stadium during Day 2 of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ rookie camp. “It took like an hour and a half before I got drafted in the fourth round and I was buzzing the whole time.

“I couldn’t sit down. I was going all over the place. Obviously, (it was) a really special moment when it happened. I had all my family there and (it was) just instant emotion. I burst into tears. I’m just so happy to be here.”

The Riders took the talented defender in the fourth round (35th overall) of the 2019 CFL draft. In his final season at York University, he tallied 59 total tackles and was the recipient of the Nobby Wirkowski Defensive MVP trophy as the Lions’ top defender in 2018.

You might recognize his last name if you’re a University of Saskatchewan football fan; his brother Dexter played for the Huskies from 2010 to 2013.

After a successful college career of his own, Jacob is hoping to make the transition to the professional ranks.

“It’s a really big grind,” said the 22-year-old product of Leduc, Alta. “A lot of people think playing professional sports has to do with the talent or God-given gifts, but a lot of people make it here off of persistence because not a lot of people can put in that consistent work day by day and chip away at something that consistently. That’s a huge component of it.”

Janke believes he can go onto the field and do whatever the coaches need him to do — and that includes playing in any position they need him.

“I like to call myself a football player, not (restricted to) a position-by-position basis,” said Janke, who played receiver and safety during his career at York.

He knows there’s not a lot of opportunities for players to make the Roughriders, so he’s looking to show his compete level at main camp in Saskatoon.

“They’re world-class athletes at the end of the day and you have to go earn a job,” he said. “No one’s going to give it to you, so you have to go out there and play fast and compete.”

It’s not uncommon for Canadian rookies in the league to start on special teams. That’s something for which Janke is excited.

“In university, my coach had a saying: ‘You find out who the real men are on special teams, because you’re running down full force on kickoff and there’s a really big dude that’s waiting for you so we’re going to find out who’s going to back down and who’s going to earn their keep,’ ” Janke said.

Not even the thought of two-a-day practices could dampen his spirits.

“These are the best times right here,” Janke said. “Once you get into football camp, there’s no school, there’s no distractions — you’re just focused on playing ball.”

The Roughriders’ main training camp gets started on Sunday at Griffiths Stadium on the campus of the University of Saskatchewan.