Paul McRoberts to make Riders debut, replaces injured Shaq Evans

Rider Nation is about to get its first look at one of their favourite prospects in regular season action.

American receiver Paul McRoberts has drawn into the starting lineup for Saturday’s game against Ottawa, making his Roughriders debut in place of the injured Shaq Evans. 

McRoberts first captured the attention of Rider fans during the 2019 preseason, when he caught four passes for 83 yards and a touchdown against Winnipeg. He spent the entire 2019 campaign on the practice roster, but became something of a folk hero to the fan base regardless.

The receiver had another strong training camp in 2021, with head coach Craig Dickenson forced to choose between McRoberts and Jordan Williams-Lambert for the starting job in the final week of practice. Williams-Lambert won that competition, but now they will both be on the field this Saturday.

Standing six-foot-three and 192 pounds, McRoberts registered 175 receptions for 2,435 yards and 29 touchdowns at Southeast Missouri State (2012-15) where he also played on the basketball team.

After going undrafted in the 2016 NFL Draft, McRoberts signed with the Los Angeles Rams as a free agent and gained national attention on the NFL reality show Hard Knocks when his 18-year-old stepbrother was murdered while the receiver was in his first training camp. Overcoming the adversity, McRoberts spent two seasons on the Rams practice squad before being released in December of 2018.