Riders get rights to QB Vad Lee in deal with Eskimos

On Sunday Edmonton and Saskatchewan agreed on a swap of players.

The Eskimos sent defensive lineman Cedric McKinley and a negotiation list player to the Riders for an 8th round CFL draft pick in 2018 and a negotiation list athlete.

TRADE ALERT: #Esks acquire 8th pick in 2018 CFL Draft & neg list player from Sask in exchange for DT Cedric McKinley & a neg list player

3:00

↑ what lands at 3 p.m. daily

3DownNation Daily

Get game analysis, stats, and more daily at 3pm

Here’s exactly what you’ll get.

One email. Every weekday at 3 p.m. Your daily CFL briefing.

• ✓ Canadian football's biggest stories
• ✓ Smart game analysis
• ✓ Every CFL transaction covered with exclusive insight

Email Address

Subscribe →

Free. Unsubscribe anytime. By signing up you agree to receive daily emails from 3DownNation, as well as our terms of service and privacy policy. 1900 Rose St, Regina SK S4P 0A9.

— Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) July 10, 2016

TRANSACTION: The #Riders have acquired int'l DL, Cedric McKinley, & a neg. list player from the #Eskimos. #CFL pic.twitter.com/dli5cKJF2U

— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) July 10, 2016

Quarterback Vad Lee is now property of the Roughriders. The 23-year-old played two seasons at Georgia Tech and two at James Madison University. During his NCAA career, Lee played in 47 games throwing for 7,809 yards 66 touchdowns and 30 interceptions with a 59 percent completion rate. He added 2,697 yards and 34 touchdowns rushing the football with a 4.7 yards-per-carry average.

Meanwhile, Edmonton acquired the rights to defensive back Robert Lester. The 27-year-old won three BCS National Championships during his four-year run with the University of Alabama. He played in 48 games, starting 40, for the Crimsons Tide.  In Lester’s sophomore season he made eight interceptions which led the SEC and ranked second in the NCAA. Over the Foley, Alabama native’s collegiate career he racked up 147 total tackles, 14 interceptions, 7 passes defended, 6.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRzzXYyA16M

Lester went unselected in the 2013 NFL Draft, but he was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers. The six-foot-one, 215-pounder played in 12 games, starting four, as a rookie in the NFL recording 21 tackles, four passes defended and three interceptions. In 2014 he played in one game and spent the rest of the year on the Panthers’ practice roster. Carolina released Lester on September 1, 2015 and he’s been a free agent ever since.