In a first round filled with offensive linemen, the Saskatchewan Roughriders went with a skilled player with their first pick in Tuesday’s CFL Draft.

The thought of University of Manitoba wide receiver Nic Demski in green and white was too enticing to pass up for the Riders.

“As soon as we turned that tape on, there was some good and some bad like any other player, but it was exciting,” said head coach Corey Chamblin after the Riders made Demski the sixth overall pick. “It was exciting to see him with the ball in his hands.”

Demski — six-foot, 215 lbs. — starred for four seasons with the Bisons. The Winnipeg native posted 27 catches for 589 yards and five touchdowns during the 2014 CIS season. He also had six carries for 47 rushing yards.

The multi-talented speedster can also contribute on special teams where he had 19 punt returns for 272 yards and a touchdown.

“We looked at a lot of different guys on film and the last couple of days we went through it with the offence, defence, everybody in the room and when we turned his film on, it was exciting,” said Chamblin.

“The one thing that put me over the edge, coach (Dan) Dorazio doesn't say much and as soon as we turned the film on, he said, 'I would like to have that guy.' It's exciting when you see him and that's what we want to be on offence is exciting.”

In Demski's final season at the University of Manitoba, he was named a 2014 CIS second-team All-Canadian and a Canada West All-Star and also played in the East-West Bowl.

The Riders see him as a possible starter and impact player even as a rookie.

“We have one of the most creative offensive coordinators in the league and I think Jacques (Chapdelaine) will find ways to get him on the field and do things there,” said Chamblin. “I'm really excited about what the young man can do... There's somethings that we've discussed that we can do with this kid and I just think he opens up the package for us.”

The Riders made six more selections after the first round, taking three defensive linemen, a fullback, a running back and a defensive back.

In the third round, 26th overall, the Riders snagged Western University DL Rory Connop. The Edmonton native picked up 14.5 defensive tackles and three quarterback sacks in eight conference games.

Their 35th overall pick in the fourth round was used on fullback Matthew Rea from Michigan State University. They followed that up by taking Mount Allison defensive back Kwamie Adjei with the 42nd overall pick in the fifth round.

The Riders had two picks in the sixth round, picking defensive lineman Tyler Langlais from the University of Calgary with the 47th overall pick. Their second pick was used on Saint Mary’s running back Melvin Abankwah. Last season, Abankwah totaled 534 yards and two touchdowns on 112 carries in seven conference games.

Their final pick was used on Laval defensive lineman Brandon Tennant, who was a top-15 ranked talent heading into the 2014 CIS season, but he was limited to just three conference games last season.

Branning Goes Undrafted... Moose Jaw native Kahlen Branning went undrafted during the seven-round draft. The University of Regina defensive back still has one year of eligibility left with the Rams.