The Saskatchewan Roughriders plan on taking the best player available in next week's CFL Draft.

That doesn't mean the franchise isn't closely tracking the success of players at NFL minicamps, however.

Ten Canadian players eligible for the CFL Draft have agreed to attend NFL minicamps over the next two weeks, while two others – running back Tyler Varga and offensive tackle Brett Boyko – have signed NFL contracts. Defensive lineman Christian Covington, ranked first in the draft by CFL scouting, was taken in the sixth round of the NFL Draft on Saturday.
 
"It impacts [our draft board] substantially," Roughriders general manager Brendan Taman said Tuesday during a conference call. "Me and (head coach) Corey (Chamblin) are meeting on it probably on a daily basis and will continue to do that leading into (the draft) next Tuesday. 

"It does change the game a little bit with certain guys. Your draft board changes day to day throughout the whole process and that's just another element that we have to deal with. But it's pretty significant in some way and you have to make the best decision you can on the information you know, and sometimes you don't get the whole picture on each individual guy before you draft him."

Taman noted the team must look beyond just the immediate future when weighing whether or not to draft players who may stick with NFL clubs.

"We're going to take the best player available that helps us not only now but in the future," Taman stated. "So, that all depends on our positional needs and a lot of things going into those decisions. If [those at minicamps] sign it's one thing, if they don't it's another. But the fact that they're actually going to the NFL tells you something about them, that's for sure."

The Roughriders steered clear of drafting any NFL-bound players in either the 2013 or 2014 drafts. They did, however, lose 2012 first-overall selection Ben Heenan to the Indianapolis Colts in February.

Among the Canadians headed to NFL minicamps is quarterback Brandon Bridge. Taman, who has been the Riders' GM since 2010, said he has looked at the signal caller, but did not sound overly interested in drafting the Mississauga native. 

"He's a very athletic kid," Taman noted. "His accuracy and his experience at playing quarterback is growing as he goes. But, you know, he's obviously in the NFL right now with his chance with Dallas and we'll see where that goes.

"Canadian quarterback's obviously a huge area of talk in our league and he's one of the better ones that have come by but there have been others and I'm sure he'll do fine wherever he goes."

Saskatchewan currently has five quarterbacks on the roster, including veteran starter Darian Durant and free agent signee Kevin Glenn.

The Roughriders have just one selection in the first two rounds of the CFL Draft – sixth overall. Taman noted Tuesday the team has looked at its options at moving up in the draft or moving back to acquire more picks, but has not made any final decisions as of yet.