The Montreal Alouettes signed offensive lineman Naasir Watkins and linebacker Jaylen Moody on Wednesday according to the CFL Transactions page.
Naasir Watkins is six foot six and weighs 320 pounds. The 25-year-old from Laurel, Maryland, attended a rookie minicamp with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 before he was drafted by the Vegas Vipers (XFL) in the 2023 XFL Rookie Draft.
The Vegas Vipers were not included in the XFL and USFL merger which formed the United Football League (UFL). Then, Watkins signed with the Arlington Renegades on March 1, 2024, but he was released on March 11, 2024.
Collegiately, Watkins played five seasons at Kentucky (2017-21) playing left tackle in 25 games for the Wildcats. In 2019, Watkins had 12 knockdowns and helped Kentucky set a single-season school record with 3,624 rushing yards, 36 rushing touchdowns, and averaging 6.3 yards per carry.
In addition, he helped All-America running back Benny Snell, Jr. finish his time at Kentucky as the program’s all-time leading rusher. Then, Watkins transferred to Liberty in 2022 playing 11 games for the Flames. In 2022, the Flames averaged 176.5 yards per game, 216.54 passing yards per game, 393.0 average total yards per game, and 46 touchdowns.
Jaylen Moody is six foot and weighs 222 pounds. The 25-year-old from Conway, South Carolina, signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and played two preseason games before he was released on August 29, 2023. The Roughriders signed Moody as a free agent on October 3, 2023, and finished the season on the practice squad. Saskatchewan released Moody on May 11, 2024.
Collegiately, Moody played five seasons at the University of Alabama (2018-22) with 93 tackles (44 solo, 49 assists), eight tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception for 13 yards, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 65 games for the Crimson Tide.
Moody earned the Alabama Football President’s Award in 2022, given to a player from each unit who has shown perseverance in making outstanding contributions to the team’s success. Moody helped the Crimson Tide capture the 2020 College Football National Championship over Ohio State playing special teams.
