Shomari Williams Shomari Gyasi Williams ( born March 8 , 1985 in Toronto , Ontario ) is a professional Canadian football defensive end for the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League . He was drafted first overall by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2010 CFL Draft after Saskatchewan traded up to be in a position to draft him . Williams played 3 seasons with the Roughriders . He played college football for the Queen ' s Golden Gaels and the Houston Cougars . Off the field Shomari owns and operates two companies designed at helping high school student athletes get exposure and opportunities to receive athletic scholarships . Student Blitz is a company he founded while still at the University of Houston and used it to help several players still in Canada receive NCAA scholarships . Top Prospects is his Canadian company which now is home to Canada ' s largest database of high school football players . Hundreds of which have been helped over the past 3 years to gain athletic scholarships . Amateur career . High school . Williams first attended North Park Secondary School in Brampton , Ontario where he played football for the North Park Vikings . He then attended Champlain Regional Prep in Lennoxville , Quebec for two years . He was named the team ' s MVP and also secured a spot on the All - Canadian squad while in high school . During one of his best games in high school , Williams recorded 11 tackles and a forced fumble . While in high school , he was recruited by the University of Houston , University of South Florida , Rutgers , and Connecticut . University . At the University of Houston , Williams played mostly on special teams . During his freshman season , he also spent time as a fullback . In his sophomore season , Williams played in all 13 of the club ' s games , the most action he saw during his time at Houston . During his junior year , he competed in two games . After his junior season , Williams transferred to Queen ' s University . He had finished his degree in entrepreneurship at the University of Houston , and wanted to further his education in Canada and obtain an education degree . Williams played defensive end for the Queen ' s Golden Gaels . During the regular season he played in six games , recording 32 tackles and four sacks . He was named Queen ' s University Athlete of the Week twice during the season . In the playoffs , Williams contributed even more , recording 26 tackles and 5 . 5 sacks in four playoff games . He was named Most Valuable Player at the 2009 Mitchell Bowl , where Queen ' s defeated the Laval Rouge et Or . Queen ' s won the 2009 Vanier Cup as Canada ' s national champions . Professional career . Saskatchewan Roughriders . After impressing at the CFL Evaluation Camp , Williams was named the top prospect in the Canadian Football League ’ s Amateur Scouting Bureau rankings for players eligible in the 2010 CFL Draft . On the day prior to the draft , the Toronto Argonauts traded the number one overall draft pick to the Saskatchewan Roughriders , along with the eighth overall pick , for punter Jamie Boreham and the second and fourth overall picks in the 2010 draft . Williams was flown into Regina to be introduced on May 2 , 2010 as the number one overall selection in the 2010 CFL Draft . He agreed to a contract with the Roughriders on May 12 , 2010 . Williams played 3 seasons with the RoughRiders . His first two seasons were mostly as a member of the special teams units . In his third season he received significant playing time at the defensive end and linebacker positions , recording 59 tackles and 2 sacks . Hamilton Tiger - Cats . On February 15 , 2013 , the first day of CFL free agency , Williams signed with the Hamilton Tiger - Cats of the Canadian Football League .