New Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Percy Lewis IV already stands alone in franchise history. At six-foot-eight and 380 pounds, Lewis is officially the heaviest player ever to wear green and white.<\/p>\n
New Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Percy Lewis IV already stands alone in franchise history.<\/p>\n
At six-foot-eight and 380 pounds, Lewis is officially the heaviest player ever to wear green and white. However, the former Ole Miss Rebels football blocker believes there is far more to his game than size alone.<\/p>\n
Lewis arrived in Saskatchewan after collegiate stops at Ole Miss, Auburn and Mississippi State, bringing experience, athleticism and small-town Mississippi roots with him.<\/p>\n
The Sallis, Miss., native grew up around family, hard work and the outdoors. Despite his massive frame, Lewis said many people underestimated his athletic ability while he was growing up.<\/p>\n
\u201cA lot of people doubted me because they thought I was so big,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThey didn\u2019t think I could run. But see, I played basketball too, so that helped me out.\u201d<\/p>\n
That mobility has already been noticeable during training camp. Lewis moves well in pass protection and joked that part of the reason comes down to something unusual for a player his size.<\/p>\n
\u201cI got little ankles,\u201d he said. \u201cA lot of guys my size got big ankles. They can\u2019t move fast and swift like I can.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis joins the CFL after helping anchor one of college football\u2019s most productive rushing attacks at Ole Miss. Prior to that, he earned All-SEC Honourable Mention recognition at Mississippi State while playing left tackle.<\/p>\n
Now, the 24-year-old is adjusting to the Canadian game, including the wider field, pre-snap motion and Saskatchewan\u2019s spring weather.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know that it\u2019s cold out here all year round, so I\u2019ve got to get used to that,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cI thought it was summertime. It ain\u2019t summer here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lewis said adapting to Canadian football has required technical adjustments, especially in pass protection.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to be a little more patient in pass sets,\u201d he said. \u201cOver here, you\u2019ve got to get set and get your hands on them at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even so, Lewis believes understanding the playbook and personnel will make the transition smoother.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ve got to know your personnel and know your plays,\u201d he said. \u201cIf you know your plays and your personnel, everything\u2019s going to be like clockwork.\u201d<\/p>\n
Off the field, Lewis has already mapped out life after football. After earning a business degree from Mississippi State, he hopes to start his own trucking company one day.<\/p>\n
Lewis said his interest in trucking came from his father, who drove trucks professionally. Whenever he was old enough, Lewis would join him on trips and quickly grew to love the lifestyle.<\/p>\n
For now, though, his focus remains on carving out a role with the Roughriders.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main thing is I just need to get my weight down a little bit more,\u201d Lewis said. \u201cThey say I got good feet, but if I lose a little more weight, it\u2019ll be a whole lot better.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"New Saskatchewan Roughriders offensive lineman Percy Lewis IV already stands alone in franchise history. At six-foot-eight and 380…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":654381,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,242576,82],"class_list":["post-654380","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-saskatchewan-roughriderspercy-lewis-iv","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654380","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654380"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654380\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/654381"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654380"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654380"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654380"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}