Derek Dennis has made up for lost time.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ newly signed offensive lineman didn’t start playing football until his junior year of high school. A decade later, he’s the reigning most outstanding offensive lineman in the CFL — and he was arguably the biggest prize on the 2017 free-agent market.

“It’s just work ethic,” Dennis, who signed with the Roughriders on Tuesday, said when asked to explain his progression over the years. “I’ve always been one of those guys who, if I put my mind to doing something, I’ve been able to do it …

“There was kind of a reluctance at first to play O-line. But I’ve had some good O-line coaches in college and my first couple of years at the pro level. I’ve taken tidbits from all the coaches I’ve played for and tried to mould it into one product. That’s what you saw last season.”

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But, truth be told, basketball was Dennis’ first love. In high school in New York, he was a 250-pound power forward who drew some interest from college programs.

“I was just playing football as a thing to pass the time and to keep me in shape until basketball season,” said Dennis, who’s now 6-foot-3 and 341 pounds. “It just so happened that I was a big, athletic kid.”

He played tight end and defensive line during football season, but never offensive line. Watching the NFL gave him ideas about his future — but others had different ideas.

“I thought I could be the next Antonio Gates or Jimmy Graham, one of those basketball players who would convert to tight end,” Dennis said, referring to two NFLers who played basketball in college.

“But being that I was a big body, when I got to my college recruitment thinking I was going to play D-line or tight end, they were like, ‘Nah, we think you’ll make a better offensive lineman.’ That’s where it started for me.

“It was one of those things where everybody was telling me that I had a better chance of having a future in football (as an offensive lineman),” he added. “I listened to the people I trusted and it has got me to where I am now.”

Dennis weighed 260 pounds when he got to Temple University — and he started 10 games for the Owls as a freshman guard. He played 52 games at Temple during his collegiate career and, in 2012, played in the annual East-West Shrine Game.

Dennis hadn’t lifted weights in high school, so that changed when he got to Temple. By the time he went to the East-West game, he was a 315-pounder who was starting to get noticed despite his late introduction to the game.

“I’m kind of a late bloomer, especially to the position,” he admitted. “I’ve only been an offensive lineman for maybe the last six or seven years.”

After Dennis wasn’t selected in the 2012 NFL draft, he signed as a free agent with the Miami Dolphins. He subsequently had stints in that league with the New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers and with the Arena Football League’s Arizona Rattlers.

Dennis was released by Carolina in April of 2015 and, in September of that year, signed with the Calgary Stampeders.

In 2016, his play at left tackle for Calgary earned him the award as the CFL’s most outstanding O-lineman. On Tuesday, it earned him a big contract from the Roughriders.

But while he’ll be happy blocking for his new teammates in Saskatchewan, Dennis still can relate to Gates, Graham and other former basketball players who now toil on the gridiron.

“I wasn’t a bad tight end in high school,” said a chuckling Dennis, who also had three receptions for 16 yards during his time with the Rattlers during the 2015 AFL season.

“Whenever I get the chance to show my hands, I’m always willing to show the receivers that the big boys can run some routes too. If there’s a trick play in the playbook where I can show the skills, my hands are always ready.”