Evan Foster DL (Manitoba) during the 2017 CFL combine in Regina, SK., Saturday, March 25, 2017. (Photo: Johany Jutras)
Football coaches, scouts and general managers are at their best with stop watches in their hands, whistles around their necks and players to tutor and/or evaluate.
And so in the longer winter that is the Canadian Football League’s offseason, the annual National Combine of draft-eligible prospects can be like an oasis for those who make their living in the game and provide a bit of a teaser to fans starving for the rookie camps and main training camps on the horizon.
We offered a glimpse at what it was like to prepare for Thursday’s Western Combine through the eyes of University of Manitoba Bisons defensive back Jayden McKoy earlier this week, and last year provided a taste of what the National Combine experience was like for current Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sukh Chungh, Taylor Loffler and Michael Couture.
The combines aren’t the be-all and end-all for draft prospects – many have tested poorly and still carved out careers; others have crushed the events and never even heard their name called on draft day – but they are significant moments in a young man’s career.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Thomas Miles, who went through the Western and National Combines in 2014 before being drafted that spring by the Toronto Argonauts in the fourth round, 33rdoverall. “You’ve got cameras everywhere. You’ve got professional teams looking at you. They’ve got you in a nice hotel… it’s all the things you might see on TV.”
“What I would pass on to anyone going through it is this: just enjoy it. No one is at their best when they are stressed out and feel like they have the weight of the world on their shoulders.”
The National Combine often opens with as much chatter about who isn’t at the event as who is attending. This year is no different, as the Top 3 prospects – according to the CFL’s Scouting Bureau – will not be in attendance, opting instead to prepare for their school’s Pro Days in front of National Football League scouts.
That doesn’t mean there won’t be a ton of talent on the makeshift field at the RBC Convention Centre and the University of Winnipeg RecPlex.
With all that providing a bit of a backdrop, here’s a primer of who to watch at the National Combine Saturday and Sunday in downtown Winnipeg. (FYI: The Bombers hold the seventh selection in the first round, along with the 16th, 26th, 33rd, 41st, 49th, 58th and 67th picks).
10 Players to Watch
Peter Godber, OL, Rice
The CFL’s Scouting Bureau ranked four offensive linemen atop its winter rankings with Nebraska’s David Knevel, Trey Rutherford of Connecticut, Ryan Hunter of Bowling Green and Peter Godber of Rice ranking one through four.
Knevel, Rutherford and Hunter won’t be here in Winnipeg, choosing to attend their Pro Days down south for an NFL shot.
Godber will be here and played both guard positions during his days with the Owls. CFL teams stock their offensive line with Canadians and the big men are always quick to go off the draft board.
Alex Taylor, RB, Western
He’s a Winnipegger and a product of the football powerhouse at St. Paul’s High School. Taylor was also a U Sports First Team All Canadian in 2017 and 2016 and a Second Team All Canadian in 2015. He led all running backs in the country with a 7.8-yard average per carry, rushing for 831 yards in seven games while helping lead the Mustangs to a Vanier Cup title. Taylor was ranked 16th in the CFL Scouting Bureau Winter Rankings.
Mark Korte, OL, Alberta
A First-Team All-Canadian in 2017, Korte was one of two Canadians – along with receiver Regis Cibasu of the University of Montreal – to attend the East-West Shrine Bowl in Florida this past January. Korte, a tackle with the Bears, was the top lineman in Canada West and a nominee for the John P. Metras Award.
Julian Laurent, DL, Georgia State
Big dude at 6-4, 295 pounds who was a 2017 All-Sun Belt Conference Honorable Mention in 2017 and a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. He was a two-year starter after playing one year of junior college at New Mexico Military Institute.
Rashaun Simonise, WR, Calgary/Okanagan Sun
An intriguing prospect who already has pro experience, having attended camps with the Chicago Bears and Cincinnati Bengals in 2016, as well as the Chicago Eagles of the Champions Indoor Football League. It was during his camp with the Bengals that Simonise tested positive for a weight-gainer performance-enhancing drug and the CFL then opted to defer his draft year from 2017 to 2018.
Sean Harrington, LB, Michigan State
Harrington missed all of 2016 after suffering an ACL injury, but returned to the Spartans last year and suited up for 18 games, seeing all his action on special teams.
Dakoda Shepley, OL, UBC
Crushed it at a recent pro day at Eastern Michigan with some superb testing numbers – so much so that he might now get an NFL look, likely as an undrafted free agent.
Godfrey Onyeka, DB, Wilfrid Laurier
A 1st Team All-Canadian at corner for three straight seasons, Onyeka has the size (6-2, 200) to project as a safety in the CFL.
Mark Chapman, WR, Central Michigan
One of the best receivers in this draft class, Chapman’s mother is Canadian, making him eligible for the draft. He led the Chippewas last season with 59 catches for 875 yards and finished tied for second with five TDs en route to earning Third Team All-MAC honours.
Noah Picton, QB, Regina
The top QB in the nation and a 1st Team All-Canadian who won the Hec Crighton in 2016, Picton led the country in completions and was second in TD passes, completion percentage, and third in passing yards. He’s not big at 5-9, 180, but he has been a star at the U Sports level.
The Tests
Bench press
How it works: Players get one attempt at pushing out as many reps as possible with 225 pounds on the bar in a good, ol’-fashioned strength drill.
2017 top score: Jean-Simon Roy, OL, Laval – 39 reps. (Roy was drafted in the second round, 14th overall, by Edmonton).
CFL Combine bench press record: Michael Knill, OL, Wilfird Laurier, 2011 – 47 reps.
3-cone drill
How it works: One attempt (one mulligan) for the athlete. An agility drill that sees three marker cones arranged to form an ‘L.’ Player begins in a three-point stance and runs to the first cone, five yards straight ahead before turning and running back to the start. The player heads back to the first cone, heading left to another cone five yards away. The player then runs around the cone, keeping it on his left-hand side and back to the second and on to the finish line.
2017 top score: Jordan Hoover, DB, Waterloo – 6.98 seconds (Hoover was drafted in the fourth round, 31st overall, by Edmonton).
Best 3-cone drill time: Dylan Holloran, DB, St. Francis Xavier, 2011 – 6.51 seconds.
40-yard dash
How it works: Two attempts. Straight forward. Player runs as fast as he can over 40 yards in football’s long-standing speed test.
2017 top score: Tunde Adeleke, DB, Carleton – 4.581 seconds (Adeleke was drafted in the third round, 25th overall, by Calgary).
CFL Combine 40-yard dash record: Steven Turner, Bishop’s, 2010 – 4.31 seconds (prior to 2011, the CFL published a player’s lowest hand-held time). The electronic time record is held by Tevaughn Campbell, DB, Regina at 4.36 seconds
20-yard short shuttle:
How it works: Two attempts (one mulligan), once going left and once right. This event is similar to the 3-cone shuttle – the runner starts in the middle moving left and right and touching lines before moving back to the starting point.
2017 top score: Jordan Hoover, DB, Waterloo – 4.03 seconds (at Western Regional Combine; Hoover, mentioned above, was drafted by Edmonton).
Best short-shuttle time since 2011: Guillame Rioux, WR, Laval – 3.914 seconds, 2013.
Vertical jump
How it works: A player can jump as many times as he wishes, as long as his attempts improve. Must jump off two feet and touch the highest slat-marker possible.
2017 top score: Malcolm Carter, WR, Ottawa Sooners (CJFL) – 40 inches (Carter was drafted in the sixth round, 45th overall, by Montreal).
Best vertical-jump score: (tie) Anthony Parker, WR, Calgary, in 2011, Kris Robertson, DB, Concordia, in 2012 – 43 inches.
Broad or standing long jump
How it works: Player stands behind a line and jumps forward as much as he can in a three-foot lane.
2017 top score: Malcolm Carter, WR, Ottawa Sooners (CJFL) – 10 feet, 5.25 inches (Carter, see above, was drafted by Montreal).
Best broad-jump score since 2011: Shaquille Johnson, WR, Western – 11 feet.
The National Combine Schedule:
Saturday, March 24
Site: RBC Convention Centre, Hall A, B + C
10 a.m.: 40s, shuttle and 3-cone
Order of testing: OL, DL, RB, QB, K, DB, WR
7 p.m.-8:15 p.m.: Bench press
Order of testing: WR, DB, RB, LB, QB, K, DL, OL
Sunday, March 25
Site: University of Winnipeg RecPlex
9 a.m.: Broad and vertical jump
Order of testing: OL, DL, RB, LB, QB, K, WR, DB
11 a.m.: Individual one on ones – OL vs. DL; RBs/LB/QB; WR vs. DB
How To Watch
Many of the events are already sold out, but CFL.ca will broadcast the 40-yard dash and bench press as well as the one-on-ones and individual drills live from RBC Convention Centre and University of Winnipeg RecPlex. The broadcast will feature play-by-play from sportscaster James Cybulski and Marshall Ferguson, the voice of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and the CFL.ca’s combine guru.
Former all-star defensive back Davis Sanchez and Brodie Lawson will provide sideline access with interviews.
Fans can also follow the live-tracking of results on CFL.ca.
