TORONTO — The 2015 CFL National Combine is here.
It’s the most important time of the year for the nine CFL teams watching, and possibly of a lifetime for the athletes participating; a time for the country’s top amateur football athletes to shine as they congregate in Toronto, Ont. hoping to take the next step in their careers.
From the results of this week’s three regional combines to who will contend to win the bench press, CFL.ca’s National Combine Primer has you covered as the weekend kicks off.
Regional Combines: The path less taken
While most players on the National Combine roster are there on a larger body of work, the implementation of regional combines in 2013 opened the door for those that may have been missed to earn an invite.
Three regional combines held across Canada in Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto helped 11 players add their names to the list of this weekend’s participants, cementing a roster of Canada’s top amateur talent on full display for scouts, coaches and general managers.
Here are the 11 players added to the roster this weekend:
Melvin Abankwah, RB, Saint Mary’s (Added from TOR)
Matt Rea, RB, Michigan State (Added from TOR)
William Langlais, RB, Sherbrooke (Added from MTL)
Mikhail Davidson, REC, Montreal (Added from MTL)
Quinn Lawlor, OL, Brigham Young (Added from EDM)
Jean-Samuel Blanc, DL, Montreal (Added from MTL)
Kahlen Branning, DB, Regina (Added from EDM)
Dexter Janke, DB, Okanagan (Added from EDM)
Anthony Coady, DB, Montreal (Added from MTL)
Auston Johnson, LB, South Dakota (Added from EDM)
Louis Mensah, LB, Fort Lewis College (Added from TOR)
» Edmonton Regional Combine Results
» Montreal Regional Combine Results
» Toronto Regional Combine Results
» Regional Combine Leaderboard
While regional combine participants not selected to take part in the National Combine could still get drafted after catching the eyes of GMs, those invited to this weekend’s combine in Toronto are giving themselves the advantage of having two workouts in front of CFL teams. In 2014, all but one of the regional combine participants invited to the National Combine were drafted.
Further Reading: Earning an invite to the National Combine always was the goal, but the 11 prospects moving on this weekend don’t have it easy. They face the task of doing a second combine in less than a week’s span. What are the challenges of doing two combines in one week, both physically and mentally?
Combine Day 1: Saturday
While the official first day of the combine starts on Friday with medicals and measurements, Saturday is when the action truly kicks off, starting first thing in the morning with the event everyone comes to watch: the bench press.
This is a sheer test of brute strength, with players lifting 225 pounds over their head for as many repetitions as they can. The CFL record is 47 set by Wilfrid Laurier offensive lineman Michael Knill in 2011, a number no one has since come close to matching. Some say this year that Montreal linebacker Byron Archambeault has his sights set on the record.
CFL.ca Combine Insider Justin Dunk speaks with Don Landry about how the bench press sets the tone for the entire combine, as they tee up Day 1 of the 2015 CFL Combine:
CFL.ca’s live coverage of the Bench Press will take place on Saturday, March 28th starting at 9:00am ET.
Also happening on Saturday will be the vertical and broad jumps along with club interviews, where teams get the opportunity to get private sessions with the player to ask questions and essentially conduct a thorough interview.
Saturday’s Testing Schedule
Morning Session
Video Shot/Bench Press/Flexibility
9:00am – Offensive Line
9:15am – Defensive Line
9:45am – Quarterbacks / Running Backs
10:00am – Linebackers/Kickers
10:30am – Receivers
10:45am – Defensive Backs
Afternoon Session
Height and Weight/Vertical & Standing Jump
1:30pm – Offensive & Defensive Line
2:30pm – Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Linebackers, Kickers
3:30pm – Receivers & Defensive Backs
5:30PM – DINNER – University East & Central
6:30pm – 9:30pm – Club interviews
Combine Day 2: Sunday
While the bench press is one of the most popular events of the combine, another big-ticket item kicks off Sunday afternoon at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium: the 40-yard dash.
Just as the bench press is all about who’s stronger and can lift more, the 40-yard dash is all about who can run fastest. It’s no surprise that the bench press and 40 are the most popular drills at the combine, as they present two key foundations of football athleticism — speed and strength.
While those two things alone aren’t going to get anyone drafted high, CFL scouts and GMs want to know that prospects are strong enough and can run fast enough to hold their own on the field against other professional athletes.
Whether the winners of the bench press and 40 ever end up building long CFL careers or not, they’re usually the popular ones on CFL Combine day. Justin Dunk has an idea of who some of this year’s top performers may be:
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Dunk: 2015’s top projected ‘testing monsters’
Who will run fastest and who can lift the most? |
The 40 is clearly the highlight of the day in the eyes of fans, but scouts and GMs will closely be watching other tests and drills on the day as well. Athletes will perform in the three-cone and shuttle events, where quickness, burst and change of direction are more important than straight-line speed. This is important for every position.
After tests of speed and agility and then drills facilitated by team coaches, another one of combine’s biggest highlights occurs: one-on-ones. Receivers line up against defensive backs while offensive linemen face defensive lineman, as the spotlight is turned on and everyone gathers to watch.
Test results are always on file for teams to view after, but the one-on-ones are often what make or break a player’s draft hopes.
Sunday’s Testing Schedule
40’s, Short Shuttle, 3 Cone, Indy & One-on-ones (Varsity Stadium Bubble)
8:10am – Offensive & Defensive Line
9:40am – Long Snappers and Kickers workout
10:00am – Quarterbacks, Running Backs, Linebackers, Kickers
12:10pm – Wide Receivers & Defensive Backs
Finished at the bubble by 2:30 pm
Combine Central:
Remember, CFL.ca is your number one destination for 2015 CFL National Combine coverage, with live hits, up-to-the-minute results, one-on-one interviews, in-depth analysis by Combine Insider Justin Dunk and recaps when it’s all said and done:
» 2015 CFL National Combine: Official Roster
Further Reading:
» Secrets behind the combine interview
» Eight NCAA prospects to watch at the combine
» An inside look at how CFL teams prepare for the combine
» Als’ Edem on how the combine alters draft stock
» Lue: Combine an ‘opportunity to do something great’
Important Links:
» 2015 National Combine Results
» CFL.ca Prospect Central
» The latest from Combine Insider Justin Dunk
» CFL.ca Video Zone