Carleton University
MONTREAL — March is an important month for Canada’s top football prospects and it all starts on Wednesday in Montreal.
Draft stock is on the line for many of the 50 prospects expected to attend Wednesday’s Eastern Regional Combine, which is the first of three regionals leading up to the CFL Scouting Combine presented by adidas March 24-25.
The country’s top amateur football players will spend the next three weeks looking to turn heads before the 2018 CFL Draft.
» FOR A FULL LIST OF EASTERN REGIONAL COMBINE PARTICIPANTS, CLICK HERE.
Gee-Gee running back Bryce Vieira makes a play during the 2017 season (University of Ottawa)
Ottawa Gee-Gee’s running back Bryce Vieira leads the list of CFL.ca’s five to keep an eye on at Wednesday’s combine, while fans should also keep a close eye on Bishop’s defensive lineman Jeremy Magan-France and Carleton’s offensive lineman Nolan McGreer.
St. FX’s defensive back Dylan Bell will be one to watch in the one-on-ones after having his best statistical season in 2017.
Rounding out the prospects to watch is Guillaume Paquet, a five-foot-11, 190-pound, speedy receiver out of Montreal.
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Last year, 15 players from regional combines were extended an invitation to the CFL Combine, 11 of those being selected in the 2017 CFL Draft. Five of the 15 came from the Montreal Regional Combine as WR Malcolm Carter, DL Mathieu Dupuis, DB Harland Hastings, LB Alexandre Chevrier and RB Anthony Gosselin all made the trip to Regina for the national combine.
The events on Wednesday kick off at 9:00 a.m. ET with height and weight, hand and arm measurements, video shot, vertical and broad jumps and the bench press. At 11 a.m., players will take part in the highly-anticipated 40-yard dash, the short shuttle and the 3-cone drill.
Positional drills and one-on-ones start at 1:30 p.m., while the final announcement of players invited to Winnipeg comes at approximately 3:50 p.m.
Carleton offensive lineman Nolan McGreen makes a play during 2017’s East-West Bowl (Carleton University)
Wednesday marks the sixth year in a row that the CFL will host regional combines and the fourth year it will host a trio of them. This year, regional combines will also be held in Toronto (the Ontario Regional Combine on March 9) and Winnipeg (the Western Regional Combine on March 22).
After each regional combine, the CFL, with input from all teams, will invite additional players from the regional combines to the national event in Winnipeg.
The CFL Combine presented by adidas will take place at RBC Convention Centre in Winnipeg. The players will undergo medical examinations; performance, strength and speed tests; on-field football drills; and team interviews over a span of two days in front of coaches, scouts and general managers.
By the Numbers:
– Of the 50 players currently on the Eastern Regional Combine roster, 47 are draft eligible.
– Defensive line is the most crowded position at the regional with 10 set to participate (The position breakdown is as follows: 10 DL, 6 WR, 9 DB, 7 OL, 9 LB, 2 K, 5 RB, 2 QB).
– 15 schools will be represented, led by Sherbrooke (8). Other schools represented: Laval (7), Montreal (5), Saint Mary’s (5), St. FX (4), Bishop’s (4), Acadia (3), McGill (3), Ottawa (3), Mount Allison (2), Carleton (2), Alberta (1), UNB (1), Concordia (1), Gannon (1).
