Petermann, Chapman impress on Saturday morning in Winnipeg
WINNIPEG — McMaster receiver Daniel Petermann needed very little time to make a name for himself at the CFL Scouting Combine presented by adidas on Saturday.
It took 4.54 seconds, to be exact — the lowest time posted at the 40-yard dash as Canada’s top draft-eligible prospects competed in the first round of testing at Winnipeg’s RBC Convention Centre.
Fifty-two prospects participated on Saturday morning, completing the 40, the short shuttle and the three-cone drill with fans, coaches and general managers from all nine teams looking on.
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The day’s top run came after Petermann was visibly upset with his run of 4.63 on the first trial.
“It’s the same as last year,” said Peterman. “I usually run faster on my second 40 after the first one. I’m just more relaxed and everything is calm and you just run more smooth and quicker so that’s what happened.
“It’s a good start,” he added. “All of my interviews are today so it’s still a long day. I’m excited to put up big numbers on the bench and then tomorrow for the jumps I want to keep putting up big numbers.”
Also standing out was Wilfrid Laurier defensive back Isaiah Guzylak-Messam, who posted a 40-time of 4.604.
Ottawa defensive back Jackson Bennett had the top shuttle time (4.09) while Central Michigan pass-catcher Mark Chapman had the best three-cone drill (7.00).
40-Yard Dash
| Rank | Player Name | 40-Time | Pos | School |
| 1 | Daniel Petermann | 4.539 | WR | McMaster |
| 2 | Isaiah Guzylak-Messam | 4.604 | DB | Wilfrid Laurier |
| 3 | Marco Dubois | 4.622 | WR | Laval |
| 4 | Tyrone Pierre | 4.637 | WR | Laval |
| 5 | Godfrey Onyeka | 4.664 | DB | Wilfrid Laurier |
| > View Full Results | ||||
Eastern Regional combine invite Marco Dubois, a receiver out of Laval, had a strong second run of 4.622 to finish third in the 40, while teammate Tyrone Pierre ran a 4.637. Pierre is a well-rounded prospect who may have helped his draft stock with a solid run.
Rounding out the top-five in the 40 is Godfrey Onyeka, one of the top prospects at this weekend’s combine. The Wilfrid Laurier defensive back ran a 4.664, which fell short of his expectations.
“Speed has obviously been the biggest knock on me so that’s pretty much what we worked on,” said Onyeka. “I didn’t really run the time I wanted. I was kind of hoping for a 4.4, 4.5, but I guess 4.6 isn’t too bad.
“I think part of it is I am enjoying the experience and it’s pretty sick to be here and to be recognized as one of the better players and to be invited, but I could have done a lot better, to be honest,” he added. “I really expected a lot more from myself. I hope I do better the rest of the weekend.”
Laval running back Christopher Amoah led his position with a 4.68, but like Onyeka wasn’t completely happy with his performance.
“I’m obviously a competitive guy so I always want to aim for better,” said Amoah. “I was aiming sub 4.5, that’s what I was trying to go for. Obviously that didn’t happen today but I was still satisfied with what I did and what I was able to show my abilities to the coaches.
“My 40 was my best event, it was the one I was looking forward to the most. Obviously, that’s kind of what everybody looks at and that’s the event that I wanted to perform the best at. Once again, today, not the best that I wanted to do but still satisfied.”
Shuttle
| Rank | Player Name | Time | Pos | School |
| 1 | Jackson Bennett | 4.09 | DB | Ottawa |
| 2 | Jordan Beaulieu | 4.13 | DB | Western |
| 3 | Mark Chapman | 4.18 | WR | Central Michigan |
| 4 | Ryder Stone | 4.25 | RB | Dartmouth |
| T-5 | David Mackie | 4.28 | RB | Western |
| T-5 | Royce Metchie | 4.28 | DB | Guelph |
| > View Full Results | ||||
In the short shuttle, Jordan Beaulieu was second in the field with a 4.13, followed by Chapman at 4.18. Dartmouth running back Ryder Stone, Western running back David Mackie and Guelph defensive back Royce Metchie rounded out the top shuttle times.
In the three-cone, Chapman continued his strong showing on Saturday morning with a seven-second run in the three-cone drill. Bennett and Petermann were close behind, running a 7.02 and 7.03 respectively.
Western defensive back Jordan Beaulieu, Acadia defensive back Brandon Jennings and Calgary receiver Rashaun Simonise tied with a 7.06 to round out the top performers in the three-cone:
3-Cone Drill
| Rank | Player Name | Time | Pos | School |
| 1 | Mark Chapman | 7.00 | WR | Central Michigan |
| 2 | Jackson Bennett | 7.02 | DB | Ottawa |
| 3 | Daniel Petermann | 7.03 | WR | McMaster |
| T-4 | Jordan Beaulieu | 7.06 | DB | Western |
| T-4 | Brandon Jennings | 7.06 | DB | Acadia |
| T-4 | Rashaun Simonise | 7.06 | WR | Calgary |
| > View Full Results | ||||
With the morning testing out of the way, some players will interview with prospective teams while waiting for the evening’s marquee event, the bench press at 8 p.m. ET.
The full leaderboard for the 2018 CFL Scouting Combine presented by adidas can be seen here.
