Johany Jutas/CFL.ca
The sweat was still running off of Dan Petermann’s forehead as he spoke on Saturday afternoon.
The McMaster Marauders receiver had just posted the best 40-yard dash time of the CFL National Scouting Combine, presented by adidas, at 4.54 seconds.
“I felt I could have done a little better but given the circumstances of the field, I’m happy with the results,” Petermann said. Some of the participants said that they’d slipped on the turf at the start of their movements through drills Saturday morning.
Still, Petermann’s 4.54 seconds were a personal best. He felt like a 4.49-second run was within him, but he was happy to sit atop the leaderboard as the combine went into its afternoon break.
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The 2014 OUA rookie of the year (catching passes from CFL.ca U SPORTS guru Marshall Ferguson), Petermann has been nothing but solid in his four seasons at McMaster. His best season came in 2015 when he reaped the benefits of a high-octane offence and some excellent chemistry with QB Asher Hastings. Petermann had a team-best 61 catches for 831 yards and nine touchdowns. Danny Vandervoort, the No. 3 pick in last year’s CFL draft, was right behind him with 39 catches for 664 yards.
Last year, Petermann led McMaster again, with 36 catches for 517 yards and two touchdowns.
As for the source of his speed, Petermann, five-foot-11 and 205 pounds, admitted he’s been blessed with good genes.
“My mom’s side is pretty athletic,” he said.
His uncle is Peter Guarasci, who played professionally in Italy and joined Steve Nash on Canada’s Olympic basketball team in 2000. He’s currently the head coach of the UBC Okanagan Heat. His cousin, Rick Morocco, played professional hockey in Italy and played for Team Italy in the 1992 Olympics. He’s currently the executive director of the Canadian Junior Hockey League.
The genetics are a big help, he said, but added that it’s nice to have an athletic family to help him deal with the mental side of sports, which factor heavily into a combine setting.
“Both of my parents are tough, so they’ve been hard on me and kept me mentally in check, making sure I’m doing the right things,” he said.
He went from running 40s to running the gauntlet of tough questions in the afternoon. He was scheduled to meet with seven of the CFL’s nine teams. BC and Saskatchewan were the only ones he wasn’t going to see.
“I’m lucky to have a good head coach (Greg Knox) that knows a lot of these (CFL) guys. And he played at the professional level, so he knows what to expect from these guys,” Petermann said. “He’ll give me some insight on what to say.”
The questions can be pointed at times, with a coach or GM attacking a perceived weakness.
“You have to be prepared,” Petermann said. “Some guys get lowlights, you know what I mean? You have to be prepared and own the crappy stuff you’ve done and be proud of the good stuff you’ve done.”
You can’t be prepped for every question, though. With word circulating through the combine that one team had opened a box of donuts and asked the player which one he’d be, the players will have to be able to show they can think on their toes. He stammered a little when the donut question was put to him by media, but he went with his gut on the answer.
“My favourite one is Boston Cream,” he said. “That’s the only one I get from Tim’s.”
