University of Manitoba
Once again it’s that time of year to dive into the numbers and see who makes a splash at the CFL Scouting Combine presented by New Era. This group of athletes is the best of the best and consistently makes my jaw drop with testing numbers that validate their hard work over four years with a university or junior football program.
Numbers show you something, but not everything. We all know they are part of a player’s assessment and can tell part of the story, but to get the full picture evaluators will always go back to game film and understanding the person behind the player.
With that said, let’s look ahead at who could send a message with their digits this weekend in Toronto.
CFL COMBINE PRESENTED BY NEW ERA
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» Combine 101: A look at each drill
Bench Press
In an event designed for the big boys to dominate, there is always a receiver, defensive back or running back that posts a number that impresses. For the men of the trenches this event could be dominated by Laval DL Vincent Desjardins, UBC DL Connor Griffiths or UNLV OL Kyle Saxelid. All three on tape show great hand strength and power at the point of contact. It might result in a big number Saturday.
As for the lower weight divisions, Queen’s REC Chris Osei-Kusi arrived to the combine Friday all kinds of jacked. I have a hard time imagining those are beach muscles he’s strapped on over the last couple of years and expect him to bench well Saturday on our live stream.
Vertical Jump
Both Ottawa DB Jamie Harry and Fresno State DB Matthew Boateng should have some success in the vert if I’m basing it on lower body burst while driving on the football from their respective positions.
Also keep an eye out for Carleton DB Jay Dearborn, who posted some historic numbers at the Eastern Regional Combine in the vert and broad. He should walk away the star of both events unless someone has a crazy number hidden in their back pocket.
Broad Jump
Malcolm. Lee.
The UBC DB has incredible length and burst which I expect to result in a great number. Also excited to see how a pair of running backs will perform in this test in Manitoba’s Jamel Lyles and Western’s Cedric Joseph.
10-Yard Dash
For me the 10-yard is a great place to evaluate defensive linemen and linebackers’ burst off the ball. Will a pass rusher ever line up in a sprinter’s starting stance?
No.
But they will need a quick twitch and the ability to fly off the ball with force. I believe Laval DE Mathieu Betts – if he were running – could have challenged the all-time defensive line 10-yard split record, but we’ll never know.
I’m excited to see Western’s LB Fraser Sopik fire out from the starting blocks and Laurier’s Robbie Smith. For Smith, a good testing day paired with solid film and 1-on-1s could lead to a first or second round grade.
40-Yard Dash
Fresno State DB Matthew Boateng should fly – if he runs despite a good pro day number – while receivers Kurleigh Gittens Jr. from Laurier, Chris Osei-Kusi from Queen’s and Kaion Julien-Grant should be battling for the 2019 combine sprint crown.
Short Shuttle
Quickness in a short area is such an important tell at all positions. Whether it’s an offensive lineman turning on a dime to save his QB from a hit last second or a linebacker avoiding a blocker with a quick cut, the shuttle really does help understand movement skills and bend ability at all positions.
With that being said, expect the DBs to take this one with names like Hakeem Johnson and Stavros Katsantonis in the running.
Three-Cone
Everything mentioned above about the shuttle applies to the three-cone as well, but I always enjoy watching the quarterbacks in this one. The movement patterns of the three-cone differ from shuttle a little bit and often reflect rush evasion drills passers will do in practice.
Western’s Chris Merchant and UBC’s Micheal O’Connor will be playing shot for shot all weekend, so expect them to do the same on this test.
Regardless of how the weekend’s number shake out I can promise you’ll have an appreciation for the athleticism this group will bring to training camps as the weather warms.
