Andrew Lahodynskyj/CFL.ca
Once again we’ve reached CFL Combine presented by New Era week. To some it’s a blip on the radar, a formality to be brushed past on the grand scale of a CFL calendar but to me it’s an opportunity in the dying days of a long, cold winter to look into the future.
How often do we get to do that in a CFL setting? Some of you have an elite ability to project fantasy movers and shakers months before the prediction comes to life, others do such deep dives into NCAA football rosters that a negotiation list name being released becomes your own exciting secret due to what you believe they could mean to a CFL team.
For me, this is the purest way to experience the next generation of ratio changers as they create indelible moments which will get splashed across social media to applause far and wide while being simultaneously stocked away, ready to be called upon if they go on to become a CFL difference maker.
There are many elements of the CFL Combine process that have endeared this time of year to me, none more important than the buzz generated by a player who pieces together one great moment after another on the field, and follows it up by excelling behind closed doors in the interview process.
This year I have my sights set on six players who I believe could piece together that CFL Combine buzz generating kind of weekend. Each with their own unique journey to the CFL’s ultimate job fair.
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Calgary OL John Bosse
(Photo courtesy of Calgary Athletics)
While the recent CFL Combine history tells us guards are often prioritized over tackles and the largest frames often fall fast and hard, it’s really difficult for me to not get excited about the potential of John Bosse and his listed six-foot-six frame.
How will he move, what will his strengths and weaknesses be come the individual periods and how will he carry himself through practices this weekend are all questions I’m looking forward to answering as we get a better sense for the man behind the big Calgary Dinos shoulder pads.
York DL Jason Janvier-Messier
(Andrew Lahodynskyj/CFL.ca)
I’m a sucker for a regional or invitational advancer, but there is also a great amount of history to show players who don’t get the initial CFL Combine showcase invitation have to give up their CFL dreams.
Janvier-Messier jumped off the board in almost every test in Waterloo a few weeks back and will now get set to attack those same tests with a whole different crop of competitors and surroundings. Can he double down in Winnipeg and prove he belongs?
Alberta DB Tyshon Blackburn
(Photo courtesy of Alberta Athletics)
The defining trait from the first second of walking on the field last year at the U SPORTS East-West Bowl in Hamilton was the length of almost every defensive back in attendance. Team West specifically had some unique frames and an endless amount of burst on the back end led by Tyshon Blackburn who should set the tone for the week when measuring in.
Laval REC Kevin Mital
(Photo courtesy of Yan Doublet)
There might be no more intriguing interview this week than Laval standout receiver Kevin Mital who set the country on fire in 2022 before a subpar 2023 campaign. As Donnovan Bennett and I discussed on The Waggle Podcast this week, Mital will have plenty of questions asked but can answer them in short order with a standout performance in testing and practice.
McMaster DL Owen Hubert and Laurier DL Luke Brubacher
(Photo courtesy of McMaster Athletics)
Both McMaster head coach Stefan Ptaszek and Wilfrid Laurier head coach Michael Faulds have been taking plenty of calls from both sides of the border on their elite big men up front. In a positional group that features great size and quickness, Hubert and Brubacher might be the most refined defensive lineman in attendance and will both likely see a variety of positions throughout one-on-ones as scouts attempt to get a better understanding of matchup versatility and style.
Expect both of these guys to be in the discussion for top-20 picks, with so much to prove in Winnipeg this week the one who separates might even jump into the top-10.
