Andrew Mahon/CFL.ca
WINNIPEG — Ryan Berta got off to a tremendous start at the CFL Combine presented by New Era.
The Queen’s offensive lineman posted a day-best 30 reps in the bench press and followed it up by showing off his total athleticism, posting a 5.39-second 40-yard dash — third-best among o-linemen — on Thursday evening.
After he was done his heavy lifting, Berta lamented to CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson that he had hoped he could top the 30-mark that he posted at last year’s East/West Bowl.
It was a shortcoming that everyone else that laid down on that bench on Thursday wished they could have had.
CFL COMBINE presented by New Era
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Hamilton native Ryan Berta (@Queens_Football) was MOVING that weight 😮💨
His 30 reps led all prospects at the #CFLCombine!
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— CFL (@CFL) March 21, 2024
Meanwhile, in Thursday evening’s events, we had a tie for the best finish in the 40-yard dash, with Delaware State running back Michael Chris-Ike and McGill defensive back Benjamin Labrosse crossing the line in 4.51 seconds.
Labrosse’s name was near the top of many events on Thursday. He was second in the vertical leap (38.5 inches), tied for second in the 3-cone drill (6.76 seconds), took the top spot in the broad jump with an impressive 11-foot-one and three quarter-inch effort and placed fourth in the short shuttle, at 4.21 seconds.
At the conclusion of Thursday’s grind of a day for both National and Global prospects, Ferguson and TSN’s Jim Barker shared their thoughts on what they’d seen at the Winnipeg Soccer Federation North.
“My main takeaway is the speed of that receiver group,” Ferguson said. “From top to bottom, we thought Ajou Ajou was going to be one of those guys that would push the pace. Kevin Mittal, we saw him run very well.
“The top end of this draft I think in the receiving room, the defensive backs have got their work cut out for them on the field here in Winnipeg over the next three days.”
After watching all of the prospects in-person on Thursday, Barker sees a lot of depth in this year’s CFL Draft class.
“If you look down at the defensive guys, (there were) very few that were over five flat (in their 40s),” he said.
“You had a bunch in that range, you need them that 4.7 to 4.8 range where they can go in big teams. That’s the biggest thing here. It’s for the for the coaches and the GMs…the whole thing is, ‘How does this guy have a path to make our team?’ I think there were a lot of guys out there that are going to have a path to make teams, which makes four, five rounds (of the draft) really important.”
The prospects get to put their pads on for Friday, Saturday and Sunday, as they’ll work with coaches and compete against each other as they try to raise their stock ahead of the CFL Draft on April 30.
