Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca
Welcome to CFL Combine SZN friends!
With the Invitational Combine in Waterloo now behind us, all eyes are on Regina in just over a week for the 2025 CFL Combine.
It’s one of the biggest weekends on the calendar every year and this time around will be no different.
CFL COMBINE
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From March 21 to 23, top prospects for the 2025 CFL Draft and 2025 Global Draft will go through their paces in the bench press, 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, 3-cone, and shuttle.
That’s in addition to strapping on the pads for two days of practices as all nine teams get a chance for some final prep before the draft next month.
As we get set for a massive few days in Saskatchewan, here are some of the most notable combine performances in recent years.
2022 | TYRELL FORD | DEFENSIVE BACK
Tyrell Ford was the fastest player at the 2022 CFL Combine, running to the day’s best 40-yard dash time (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
Before being drafted 13th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and before establishing himself as one of the league’s best outside defensive backs, Tyrell Ford put on one heck of a show at the 2022 CFL Combine.
The University of Waterloo product torched the competition with a 40-yard time of 4.42 seconds, which was fastest in his class. Ford also finished top ten in both the broad jump and shuttle as he put the rest of the league on notice. Now a member of the Edmonton Elks after signing a huge contract earlier this winter, Ford’s success shouldn’t be a surprise knowing how he impressed at the combine.
2022 | TRE FORD | QUARTERBACK
Tre Ford showed off his speed in the 3-cone, doing the drill the fastest at the 2022 CFL Combine (Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca)
Now teammates with his twin brother Tyrell in Edmonton, Tre Ford impressed in his own right at the 2022 CFL Combine. As he enters his first year as a presumed starter, it was only three years ago that Ford posted the best 3-cone time at 6.85 while also finishing near the top of the list in the shuttle.
As the only quarterback in his class, Ford didn’t have any competition during practice, but it didn’t matter. The league knew how special a prospect he was, and Ford’s combine results only cemented that status. Ford would go on to be selected eighth overall in the 2022 CFL Draft.
2021 | BEN HLADIK | LINEBACKER
Ben Hladik was part of the 2021 CFL Combine that was virtually conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
Now one of the league’s best linebackers with the BC Lions, Ben Hladik came to the 2021 CFL Combine with a point to prove. Unable to play his final year at the University of British Columbia due to the pandemic, Hladik finished second in his class by pounding out 29 reps on the bench press. In fact, Hladik impressed almost across the board and also finished strong in the broad jump, 3-cone, and shuttle.
“I took the Combine really seriously because it was kind of my chance to prove that I was still in shape and ready to play football,” Hladik CFL.ca last March. “If you’re not taking it seriously, someone else is going to come for you when you’re on the field and you won’t be on the good side of that.”
2023 | CLARK BARNES | RECEIVER
Clarke Barnes was the second-fastest 40-yard dash at the 2023 CFL Combine (Jason Franson/CFL.ca)
Clark Barnes started to come into his own last season by posting 590 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 16 appearances with the Calgary Stampeders. Barnes was selected in the third round out of Guelph University in 2023 and you can bet his performance at that year’s combine only helped his draft stock.
Barnes put up the second fastest time in the 40-yard dash at 4.53 seconds while also scoring high in the broad jump and vertical jump. With his physical attributes, and coming off a promising sophomore season, it feels like there’s lots of good things ahead for Barnes.
2017 | JOHNNY AUGUSTINE | RUNNING BACK
Augustine, here in pads during the one-on-one session made a name for himself in the testing portion of the 2017 CFL Combine (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
We’re going back-to-back with Guelph grads here, but Johnny Augustine is beyond worthy of a mention. Augustine was one of the surprise standouts of the 2017 CFL Combine and posted impressive results in the 40-yard (4.77 seconds), 3-cone (7.34), and shuttle (4.40). Augustine was also a standout in practice once the pads were strapped on.
Surprisingly, though, Augustine wasn’t selected in his draft year, which goes down as a bit of a whiff. Signed initially by Edmonton as a free agent, Augustine went on to be a productive member of the Blue Bombers over six seasons and won pair of Grey Cup titles in 2019 and 2021. He signed with Hamilton in free agency earlier this off-season.
2019 | KAION JULIEN-GRANT | RECEIVER
Julien-Grant, pictured here in pads during the one-on-one session, impressed everyone at the 2019 CFL Combine (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Kaion Julien-Grant has looked on the verge of a bona fide breakout the last couple of seasons and it feels like Edmonton agrees. A key free agent signing of the Elks earlier this winter after five seasons in Montreal, Julien-Grant was a combine standout in his 2019 draft year.
Known for his blazing speed, it should come as no surprise Julien-Grant impressed in the 40-yard dash. He finished second with a 40 time of 4.49 seconds while also scoring high in the vertical and broad jump. It was an important few days for Julien-Grant and he’d be drafted 13th overall by the Alouettes about a month later.
