DAY 1 OF CFL COMBINE COMPLETE
TORONTO – On the first day of testing at the 2019 CFL Combine presented by New Era, Jonathan Harke of the University of Alberta and the CJFL’s Edmonton Wildcats led all prospects by completing 32 reps of 225 pounds.
Rounding out the top five in the bench press, Connor Griffiths (DL, UBC) had 28 reps, Jesse Gibbon (OL, Waterloo) had 26, and Drew Desjarlais (OL, Windsor) and Vincent Desjardins (DL, Laval) were tied with 25.
In the vertical jump, Carleton’s Jacob Dearborn topped the list with 42”; his mark of 42” was the third highest all-time for defensive backs, and the sixth-highest in CFL National Combine history. Rounding out the top five from today’s vertical tests: Shai Ross (WR, Manitoba) at 38.5”, Stavros Katsantonis (DB, UBC) at 38”, Kaion Julien-Grant (WR, St. Francis Xavier) at 37.5” and Malik Richards (WR, Mount Allison) and Malcolm Lee (DB, UBC) tied at 36.5”.
For the entire list of results including those of Regina’s Brayden Lenius-Dickey, click here.
The Combine continues on Sunday when the players transition to the field to test their speed, agility and football skills on the 40-yard dash, shuttle, three-cone, broad jump, individual positional drills and one-on-one matchups.
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GLOBAL PLAYERS
For the first-time ever, the Canadian Football League (CFL) has 18 global players taking part in the CFL Combine presented by New Era and today was the first to see the players showcase their strength and vertical jumping at the Goldring Centre in downtown Toronto today.
In front of scouts and management from all nine CFL teams, the global players tested alongside the top prospects heading into the 2019 CFL Draft.
In the bench press, defensive lineman Marc-Anthony Hor from Germany led the way for the global players with 28 reps of 225 lbs. France’s Valnetin Gnahoua followed with 24 reps, while Finland’s Okko Outinen reached 21 reps. Rounding out the top five with 20 reps each were Alessandro Antonio Vergani from Italy and Thiadric Hansen from Germany.
Germany’s Thiadric Hansen, a 6’1” linebacker, led the group of global players with a vertical jump score of 38”. Hansen plays for the Potsdam Royals of the German Football League (GFL). Following Hansen’s mark, France’s Maxime Rouyer and Asnnel Robo each recorded 33.5” verticals. Rounding out the top five were receiver Jordan Bouah from Italy (33”) and receiver Max Zimmerman (32”) from Germany.
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The CFL sent offensive tackle Shane Richards home after he decided against testing at the league’s national combine.
The six-foot-six 334-pound Richards interviewed with a host of CFL teams Friday night and was weighed and measured Saturday. But shortly afterwards he informed league officials he wouldn’t participate in testing.
Richards, from Calgary, played collegiately at Oklahoma State and recently participated in the school’s pro day March 12, posting 22 reps in the 225-pound bench press and 27 inches in the vertical jump.
The CFL scouting bureau ranked Richards No. 2 on its top-20 prospects for the draft in May.
With Laval’s Mathieu Betts – the No. 1 prospect – skipping the combine, Richards was the highest-ranked player participating in the event.
