Des décisions compliquées par la présence de talents « constants » au LCF Combine en anglais
The CFL Draft continues to rapidly approach for the Ottawa REDBLACKS, who hold the number one selection, and the most picks overall of any franchise.
With the combine having recently come and gone, REDBLACKS’ Director of Canadian Scouting Chad Hudson has his work cut out for him. Having already seen every player at the combine at one point or another throughout the season, he headed to Edmonton for one more viewing, looking to cement his information.
“We were mostly looking to verify things we knew about the players already,” Hudson said. “You go there for clarification.”
Hudson was impressed with what he saw while in Alberta’s capital city, both with what he saw from the players on the field, but also off of it.
“When you look at the combine numbers, every last one of those guys belonged there,” he said. “From the bottom to the top, they are all very good players, and in the end, that actually makes our decisions harder. The talent was so consistent.”
Although Hudson and the rest of the REDBLACKS were there looking to confirm what they already knew, it’s not always easy. It’s hard not to take notice of some of the impressive results, whether it’s Gabriel Appiah-Kubi’s (receiver from York) 4.44 40-yard dash, Phillip Grahovac’s (offensive lineman from Western) 26 reps of the bench, or Jake Kelly’s (defensive back from Bishop’s) 40.5 inch vertical.
Hudson knows that these drills don’t always translate into the best player, but it has certainly caused some shuffling of draft boards, particularly in the later rounds.
“There are guys who certainly improved their draft stock,” he said, without revealing precise details. “There are some guys that go as hard in practice as they do in games, and those are the types of guys that we like. If they have the intangibles and the heart, we’re interested. There are a few who consistently do it.”
At least part of the credit for the consistency, Hudson believes, is the double-edged sword the pandemic created from a sporting context. Although players couldn’t see the field for a couple of seasons, they had the chance to get in the gym and build their athleticism, and hone in on the elements of their game that needed the most work.
In the past handful of drafts, players have come in with general inexperience due to that missing playing time, but now, Hudson says that this class might actually have been dealt a helpful scenario, pairing time in the gym with actual playing time.
“Athletically, this looked like a group who got to train for a full year, and then put it all together on the field over the past couple of years of football,” Hudson said.
Beyond the on-field testing, Hudson had the chance to set up an interview room with Head Coach Bob Dyce and General Manager Shawn Burke. While Dyce and Burke had not seen many of the players in-person yet, the interview setting allowed him to assess whether the player was the right fit for the club.
“We want to see guys who will take coaching to help them grow, but who will also be a part of the team and not have a negative impact on our group,” Hudson said.
When the wheels came up on the plane home from Edmonton, there was no stone left unturned.
“We liked all of the days on the field paired with the testing,” Hudson said. “It was a long week, but it was perfect. There’s no way you can leave and say you haven’t seen enough of these guys.”
The hunt for clarity is time-consuming, and truthfully, you’ll never know everything about a draft class until the players are in the league. Still, Hudson gained an extra sense of what to expect, although his work is far from over.
“It does feel like we are cramming for a test right now, there’s a lot of things that aren’t clear,” Hudson said. “Even though the list of guys you’re looking at is short, you have to think about guys going to NFL camps and injuries. It’s getting clearer by the day, and we’re excited about it.”
The CFL Draft gets underway on May 2nd at 8 p.m. ET, and will be available to watch on TSN.
