Three of the Concordia Stingers top players were showing off their athletic abilities to potential employers last week as the Canadian
Football League held their national and regional combines across the country. The combine represents an opportunity for scouts and executives to get a better feel for the person behind the player through face-to-face interaction and interviews, while also assessing the player’s overall athletic ability.
Defensive back and return-man Kris Robertson made his mark at the CFL National Combine, clocking the fastest 40-yard dash (which measures for speed, acceleration and agility), vertical jump and broad jump (which measures primarily for lower-body explosiveness).
“The experience was a great one, I’ve envisioned this since the day I walked into Concordia University,” said Robertson. “I personally think I could have done better in my physical testing performances, I wanted the records in those events, I just fell short. I was exceptionally happy with my one-on-one and positional drills, not one ball was caught against me.”
“It’s go time now; this is where the fun training begins. I don’t have to worry about running 40s or anything, just train strictly for football. I just pray my name gets called on draft day.”
Robertson topped the charts with a blistering 40 speed of 4.42, eight-tenths of a second faster than the second place time. He showed up his lower-body strength and overall length with a 43 inch vertical jump, two inches higher than the next best score. His broad jump came in at 10’ 5.50 feet.
Robertson, Nathan Taylor and Corey Newman all participated in the Quebec City Regional Combine, where some of the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec’s best players convened for their shot to impress the scouts in attendance.
All three turned in solid performances, as Robertson and Taylor put up good numbers in all categories amongst the defensive backs. Taylor showed impressive upper-body strength, putting up 19 reps in the bench press, the most of anyone at his position. Newman, one of five offensive linemen invited to the Quebec combine, showed off his explosiveness and quickness in tight spaces (which is key for offensive linemen battling in the trenches on the line of scrimmage) by posting the second best vertical jump and the longest broad jump amongst his peers.
“Overall it was a great experience, being around professional scouts no matter where you are is always a good thing,” said Newman. “Personally I felt well prepared. I improved my speed and footwork and, as some of the scouts told me, they noticed how hard I’ve trained to transformed myself [into] better shape.
“As of now I am waiting to hear from teams. I will most likely go to the free agency camp in London, Ont. to be seen again, but for now I’ll keep training, running and eating well and see what happens.”
