A former local football player hit the field for the eastern regional CFL Combine in Quebec.
On Wednesday, March 13, Bonnyville’s Jeremy Fagnan, a linebacker, participated alongside other university-level athletes in hopes of being drafted to a CFL team.
“I had an absolute blast. I had so much fun there to compete with the guys, and to get after it,” Fagnan recalled.
The three-day program allows nine CFL teams to narrow down their choices ahead of the draft in May, as participants are put through a series of tests and drills.
The combine is invite-only for players in their last year of eligibility at the university/college level.
While he was nervous heading into the day, Fagnan believes he had a good showing.
“The coaches and management that talked to me were pretty pleased with how I performed, and how I did with the talking interviews,” he recalled.
For his overall results, Fagnan bench pressed 225 lbs for 15 reps, did the three-cone drill in 8.75 seconds, and ran the 40-yard dash in 4.92 seconds. He also got 31.5 inches in the vertical jump, had 4.54 seconds in the 20-yard short shuttle, and achieved over nine feet in the broad long jump.
Although he won’t know if a team wants to sign him until the draft, the combine offers the opportunity for athletes to participate in camps as a free agent.
“It’s basically a spot where you go to the training camp, you compete, and you might get a chance to make the team. You just have to beat out every guy in front of you, and it’s not as much of a guarantee of getting on a team as getting drafted but it’s still a chance,” Fagnan said.
Although gaining an invite to the combine is a major accomplishment, Fagnan believes he still has farther to go.
“I’m never going to be the most talented guy, I’m never going to be the fastest or strongest. There’s always going to be somebody more talented than you, and you’ve just got to go out there and do what you can do, do your best and have fun. A lot of guys go and they don’t have fun, which is a big part of why a lot of guys fail. If you’re not having fun, what’s the point of doing it?”
In preparation for the combine, he spent up to six hours a day in the gym.
“There’s no way you can go into something like that without training because you would just be hit by a brick wall. You wouldn’t have any idea what’s coming for you, and the local competition is so much higher so you have to be ready,” detailed Fagnan.
Fagnan believes playing for St. Francis Xavier (STFX) University gave him the exposure he needed to get an invite to the combine.
Now that the combine is over, Fagnan is back to training to prepare for the potential of attending a camp if he makes the draft.
For players interested in pursuing sports in the future, Fagnan offered some advice.
“Just keep working hard, and anything is possible with hard work... Talent sets the floor, and the character sets the ceiling. It’s how hard you’re going to work, how hard you’re going to get after it, and that’s going to push you through a lot of different levels to get you where you want to be.”
