Roughriders ready for revamped CFL combine

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are hoping to find their next long-time starters this week in Edmonton.

The CFL combine gets underway Wednesday, when many of the top CFL draft prospects will try to show staffs from around the league they can contribute at the pro level.

Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day, whose team holds the third overall pick this year, admits the combine can have an effect on who they will take.

“They can improve and they can lower their stock. A lot of times, especially our coaching staff, when they first evaluate the players, you don’t have an indication of how fast they are,” O’Day said Tuesday from Edmonton. “You look at it and say his game speed looks OK and then you get to the combine and they are either faster or slower.

“They will move up or down and the grades change from watching the film and going to the combine. The key is to not get too carried away or put too much weight on it.”

O’Day said one player who came into the combine and really impressed them was offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley. He was taken by the Riders fifth overall in the 2018 CFL draft.

“Dakoda came and tested off the charts and really showed he had the physical attributes that you want in an offensive line with his broad jump and his movements,” O’Day said. “There’s not a ton of guys that stay exactly the same when you come to the combine.”

Shepley signed with the Riders in 2019, dressing for all 18 games that season. When the 2020 CFL season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Shepley opted out of his contract to sign with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers.

This year, things will look a bit different at the combine, with the format seeing a change. On Wednesday and Thursday, a traditional combine with events like the 40-yard dash and bench press will be held. From Friday to Sunday, prospects will participate in practice sessions which will include one-on-one drills and pass skeletons.

“Doing one-on-ones is nice to see them go against each other. They are going against the best competition in the draft,” O’Day said. “They have to learn a little bit about concepts and plays and see how they get coached and see how they compete in practice.

“If you think NFL combine and Senior Bowl, it’s kind of a combination of both of those.”

It’s not just on-field intangibles scouts will be looking for.

“The biggest thing is we are trying to see how much they love football; that is the key for us,” O’Day said. “(So is) being good dudes, as weird as that sounds. You want to see how they interact, not necessarily where you put them in an interview where they are dressed up, their agents have told them all the questions they are going to get (and) they get asked the same question from interview to interview.

“It’s more of how they act on a day-to-day basis — how they are in the lobby, how they act in the elevator, how they are getting along with their teammates, how they interact with the CFL staff and if there are any flags that come up from that.”

The CFL draft takes place May 2, days before CFL rookie camps open on May 10 and main camps start on May 14.

“We’ve been ready. There’s a lot of work to do before training camp and we are getting closer but the excitement is starting to get there,” O’Day said. “This week starts off the 2023 season with the combine and we have the draft coming up.

“We’ve turned the page on last year and it probably happened a while back, but we are looking forward to 2023. We are excited about some of the new players that we have but we’re also excited about some of the guys we have returning that are excited to be back.

“(We’re) really just growing that team chemistry and getting that bonding going.”

Clark continues community work despite no contract

While long-time centre Dan Clark’s time as a Roughriders player appears at an end, the 34-year-old is still helping out his hometown team.

“We’ve been real honest with Dan Clark and we’ve told Dan that we aren’t planning on bringing him to camp. I don’t know if he has other opportunities or still planning on playing,” O’Day said.

While Clark’s football future is in his hands, the longtime CFL veteran is still helping out in the community with the Saskatchewan Roughriders foundation.

“We’re not in any rush to throw Dan out of the door or anything like that,” O’Day said. “He’s been around with us for a long time. He’s a true Roughrider and he is great in the community and has great leadership.”

The Regina product has played in 131 games for the Roughriders. Prior to playing CFL football, Clark was a member of the CJFL’s Regina Thunder.