Just how important is the interview process at CFL Combine?

The league’s annual testing of Canada’s top amateur prospects wrapped up Sunday, leaving two months for teams to assemble a puzzle that includes bench presses, 40 times and various jumps and measurements among other things.

What makes the perfect prospect is no exact science, but something at the combine might be bigger than anything timed, measured or filmed: character.

“The biggest thing for us is getting to know the players as individuals,” said REDBLACKS general manager Marcel Desjardins.

Like most teams going to the combine, Desjardins and his staff already had a pretty good idea of who’s the fastest or strongest, or who does what well or struggles where. And with less than two months between now and the CFL Draft, film will continue to influence the REDBLACKS’ decisions.

What Desjardins and many others were keeping a close eye on was mental makeup – something that can’t be captured in any game film or combine results.

“We like to come here and obviously we’ve done our homework and watched a lot of film,” Ticats assistant general manager Drew Allemang told Ticats.ca. “But you like to see them again and see how hard they’ve been working since their season’s ended, see how they come in here and test.

“It’s a difficult environment for them – it’s high-stakes, there’s pressure, there are a lot of people looking at them that have a say in their future. We just like to watch how they handle that.

“The testing results are important but you’re also looking for those aspects of the event as well.”

How will a player respond when the hill gets steep and the going gets tough? Is he lazy, will he take shortcuts? Is he a natural fit for the locker-room? Among many others, these are the types of questions teams want to know.

Whether it’s watching a player compete on the field or take criticism from the GM in the interview room, the CFL Combine for many evaluators is about more than the numbers and more than the film.

“It’s always impressive and it’s always interesting to see exactly who performs under the lights,” said Eskimos defensive coordinator Mike Benevides.

“You see a little bit about their personality, too – you see the kid who has a little confidence and you see the kid who might be a little bit shy.”

“YOU SEE THE KID WHO HAS A
LITTLE CONFIDENCE AND YOU SEE THE
KID WHO MIGHT BE A LITTLE BIT SHY.”

The interview sessions are a big part of the process, where players are grilled by coaches, executives and scouts with a varying degree of questions. Argos safety and 2013 second-round draft pick Jermaine Gabriel remembers sitting in a room facing almost 20 people at one pre-draft interview.

“I remember, I could have made a play when I was with the Calgary Colts that would spring us forward into the next game and somehow the receiver caught the ball and we didn’t end up winning,” said Gabriel. “And they asked me, ‘how did that feel’.

“And no one’s asked me that. I was like, man, they’re digging deep right now.”

In 2015, the Argos told Chris Ackie, eventually a fourth overall pick of the Montreal Alouettes, three play calls as soon as the interview started.

“I went through the whole interview and at the end, they asked me to repeat the three play calls,” said Ackie.

“That was a good one, just to make sure you were paying attention.”

Ackie said the test was no issue for him, but it’s easy to see why others may have been caught not paying attention. It’s a nervous time for 50-or-so young prospects, all of whom know what’s at stake.

The interviews aren’t everything, but they mean plenty — to the players and their potential suitors.

“One of the biggest things is we get a chance to sit down with the kid for 15 minutes and talk to him,” said Argos defensive coordinator Rich Stubler. “That’s really, really an important part of our deal.

“For us, we get to meet the kids and see what their personalities are like.”

RECAP: 
PROSPECTS PUT
ON THE PADS IN
FINAL SHOWCASE