Alberta running back Ope Oshinubi takes part in 40-yard dash during the CFL's invitational combine in Waterloo, Ont. on Friday Feb. 28, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Dan Ralph

WATERLOO, ONTARIO - Speed and strength earned Ope Oshinubi a spot in the CFL's national combine.

The Alberta running back was among 11 players from the CFL's invitational combine to earn berths to the league's national event March 21-23 in Regina. Seventy-five university performers went through their paces Friday before league coaches, GMs and scouts at Feridun Hamdullahpur Field House on the campus of the University of Waterloo.

Players participated in the 225-pound bench press, vertical jump, broad jump, 40-yard dash and three-cone shuttle. After testing, they donned pads for positional work as well as one-on-one drills.

The six-foot-one, 223-pound Oshinubi certainly stood out, posting a combine-best 40-yard dash time of 4.45 seconds. He also had 25 reps in the bench press, 32-inch vertical jump and nine foot 8 1/4-inch broad jump, 7.39-second three-cone and 4.4-second shuttle.

"I knew I'm fast, I knew I'm strong," Oshinubi said. "I just wanted to showcase those two things and I think I was able to do that.

"Like anything in football, it's the next step. You take the next step, do your best and see where it leads. You've got to focus on the next day, the next competition. That's all that really matters."

Oshinubi, of Calgary, rushed for 364 yards on 59 carries (6.2-yard average) and two touchdowns in eight games last season while adding seven catches for 41 yards. Over four seasons at Alberta, Oshinubi ran for 887 yards on 129 carries (6.9-yard average) with six TDs while recording 20 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown in 29 games.

Also securing national combine spots were quarterbacks Keagan Hall (McMaster) and Jackson Tachinski (Manitoba), receiver Hakeem Harris (Davenport), offensive linemen Felix Despins (Concordia) and Ethan Pyle (Guelph), defensive backs Maliek Cote-Azore (Laurier) and Ronan Horrall (UBC), linebackers Gabriel Lessard (Montreal) and Liam Hoskins (Windsor) and defensive lineman Chisanem Nsitem (Laurier).

Tachinski was Canada West's top player last season after passing for 1,842 yards with eight TDs and seven interceptions. The six-foot-four, 215-pound Winnipeg native also rushed 80 times for 637 yards (7.9-yard average) and seven touchdowns.

But he showed his versatility Friday, seeing action at both quarterback and receiver.

"I can do a lot of different things," he said. "I'm not elite at anything but I think overall I'm pretty good at a lot of things.

"I'm just going to show teams I'm really willing to do anything, try and be a swiss army knife-type guy. I'll do whatever to make a roster."

Among the CFL officials in attendance was Jeremy O'Day, the Saskatchewan Roughriders' vice-president of football operations and general manager. O'Day said combines are but one piece in his overall evaluation of a pro prospect but added a player's overall draft grading can go up or down based upon their results.

"You're really just trying to see, athletically and physically, if they're a fit to play pro football, where they compare to the guys you have and the guys playing at the level we're in," O'Day said. "Sometimes you watch a guy on tape and think he's got the size and he shows up here and athletically he just doesn't make the cut . . . sometimes you come here and a guy will do better than you thought.

"You're really just gathering another piece of the puzzle on a player."

For many players, this is their first experience of actually being graded and evaluated by professional football officials. Naturally, there's bound to be nervousness and anxiety but O'Day said it's always interesting to see how the prospects deal with adversity.

"It's going from playing college football to the pros so there's obviously more pressure," he said. "There's a lot of people they don't know who are judging them and looking at them and evaluating them.

"If they can do well in that environment then playing in front of 30,000 people might not have as big an affect them."

Oshinubi battled nerves throughout the day.

"Nerves are always a thing . . . they're something you have to deal with," he said. "But I think once you get running you're good to go."

In Regina, CFL officials will be able to interview players for roughly 15 minutes, something they couldn't do Friday. O'Day said having actual facetime with prospects is another valuable part of the evaluation process.

"It allows you to get to know the kids a little more in person, see their personality a bit," he said. "We also talk to their position coaches and head coaches to gather as much information as we can on them so you know what they're like as a person, their character."

Oshinubi said he has work to do before the national combine but once he gets to Regina, he'll again be looking to feature his strengths.

"I've got to tighten up on my routes, for sure," he said. "Same thing, though, showcase my strength and speed and just compete."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2025.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2025