Twelve prospects have been invited to the 2023 CFL Combine in Edmonton following a strong showing at the league’s Invitational Combine in Waterloo on Friday.
Defensive backs Tolu Ahmed and Jacob Biggs; linebacker Maxim Charbonneau; defensive linemen Markcus Jean-Loescher, Aidan John, and Collin Kornelson; offensive linemen Theo Grant and Alexandre Marcoux; receivers Gabriel Appiah-Kubi, Caleb Morin, and Zakariya Karim; and tight end Sebastian Howard received the coveted invitations. They will now compete against the 50 2023 CFL Draft prospects already invited to the national event taking place at Commonwealth Stadium from March 22 to 26, as well as their global counterparts.
Ahmed measured in at six-foot-two and 193 pounds, blazing the second-fastest forty-yard dash of the day at 4.6 seconds. The Ottawa native recorded a 34.5-inch vertical, 10-foot, three-inch broad jump, and nine reps on the bench, while running a 7.47-second three-cone and 4.4-second short shuttle. The University of Toronto product had 64.5 tackles, 10 pass breakups and an interception in three season with the Varsity Blues.
Biggs produced 98 tackles, 25 pass breakups and three interceptions in 32 career games for the Calgary Dinos. The local product checked in at five-foot-10 and 182 pounds, recording the fastest short shuttle of the day at 4.18 seconds. He also ran a 4.74-second forty and 7.41-second three-cone, along with a 31-inch vertical, nine-foot, 10 3/4-inch broad jump and seven reps on the bench.
Charbonneau clocked a 4.85-second forty-yard dash at nearly six-foot-three and 225 pounds, notching a 7.4-second three-cone and 4.53-second short shuttle. He also produced a 32.5-inch vertical, nine-foot, four-inch broad jump, and 12 reps on the bench. He was a four-year contributor for his hometown Ottawa Gee-Gees, recording 17 tackles in six games last year.
Jean-Loescher played three seasons at Saint Mary’s University, recording 21.5 tackles, three tackles for loss, and one sack as a senior. He ran a 4.83-second forty-yard dash at six-foot and 219 pounds, adding a 29.5-inch vertical, nine-foot, four-inch broad jump, 7.19-second three-cone, and 4.53-second short shuttle. The Toronto native is the son of former CFL defensive lineman Nautyn McKay-Loescher, who was drafted in the second round of the 2004 CFL Draft after playing collegiately at Alabama.
John also played at Saint Mary’s, registering 65.5 tackles, 12 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks in 15 games between the 2019 and 2022 seasons. The six-foot-three, 248-pound defensive end blazed a 4.88-second forty while jumping 32 inches in the vertical and nine-foot, 10 inches in the broad. The Halifax product also ran a 7.4-second three-cone and 4.6-second short shuttle while putting up 14 reps on the bench.
Kornelson weighed in at six-foot-two and 290 pounds, running a 5.18-second forty-yard dash and posting 21 reps on the bench. The native of Winnipeg also recorded a 7.96-second three-cone and 4.77-second shuttle, with a 30.5-inch vertical and eight-foot, 11-inch broad. A three-year contributor at Manitoba, he notched 27 tackles and 1.5 sacks last season.
Grant played three seasons at Queen’s University, starting eight games last season while flipping between left and right tackle. The Halifax native measured in at six-foot-three and 279 pounds, posting 22 reps on the bench press and running a 5.2-second forty-yard dash. He also jumped 26.5 inches in the vertical and eight feet in the broad, clocking 7.76 seconds in the three-cone and 4.88 seconds in the short shuttle.
Marcoux put up 16 reps on the bench and ran a 5.36 forty. The six-foot-two, 296-pound blocker also recorded a 26.5-inch vertical and seven-foot, nine-inch broad jump, along with an 8.33-second three-cone and 5.03-second short shuttle. The native of Levis, Que. was a four-year starter at McGill, playing four different positions throughout his career.
Appiah-Kubi blew up the testing circuit recording the fastest forty-yard dash at 4.48 seconds, the highest vertical at 37 inches, and the longest broad jump at 10 feet, 7 5/8 inches. The five-foot-nine, 156-pound Brampton native also posted a 7.32-second three-cone and 4.25 short shuttle but had just seven catches for 89 yards in eight games last year at York.
Morin checked in at nearly six-foot-two and 189 pounds, running a 4.81-second forty and 7.13-second three-cone, along with a 29.5-inch vertical, nine-foot, three-inch broad jump, and four bench reps. A local walk-on at Saskatchewan, he had a breakout season in 2022 with 48 receptions for 736 yards and one touchdown.
Karim notched 24 receptions for 379 yards and three touchdowns last season at St. FX. The native of Ottawa ran a 4.73-second forty-yard dash, 7.21-second three-cone, and 4.44-second shuttle, while posting a 33.5-inch vertical and nine-foot, nine-inch broad jump. He recorded three reps on the bench at five-foot-nine and 174 pounds.
Howard began his collegiate career at UBC before moving to Saint Mary’s following a stint with the CJFL’s Langley Rams. He has just seven career catches for 69 yards but checked in at six-foot-five and 220 pounds, running a 4.71 forty and jumping nine feet, 10 1/2 inches in the broad. The Parksville, B.C. product also managed a 31-inch vertical, 7.71-second three-cone and 4.59-second shuttle.
The inaugural CFL Invitational Combine replaces the three Regional Combine events that had previously taken place in the lead-up to the National Combine. A number of players have been selected highly after attending a Region Combine in recent years, including 2020 first-overall pick Jordan Williams and 2022 second-overall pick Zack Pelehos.
The 2023 editions of the CFL Draft and the CFL Global Draft will take place on May 2.
This article will be updated with biographies and testing results for all invited prospects.
