The 2025 CFL National Combine is set to kick off on Friday, with nearly 75 players poised to turn some heads and boost their draft stock with impressive performances. Over the years, a number of Ottawa REDBLACKS players have walked in those shoes.
Let’s take a walk down memory lane and reflect on some of the best days current REDBLACKS have had at the Combine.
Yani Gouadfel – defensive back
Before ever participating at the 2024 National Combine, Yani Gouadfel impressed scouts at the Invitational Combine about two weeks beforehand. There, the Bishop’s product hailing from Mitry-Mory, France, earned an invite to the main stage, and the rest is history.
Gouadfel measured at six feet, two and a quarter inches and 201 pounds. His testing numbers were impressive, running a 4.64-second 40-yard dash, the third best among active REDBLACKS who participated at the Combine. He also showed well in the broad jump (10′ 0″) and the shuttle run, posting an active REDBLACKS-best 4.25 seconds.
Ottawa used their sixth-round pick (49th overall) to pick Gouadfel in the 2024 CFL Draft.
Daniel Adeboboye – running back
A new face in the REDBLACKS’ locker room, Daniel Adeboboye is an absolute specimen. An alumnus of Bryant University, the Toronto native brings a unique combination of strength, speed, and agility to the running back position.
Standing at five-foot-nine and a half, Adeboboye took the 2022 Combine by storm, putting up a Combine-best 28 reps on the bench, and running the second-fastest 40 among running backs at 4.69 seconds. He was also near the top in the vertical jump, setting an active REDBLACKS high of 37.5 inches.
In the second round of the 2022 CFL Draft, the Toronto Argonauts made Adeboboye the 15th overall selection.
Anthony Gosselin – full back
In his REDBLACKS tenure, Anthony Gosselin has become known for his hard-nosed style of football, juxtaposed by his friendly nature away from the field. In the 2017 Combine, the Sherbrooke product strong-manned his way into 30 reps on the bench, not far from the top of the table overall.
His efforts put him first among running backs in the category.
A few weeks later at the 2017 CFL Draft, the REDBLACKS made the Otterburn, Quebec native their second-round pick, 18th overall.
Aidan John – defensive lineman
Today, Aidan John is widely viewed as a young player who could be a major contributor for the REDBLACKS, but a handful of short years ago, he wasn’t even playing football. He only began late in high school, trading one kind of football for another, before attending Saint Mary’s to play collegiately.
Perhaps with his soccer background, it should come as no surprise that the defensive line prospect excelled in the agility portion of the 2023 Combine, posting the third-best vertical (35 inches) among active REDBLACKS, and the second-best broad jump (9″ 8″).
In the 2023 Draft, the REBDLACKS selected John with the first pick of round three, 19th overall.
Lucas Cormier – defensive back
In that same draft class, Lucas Cormier also showed out at the Combine. His results are top three among active REDBLACKS in the vertical jump (35 inches), the three-cone (7.09 seconds), the shuttle run (4.26 seconds), and the 40-yard dash (4.62 seconds).
In each of those events, Cormier was close to being in the top 10 among all position groups.
The Mount Allison alum didn’t have to wait long to hear his name called at the CFL Draft in 2023, being selected by the REDBLACKS with the first pick in the second round, 10th overall.
