The 2025 CFL Draft is just over two months away and the sprint to the finish is set to begin on Friday when more than 70 prospects converge on Waterloo for the annual Invitational Combine.
A precursor to the National Combine being held in Regina next month, the Invitational serves as a showcase for unheralded and under-the-radar players looking to make it to the next level. Some may have had limited opportunities to perform in college, others may be facing unanswered questions about their athletic ability, while still more are looking to dispel negative perceptions about their play by performing in testing.
Every year, dozens of these prospects translate a strong performance at this event into a draft selection, with some going as high as the first round. For the most elite of those prospects, an early reward will come in the form of elevation to the National Combine and a chance to strut their stuff on the main stage for every decision-maker.
Last year, 12 players were promoted out of the Invitational Combine with eight eventually getting drafted. Here are 15 players who could similarly help their stock in Waterloo.
DL/OL Brandon Davies-Lyons, York University (Oshawa, Ont.)
An underdog story worth rooting for, Davies-Lyons’ career production on a poor York defence is nothing to write home about. However, the six-foot-four, 300-pound nose tackle has a massive frame with developmental potential and helped himself by flashing power and a high motor against NCAA competition at the College Gridiron Showcase last month. He also has the unique distinction of having started five games along the offensive line last season and is expected to take reps on both sides of the ball during one-on-ones to prove his two-way versatility.
OL Anthony Horth, Université de Sherbrooke (Paspébiac, Que.)
A first-team All-Canadian at centre, Horth is about as nasty as they come with a zest for finishing opponents that occasionally crosses the bounds of decency. Unfortunately, he’s built like a fire hydrant and will likely measure in under his listed six feet with short arms to match. There is a short list of players who have been able to overcome those physical limitations but a strong outing in Waterloo could give him a longer look in a weaker offensive line class.
Photo courtesy: Waterloo Warriors
DB Anesu Latmore, University of Waterloo (Ottawa, Ont.)
It’s a fairly safe bet that Latmore will be the top tester on his home field, given that the freakish DB posted a 40-inch vertical and an 11-foot broad jump at the 2024 East-West Bowl. Both of those numbers would be among the very best ever recorded at a CFL Combine, but scouts wonder why an athlete of his calibre hasn’t made a greater impact on a bad Waterloo defence. If the five-foot-11, 190-pound defender can prove the testing numbers translate in the one-on-ones, teams will have a vested interest in seeing him back it up during National Combine practices.
LB Gabriel Lessard, Université de Montréal (Sainte-Julie, Que.)
You’d be forgiven for not knowing Lessard’s name before this week, as defensive reps were hard to come by with the Carabins. That’s understandable considering that both of the players in front of him, Nicky Farinaccio and Harold Miessan, won the Presidents’ Trophy as the top stand-up defensive player in U Sports. The six-foot-two, 228-pound backer embraced his own role to become a dominant special teams player on every unit and should have plenty of interest from scouts who believe that will translate to the CFL.
DL Carter Maurice, University of Minnesota Morris (Boissevain, Man.)
There is a very short list of Canadians who can rival Maurice’s rate of NCAA production over the past four seasons, amassing a school-record 48 tackles for loss to go along with 20.5 sacks, seven batted passes, and four forced fumbles. Unfortunately, the four-time all-conference selection carries the asterisk of having put up those stats at the Division III level and lacks the length that teams require in their defensive ends. The six-foot, 235-pound pass rusher will need to prove he has enough athletic juice to contribute on special teams and might be better suited as a fullback convert due to his limited frame.
Photo courtesy: Iowa State Athletics
REC Tristan Michaud, University of South Dakota (Quebec City, Que.)
Michaud has made just nine catches for 96 yards in his collegiate career but it is hard to ignore his frame and Division I pedigree. The former three-star recruit to Iowa State is listed at six-foot-six and 215 pounds and given the rarity of that size on the outside, CFL teams will be looking for any excuse to overlook his lack of production. If he passes the athletic benchmarks in testing and proves himself to be a mismatch in the one-on-ones, a ticket to Regina seems the likely reward.
DB Jake Nitychoruk, University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man.)
As a six-foot-four, 210-pound starting cornerback, Nitychoruk is a true outlier among Canadian prospects and his massive frame will be far more attractive to CFL teams than his coverage ability. While he isn’t athletic enough to stick on the outside at the next level, the big-bodied cover man should be an easy convert to safety and will be far more able to contribute on special teams than your average DB. That should see him sneak into the late rounds of the draft unless his testing truly tanks on Friday.
OL Ethan Pyle, University of Guelph (Milton, Ont.)
A second-team OUA all-star at centre, Pyle’s biggest deficit is a lack of sand in his pants and he looks even skinnier than his listed 285 pounds. He gets the job done with relentless feet and elite athleticism for the position, recording an eight-foot, 11-inch broad jump and 7.6-second three-cone at the 2024 East-West Bowl. If he can prove he’s added some bulk while backing up those numbers in testing, advancement is a real possibility.
REC Tristan Ready, Carleton University (Arnprior, Ont.)
Ready put up impressive statistics as the number two target in the Ravens’ offence, finishing fourth in the country in receiving yards last year. The six-foot-one, 200-pound receiver isn’t yet a polished route runner and often struggles to separate, leaving unanswered questions about his athletic ceiling. With that said, he consistently reels in contested catches and has exhibited a nasty edge as a blocker that could translate if he checks the right boxes in testing.
OL Josh Rietveld, Wilfrid Laurier University (Brantford, Ont.)
You can’t teach size and Rietveld has that in spades, checking in at a listed six-foot-five and 336 pounds. The second-team All-Canadian left guard can be slow out of the blocks and will have to prove he moves well enough to make it at the next level, but has shown the ability to create displacement with his impressive girth. In a draft class light on blue-chip blockers, that could be enough to get selected on its own.
Photo courtesy: Brandon VandeCaveye
REC Seth Robertson, Western University (Cambridge, Ont.)
Robertson’s omission from the National Combine raised some eyebrows amongst fans, especially since the first-team All-Canadian has nearly 1,200 more career yards and 18 more touchdowns than his teammate, Brayden Misseri, who was invited. The six-foot, 187-pound receiver lacks his fellow Mustang’s prototypical frame and has been primarily a deep-ball artist, not demonstrating much variety in his route running. He’ll need to show more nuance through the one-on-ones or really exceed expectations in the speed testing to challenge those perceptions.
RB Luka Stoikos, University of Toronto (Toronto, Ont.)
While most of the public attention will focus on highly productive rushers like Ryker Frank and O’Shae Ho-Sang, cracking a CFL roster as a running back has less to do with your ability to run the ball than it does your projection in other areas. Despite some success as a returner, Stoikos generally underperformed with the Varsity Blues with his general stiffness as a runner and lack of vision failing to make up for the lack of talent around him. However, his unique athletic profile as a high-level sprinter and shot-putter set him apart with a 38-inch vertical, 23 bench reps, and 4.58-second forty at last year’s East-West Bowl. The five-foot-11, 230-pounder also made 6.5 special teams tackles last season and could have value as a pro fullback.
QB Jackson Tachinski, University of Manitoba (Winnipeg, Man.)
With Taylor Elgersma bowing out and just two quarterbacks currently slated to attend the National Combine, the omission of the Canada West’s Most Valuable Player feels egregious. In reality, Tachinski just isn’t a consistent enough passer to be a viable prospect at the position but his hard-nosed running at six-foot-four and 215 pounds has led some to raise the possibility of a positional conversion a la Brad Sinopoli. If he can improve on some respectable athletic testing from the East-West Bowl, that will only add fuel to the fire.
Photo courtesy: Jim Killian/Charleston Southern Athletics
DL Devonte Turner, Charleston Southern University (Windsor, Ont.)
There isn’t much production to evaluate when it comes to Turner, who has played just 330 defensive snaps and made 17 tackles over the past three seasons. However, the six-foot-two, 290-pound defensive tackle’s limited minutes came at the FCS level, which is difficult to ignore in the draft process. If he can shine in the one-on-ones against U Sports competition, he’ll prove that his light resume had less to do with his talent than it did the situation around him and earn a longer look from scouts.
RB Edouard Wanadi, Western University (Saint-Jerome, Que.)
Wanadi looked like a future star back in 2022, drawing comparisons to Jesse Lumsden as he rumbled for 855 yards and eight touchdowns as Western’s big-bodied number two. That all changed when he was handed a four-year U Sports ban that offseason for performance-enhancing drugs. He has since spent time with the Sorriso Hornets in Brazil and Cold Lake Fighter Jets of the Alberta Football League, fading completely out of the spotlight. Ethics of steroid use aside, six-foot-two, 220-pound runners with his level of vision and burst don’t grow on trees so Wanadi will get a long look if he can prove he’s both clean and still in shape.
