{"id":563262,"date":"2026-03-27T01:08:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/563262\/"},"modified":"2026-03-27T01:08:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-27T01:08:08","slug":"cfl-combine-another-piece-of-the-team-building-process","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/563262\/","title":{"rendered":"CFL Combine another piece of the team building process"},"content":{"rendered":"

EDMONTON \u2013 The City of Edmonton is playing host to hundreds of CFL personnel and draft hopefuls this weekend for the 2026 CFL Combine.<\/p>\n

The event is another opportunity for the best National prospects to leave an impression and to show what they are capable of ahead of April 28th\u2019s CFL Draft. Canadian talent is the lifeblood of the CFL and acquiring the best National talent can typically set up a franchise for long-term success.<\/p>\n

Elks VP of Football Operations & General Manager Ed Hervey and his Football Operations staff identified this year\u2019s draft as a chance to restock the Double E\u2019s cupboards.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think when we approached this last year, we felt that we wanted to have as many draft picks as we possibly could get,\u201d Hervey said. \u201cWe wanted to be competitive in playing as many Canadians as we could so we can get that extra pick. We believe that the strength of the future of our organization is going to be through the draft.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Hervey\u2019s first free agency in his return to the Elks, the priority was shoring up the National talent by any means necessary. In came in the form of a returning David Beard, as well as some of the best Canadians on the market in Tyrell Ford, Robbie Smith, Royce Metchie, and Kaion Julien-Grant. The influx of National starters allowed Edmonton to lead the league in snaps by Canadian talent, netting them an additional pick in what should be a deep 2026 draft class.<\/p>\n

The road to the league \ud83d\udee3\ufe0f<\/p>\n

Step inside the 2025 CFL Combine and relive the moments where RB Isaiah Knight made his mark on the path to becoming an Elk.<\/p>\n

The 2026 CFL Combine kicks off in Edmonton March 27-29 at Commonwealth Stadium and Foote Field!#GoElks<\/a> | @CFL<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/DyzgRd0zg7<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Edmonton Elks (@GoElks) March 25, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Now the Elks enter April with four picks in the top 21, plus the first opportunity to select in the first round of Hervey\u2019s second tenure.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our mind, we get the opportunity of getting four of the top of our top 20 players, whoever that ends up being when we go through our process,\u201d Hervey said. \u201cWe\u2019re in a position where we can draft the best player available to us and I think that is something that has been key on our mind for a while, even since taking over last year.\u201d<\/p>\n

The plan from the outset was to accumulate the most draft capital possible, giving Edmonton the best opportunity to secure their future. Part of that future is making sure the right people are in the building, and that\u2019s where the other part of the pre-combine work comes into play.<\/p>\n

The evaluation of a prospect doesn\u2019t just happen over a combine weekend or in the months leading up to the draft, it\u2019s a multi-year operation to make sure the picks are used on players who align with a club\u2019s values. For the Elks Football Operations department, the Combine is another opportunity to see if their work on a player matches what the club needs, and what they see in person.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think what\u2019s lost in this process is that our scouting department has been on the road for the last couple of years evaluating these guys and talking to their coaching staffs, their strength coaches, etc,\u201d Hervey said. \u201cSo we have a lot of background on a lot of these guys. We\u2019re talking two and sometimes three years.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCan people change? Yeah,\u201d Hervey said. \u201c But if we have as much information as we\u2019re able to get, I think that works well for us and it gives us the opportunity to not only bring the right kind of guys in, but feel good about the guys that were drafted.\u201d<\/p>\n