{"id":574753,"date":"2026-04-01T08:22:10","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T08:22:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/574753\/"},"modified":"2026-04-01T08:22:10","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T08:22:10","slug":"henning-and-rondeau-earn-coaches-picks-as-cfl-combine-presented-by-anytime-fitness-gets-underway-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/574753\/","title":{"rendered":"Henning And Rondeau Earn Coaches Picks As CFL Combine Presented By Anytime Fitness Gets Underway"},"content":{"rendered":"

Queen\u2019s offensive lineman and Ottawa defensive back highlight Day One of practice sessions<\/p>\n

After a day of testing where dashes were run and jumps were leaped, prospects took the field for Day One of practice sessions at the 2026 Canadian Football League (CFL) Combine presented by Anytime Fitness. The draft-eligible class of national players and their global counterparts participated in individual drills, group teachings and 1-on-1s as fans, scouts, GMs and personnel from across the league took note.<\/p>\n

At day\u2019s end, the assembled Combine Coaching Staff \u2013 on loan from their respective CFL teams \u2013 selected Queen\u2019s University offensive lineman Niklas Henning and University of Ottawa defensive back Marc Rondeau as their standouts. CFL on TSN analyst and draft insider, Duane Forde, detailed their performances and provided personal insight on them as selections.<\/p>\n

Verified testing results from CFL Combine are available\u00a0here<\/a>. Numerical roster and media guide are available for download below.<\/p>\n

The CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness gathers members of the draft-eligible Class of 2026 to showcase their skills for league and team personnel ahead of the CFL Draft on April 28 and the CFL Global Draft on April 29.<\/p>\n

2026 COMBINE COACHING STAFF<\/p>\n

Offensive Coordinator | Dominic Picard (TOR)<\/p>\n

Quarterbacks | Josh Donnelly (SSK)<\/p>\n

Running Backs | Ucambre Williams (CGY)<\/p>\n

Receivers | Kevin Bourgoin (BC)<\/p>\n

Offensive Line | Mike Gibson (OTT)<\/p>\n

Defensive Coordinator | Casey Creehan (HAM)<\/p>\n

Defensive Line | Jake Thomas (WPG)<\/p>\n

Linebackers | Danny Nesbitt (EDM)<\/p>\n

Defensive Backs | Noel Thorpe (MTL)<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

COACHES\u2019 PICKS \u2013 OFFENCE
\u200b(Name | POS | School\/Team | Hometown)<\/p>\n

Niklas Henning | OL | Queen\u2019s | Milton, Ont.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew Henning was a very good athlete and he really demonstrated that today. He\u2019s a really good run blocker and he has shown growth as a pass blocker. He\u2019s very coachable. You could see it as he was getting feedback and applying those teachings throughout the day. He\u2019s grown leaps and bounds over his time with the (Queen\u2019s University) Gaels. He\u2019s smart and coachable, and he\u2019s really showing that here.\u201d
\u200b\u2013 Duane Forde<\/p>\n

Honourable mentions<\/p>\n

Tyriq Quayson | WR | Windsor | Vaughan, Ont.<\/p>\n

Liam Talbot | RB | Windsor | London, Ont.<\/p>\n

Christian Veilleux | QB | Georgia State | Ottawa<\/p>\n

\"\"\/<\/a><\/p>\n

COACHES\u2019 PICKS \u2013 DEFENCE<\/p>\n

Marc Rondeau | DB | Ottawa | Quebec City<\/p>\n

\u201cRondeau is an intriguing prospect. He has flown under the radar a bit, but we knew from his play at the East-West Bowl that he was going to be one of the fastest guys in this draft. He definitely demonstrated that today. He tested well, and he translated those numbers onto the field. He really showed a nose for the ball in every opportunity he had.\u201d
\u200b\u2013 Duane Forde<\/p>\n

Honourable mentions<\/p>\n

Justin Pace | LB | Queen\u2019s | Montreal<\/p>\n

Charlie Parks | DL | Saskatchewan | Regina<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Queen\u2019s offensive lineman and Ottawa defensive back highlight Day One of practice sessions After a day of testing…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":574754,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-574753","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574753","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=574753"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/574753\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/574754"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=574753"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=574753"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=574753"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}