By Jack Bedell
MontrealAlouettes.com
With the CFL’s e-camp in the books and a bit of a wait left to go until the kick-off of the league’s Canadian Draft on May 8, most CFL fans are finding themselves returning to their off-season routines in an attempt to pass time until their teams are back on the clock. While there might be a few tidbits of news trickling out about player signings, it’s really a quiet time of year for most fans.
Rest assured though, there isn’t much down time in the scouting departments around the league. The next few months represent the time during which all of their work will comes to a head, and scouts the league over are in deep-preparation mode for the draft, while also acquiring free agent talent for training camp.
Montreal Alouettes Football Operations Assistant and Scout, Joey Abrams, was gracious enough to take a few minutes out of his hectic schedule to give us a little peek into what kind of work these guys do in the weeks leading up to both e-camp and beyond to get ready for the business end of the league’s off-season.
South of 49: What kind of role does an event like the CFL’s e-camp play in the Alouettes’ CFL Draft preparation?
Joey Abrams: The role of the Evaluation Camp for our scouting staff is two-fold. First, we use it as a tool to compare our current evaluations of the players we have already watched live and/or on film with their performance in Toronto. Any discrepancies tell us we need to go back to do further research in terms of film evaluation and maybe character study. Secondly, the Evaluation Camp gives us an opportunity to get to know the prospects through interviews, impromptu water cooler talk, and reaction to drills and testing. We will also grade the player’s character and incorporate that into our final grades.
SO49: How much stock do the team’s scouts put in the measureables provided by the e-camp tests?
JA: One misconception is that the camp has a large effect on what teams do in the draft. For us, it is more of benchmark of what a player can do, and then that testing point needs to be matched with their performance on film. The camp offers a great “check-up” on your evaluations in order to mitigate any errors you may have on your reports up to now. Obviously, there is concern for an OL who is grossly undersized, or a DB who runs his 40 in the 5.00 second area, but those cases are rare, and once again you need to see how the player performs on film.
SO49: What are some of the more relevant tests for each position you scout?
JA: Each test has its merit, although I am sure most scouts are not looking at 40 times of offensive linemen. However, each test offers more than just numbers. For example, how does a player run his 40? Is he stiff and upright and veering in his lane, or is he relaxed, low out of the gate and smooth down the stretch? Does the player stay in control of his body during the short shuttle, or does he struggle to keep his feet and lack balance throughout? Is there a burst when he changes direction? These testing numbers are a great overview of how the player performed, but they are far from the end all be all. That being said, the most relevant test at the evaluation camp is always when the players put their pads on and perform their individual drills and 1-on-1s.
SO49: How much emphasis is placed on scouting the more football-related drills like 1-on-1s?
JA: Much of the emphasis is placed on the Sunday of the combine as that is when the players “buckle-up” and get after it. This is the true test at the combine, and we are able to see if that low short shuttle time matches with a receiver being able to come out of his break and create separation, or a DL being able to control and shed blocks of the OL after putting up 25 on the bench. The 1 on 1’s are the best evaluation tool that e-camp has to offer.
SO49: Do the workout results confirm film study and reports on the draft-eligible players attending e-camp? Or do the performances by the players give you research points for additional film study?
JA: As mentioned in the previous questions, the camp is just a benchmark, and we will always defer to the film in terms of getting a complete evaluation of what the player can do. It is a great feeling when your evaluation of a player on film matches up with what you see at the evaluation camp. Now you are ready to meet with the rest of the staff and place the prospect on your draft board. When a player exceeds or doesn’t quite meet up to your expectations, then more film study is required in order to make sure you are getting a proper evaluation of the player.
