Rams duo happy with results at CFL combine

A pair of University of Regina Rams got to showcase their skills at the CFL combine over the weekend.

Now it’s up to the teams to decide if it was enough to warrant a roster spot.

Quarterback Noah Picton and running back Atlee Simon — both from Regina — were participants in the national combine during CFL Week in Winnipeg.

Picton said he’s happy with how he tested in front of the CFL brass.

“Going into it I just wanted to be happy with my performance and right now I am so that’s really all that I was looking for.”

His current teammate, Atlee Simon was also pleased with how the scouting combine unfolded but admitted it wasn’t a perfect showing.

“There was a couple spots where I thought I could’ve done a little better but overall I’m pretty happy with my performance and I’m satisfied with the effort I put in and that’s all I can really ask for,” Simon said.

Picton outperformed the only other quarterback at the combine — Seton Hill’s Christian Strong — in all testing categories except the bench press, where he trailed by one rep.

Simon’s testing numbers didn’t stand out from the rest of the running backs — third in the 40-yard dash, fourth in the bench press, fifth in the vertical jump and sixth in the three-cone drill, shuttle run and broad jump — which is something he felt he could have improved.

“Sometimes it isn’t your day and it just was the case for me I guess, I try to not get too hung on it and just move forward.”

Sunday was when players competed in the one-on-one drills, which both players believed help their skill shine through more than the testing.

One of the Simon’s main goals heading into the showcase was to prove that he was more than just a runner in the backfield.

“I was planning on doing both receiver and running back drills and one-on-ones and both of them went relatively really well for me,” Simon said.

Picton said he felt like the combine helped him in the eyes of the scouts, helping show his athleticism and his ability to throw the ball.

“I thought I got better as the time went on, settled into my zone a little bit and I thought by running backs and receiver one-on-ones I thought I was slinging the ball pretty good, there was definitely some throws I’d like back but at the end of the day, that’s going to happen,” Picton said.

Despite what Picton was able to do at the combine, CFL teams will need to decide if they want to use a Canadian at quarterback — a rarity in the league. Brandon Bridge with the Riders and Andrew Buckley with the Calgary Stampeders were the only two national quarterbacks under contract last season.

Bridge has been meeting with CFL Commissioner Randy Ambrosie to find out ways to help more Canadian quarterbacks thrive in the league.

“There’s definitely some good talent coming up from Canada at the quarterback position so what Bridge is doing is slowly helping to evolve the league and if they can get the ratio changed then it’s going to continue to make strides in the same direction it’s going right now so it’s definitely going in the right direction.”

Both Simon and Picton have one year left of U Sports eligibility meaning both can be a part of the Rams roster for the upcoming season.