Going by some rave reviews, Michael Couture’s performance at last week’s Canadian Football League combine was a smashing success.
The Simon Fraser University offensive lineman met and exceeded a gauntlet of tests, and raised his profile in the lead-up to the May 10 CFL Canadian draft.
“I did what I expected in both the bench (press) and vertical,” Couture told the NOW. “My 40 (-second dash) was a little slower but in the range of what I wanted. I think where I may have did the best was in the onfield and 1-on-1 drills.
“Those really showed how you stack up, and I had a few pancakes (takedowns).”
The combine is an opportunity for draft-eligible talent to demonstrate their skills in specific tasks – tests of strength, endurance and talent. Teams watch the proceedings and have a chance to sit down with each athlete for interviews, building their own lists for the upcoming draft.
Couture said the event had been circled on his calendar well before he knew the invitation was in the mail.
“I was really hoping for an invite and it came just before the season ended, so I took a few days (at the end of the season) off then went six-days a week in preparing: field work, sprint training and weights,” he said. “Besides my university studies, I was pretty busy.”
He has one year to go towards a criminology degree, but football has always been a big part of his dream.
Couture played community football first in North Vancouver, then Coquitlam while attending Burnaby Mountain Secondary. He transferred to Centennial in Coquitlam to get into a high school program. From there he was recruited by SFU and has built a solid resume working one of the most gruelling positions, all the while showing his versatility.
“That’s one of the things I highlighted in the interviews,” he said, noting eight of the league’s nine teams made time to talk one-on-one with him. “I made sure they knew I put time in at centre, guard and offensive tackle… I was pretty happy with the whole thing. I just wanted them to know more about me, but most seemed to be aware of what I could do.”
As per CFL.ca’s Justing Dunk, the 6-foot-4 Couture made the kind of impact needed before a receptive crowd of league general managers and coaches.
“Started the lineman 1-on-1 session with two straight ‘pancakes’, setting the tone for an offensive line that was dominant today. Couture was smooth and agile on his feet and displayed the ability to finish off defenders with a nasty edge,” the CFL.ca post read.
It listed the 2015 All-American as a top-3 prospect exiting the combine when all the results were in.
Although considered a little underweight for his position, Couture now is a strong 292-pounds. It was reflected in his top-10 performance in the bench press, while he posted the second-quickest 40-yard dash among offensive linemen. It was in the one-on-one drill where he made the biggest impression, according to the cfl.ca writeup.
Getting drafted and playing in the CFL would be the ultimate achievement for Couture.
“They definitely know about me now.”
