When Dawson Marchant steps onto the turf at the University of Waterloo on Friday, it'll be just another workout.
The Northwestern Oklahoma State University cornerback will join 75 other players at the CFL's invitational combine, performing before league coaches and GMs. Only the top performers will advance to the league's national combine March 19-24 in Winnipeg.
"There's no pressure, really, it's just doing what I do," Marchant said Thursday. "Just show my athleticism and how well-rounded I am.
"I'm really not out to prove anybody wrong, just do what I've been doing the past couple of months in training … so it's like another training session I guess."
Performing well definitely matters. Four years ago, linebacker Jordan Williams took the then-Ontario regional combine by storm en route to being taken first overall by the B.C. Lions in the '20 CFL draft.
Williams' timing was impeccable as he'd not played in a meaningful game since 2017, his final season at East Carolina. The regional combine was also the CFL's last as both the national event and 2020 season were cancelled due to the global pandemic.
"I definitely felt I had something to prove," Williams recollected recently. "My mindset was to be the best I could be that day because many teams might’ve been wondering, 'He’s been out. He might be 300 pounds, we don’t know. We haven’t seen him.'"
"I wanted to show I was in shape and ready physically to play a CFL season."
Williams didn't disappoint. He recorded a 40-yard dash time of 4.48 seconds, 20 reps in the 225-pound bench press, 39-inch vertical jump and broad jump of 10 feet, 8.5 inches. He also ran the three-cone drill in 7.09 seconds and shuttle in 5.2 seconds.
Williams was the CFL's top rookie in 2021 after recording 92 tackles, the most ever by a first-year Canadian. The 29-year-old is preparing for his first season with Hamilton and fourth in the CFL after being acquired in January from Toronto.
Ironically, Hamilton GM Ed Hervey was B.C.'s general manager in 2020.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound Marchant spent the last two seasons with Division II Northwestern Oklahoma State. Marchant, of Surrey, B.C., appeared in 21 games, recording 60 tackles (two for loss), an interception and a blocked kick.
He began his college career at Simon Fraser in 2019 before helping the Langley Rams win a 2021 Canadian junior championship. Marchant appeared in 10 games with the SFU Red Leafs (1-9), registering 27 tackles and a fumble recovery as a true freshman.
Marchant said he left Simon Fraser feeling football wasn't a priority there. Last April, the university discontinued its program after the NCAA's Lone Star Conference wouldn't renew its affiliation agreement with SFU past 2023.
"I just think it was the best move for me in my football career going forward at the time," Marchant said. "I obviously felt bad for the people who were left without a team and school to play for.
"I just don't like losing, that's the biggest thing."
Northwestern Oklahoma State was just 2-20 over the last two seasons. But Marchant said facing better competition has improved his game.
"It might not always show stats-wise but you definitely can tell going against better competition will make you better," he said. "I've really honed in on my technique and worked on it because I've always been a pretty good athlete.
"Now I'd say I'm much more technical and have the athleticism to go along with it."
Although listed as a cornerback, Marchant said he played throughout the secondary at Northwestern Oklahoma State. He said any CFL team drafting him April 30 will get a smart player who loves football and is eager to learn and excel.
"A versatile player with a high football IQ, a leader who does everything right on and off the field," he said. "A football junkie, I guess you could say, a guy who lives and breathes football.
"(Playing in CFL) will be just taking everything to another level because you're playing against professionals. That's something I'm working on always."
Predictably, Marchant's focus is almost always on the here and now. But he has allowed himself to sometimes think about what could lie ahead in the CFL.
"It's obviously on your mind, it's something you work toward and want to accomplish," he said. "But you've just got to take one step at a time, really."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 7, 2024.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
