REGINA — The lights are on, the scouts are watching and the moment has arrived for Canada’s top draft eligible football prospects.

The CFL Combine presented by adidas kicks off at Regina’s Evraz Place Thursday night with the marquee events coming Friday and Saturday.

For the 50 prospects in attendance, the next couple of days will leave one final image before hopefully getting drafted in the 2017 CFL Draft on May 7.

CFL.ca will provide more in-depth coverage, analysis and camera angles at the combine than ever before, including a live look at player one-on-ones for the first time (For more information on all upcoming live broadcasts, visit CFL.ca/Live.)

Quick Slants

» Schedule | Roster

» Records | Historical Results

» Combine 101: A look at each drill

» Regional Combine Invites

» Key Storylines

» What to Watch for on Friday

» What to Watch for on Saturday

» All-Time Combine Records

With three regional combines already in the books, the event officially commences Thursday as players arrived in Regina for medicals, measurements and team interview sessions. The real action then picks up on Friday with broad and vertical jumps in the morning and the bench press at night.

While Friday will test the prospects’ strength and explosiveness, Saturday highlights speed and quickness. First is the 40-yard dash, one of the combine’s marquee events having produced some its top moments over the years.

Following the three-cone and short shuttle, player one-on-ones conclude the weekend’s activities on Saturday afternoon and evening, providing evaluators a first-hand look at the top prospects in head-to-head situations.

The schedule for Friday and Saturday at the combine is as follows:

COMBINE SCHEDULE — FRIDAY

TIME EVENT 10:30 a.m. Height/Weight & Video Shot 11:30 a.m. Broad Jump & Vertical Jump 4:00 p.m. Player Interview Sessions 9:00 p.m. Bench Press

*All times in EDT

COMBINE SCHEDULE — SATURDAY

TIME EVENT 11:00 a.m. 40-Yard Dash, Short Shuttle & 3-Cone 2:00 p.m. OL, DL Individual & Group Drills 2:45 p.m. RB, LB, QB Individual & Group Drills 3:30 p.m. RB, LB, DL Special Teams Gunner Drills 3:45 p.m. WR, DB Individual & Group Drills 4:30 p.m. WR, DB Special Teams Gunner Drills 4:45 p.m. LS, K Workout 5:00 p.m. Combine Completed

*All times in EDT

LAST-MINUTE INVITES

In addition to the 35 prospects originally on the national combine list, 15 prospects added their name to the roster the last two weeks via regional combines.

Regional combines in Montreal, Toronto and Regina expanded the field to allow even more draft-eligible athletes the opportunity to impress the scouts. Those who have been invited will get a chance to show what they can do against the country’s most highly-regarded prospects for the 2017 CFL Draft.

Regional Combine Results

» Dupuis among 5 moving on from Montreal

» 5 more punch their ticket from Toronto

» Regional combine circuit caps off in Regina

“Consistency, competitiveness,” said Toronto Argonauts assistant general manager Spencer Zimmerman, asked what the teams are looking for from advancing prospects. “Whether they can rise to the level of competition.

“With the main combine having an overall more consistent elite level athlete, that’s going to allow prospects to compete and show they can continue to do that.”

Added Alouettes assistant general manager Catherine Raiche: “Now they’re going to compete with the best guys that are actually available for this year’s draft. They need to maintain the same standards if not even more.”

In short,keep a close eye on the regional combine invites. Since the regionals were implemented in 2013, 33 out of 46 (72 per cent) of late invites have been taken in the CFL Draft.

NOTABLE STORYLINES

From family ties to the best of the best, CFL.ca breaks down some of the storylines you should know about heading into the weekend:

The Picton family bloodline

The Pictons are Regina’s true football family and this weekend it’s Mitch Picton’s turn. The Regina Rams’ slotback has plenty of family ties: Older brother Aaron Picton played offensive line for Regina from 2010 through 2015. Cousins Noah Picton and Blake Anaka are Rams teammates. Uncle Dean Picton quarterbacked the Rams to national junior championships in both 1986 and 1987.

From the rink to the gridiron

It was two weeks ago that Mathieu Dupuis punched his ticket to Regina through the Montreal Regional Combine. His name is noteworthy because his brother is Pascal Dupuis, a two-time Stanley Cup Champion with the Pittsburgh Penguins. If he gets drafted, Dupuis would join Jordan Reaves and Chris Getzlaf as CFL players with NHL ties.

Cut from the same cloth

A late addition to the CFL Draft list, Alex Singleton wasn’t at the combine a year ago before getting picked sixth overall by the Calgary Stampeders. Does his emergence as a starting middle linebacker pave the way for his younger brother? Matt Singleton has the pedigree to make it to the next level; now he’ll look to show a little something else at the combine.

Watch out for the Herdman Bros

If you can’t tell #41 and #42 apart this weekend, there’s a pretty good reason why. Jordan and Justin Herdman are brothers who play the same position and come from the same school, and both are considered solid draft prospects. While Jordan, the 16th-ranked prospect, was a late addition to the combine roster, Justin has something to prove if he hopes to move up in the rankings.

A script made for Hollywood?

Regional combines have uncovered diamonds in the rough that otherwise may not have been noticed. Jermaine Gabriel and Kris Robertson are two success stories, each getting drafted in the second round after earning their way to nationals. It means look out for the 15 late invites. One of them could quickly become the story.

‘The Catch’

Many fans will recognize Nate Behar’s name for his incredible Hail Mary game-winning catch that won the Carleton Ravens the Panda Bowl. Behar’s legacy is defined by that catch, for now, but he’s got something else to prove this week. Behar will look to become the first Carleton Raven selected in the CFL Draft since 1995.

Roll Call: Who’s absent?

Not all of the country’s top prospects will be performing for scouts and GMs this weekend. Some of the top-ranked players are skipping the event for various reasons, including their participation in their own pro days in and around the combine. Justin Senior, Antony Auclair and Eli Ankou are among highly-regarded prospects that won’t be in attendance in Regina.

The cream of the crop

If the most recent CFL Scouting Bureau rankings are any indication, Kwaku Boateng (6) and Danny Vandervoort (7) are the most highly-regarded prospects at the combine. Boateng put in a dominant season for Laurier in 2017 while Vandervoort is a powerful 6-foot-2 receiver out of McMaster.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON FRIDAY

Friday at the combine is all about strength and explosiveness, starting with the broad and vertical jumps.

With the vertical jump, players start from a set position and perform a two-footed jump, touching the highest slat-marker possible. A year ago, Llevi Noel’s 36-inch vertical topped all participants at the national combine, while Chris Ackie’s 40-inch jump in 2015 is the highest in recent memory.

Prospects will test their explosiveness and body control with the broad jump, which requires players to stand behind a line and jump forward as far as possible. Noel’s name comes up once again in this category after last season leading all national combine participants with a 10’9.5″ broad jump.

The bench press, on the other hand, is a test of sheer strength. Prospects get one attempt at completing as many 225-pound reps as possible while everyone surrounding them watches.

This is particularly important for offensive and defensive linemen. Former Toronto Argonauts general manager Jim Barker once said he wouldn’t even consider one unnamed offensive lineman if he didn’t improve following a 12-rep showing at the East-West Bowl Combine.

“I told him after the game, ‘if you don’t bench press over 18, we won’t even put you on our board’.

“There’s a certain strength you have to have to be able to pass protect,” he added. “The bench press, to me, is a guy who is willing to spend the time in the weight room.”

Last year, Laval and now Montreal Alouettes offensive lineman Philippe Gagnon destroyed the rest of the field with 40 reps.

Michael Knill’s record of 47 reps, set back in 2011, remains well intact.

WHAT TO WATCH FOR ON SATURDAY

Saturday is the last day prospects can make an impression at the combine and it’s a long one, featuring three key tests and the all-important one-on-ones.

It starts bright and early with the 40-yard dash, which tests both quickness (10 and 20 times) and straight line speed (40 time). Speed is at the top of the list of things that can’t be coached and for defensive backs and receivers especially, evaluators will often set a minimum benchmark.

A poor 40 time can severely inhibit a prospect’s draft position while a fast time can separate someone from the pack. It’s four to five seconds potentially defining a prospect’s future.

“With the 40, you work a lot on your starts because they say that the first 20 meters or so is mostly technique and the rest is just run,” said Argonauts receiver and 2016 fourth overall draft pick Brian Jones. “You kind of use everything — you’ve built up in your strength and conditioning but there are also a lot of technical aspects.”

The three-cone drill tests a player’s ability to change direction, balance and reach top speed quickly. The short shuttle tests lateral quickness, start and stop quickness as well as agility.

Last year, Jones ran a 4.13 to top all national combine participants in the short shuttle while Felix Faubert-Lussier ran a 6.73 to lead the three-cone.

Then come the one-on-ones. After a full day of testing, all of the coaches, scouts and general managers turn their attention to head-to-head football drills. It’s a highly-competitive setting that’s unique to the CFL Combine.

“That’s just pure football,” said Chris Ackie, whose domination at the 2015 combine helped him eventually become a fourth overall selection by the Montreal Alouettes. Ackie said he prepared for the one-on-ones by watching film on players he went up against.

“To prepare for the one-on-ones you’ve gotta be assignment sound and know your technique,” he continued. “You have to be confident in yourself. You can’t be nervous. Say you get beat once, you can’t let that get in your head – you’ve got to say ‘OK, I’ve still got more reps to do’.”

Taylor Loffler stood out at the one-on-ones last year, eventually helping him become a third round pick. The Bombers’ safety had a different approach, however.

“It’s pretty much you get up there and cover a man,” said Loffler. “You don’t really have time to study them. At that point, you just have to go up and do what you can and use your skills and show everyone what you’ve got.”

For up to the minute analysis and a live look-in on the combine, stay tuned to CFL.ca throughout the week.