A handful of Canadians have placed themselves squarely on National Football League scouts’ radars this off-season — Brandon Bridge with his strong right arm, Tyler Varga with his chiseled frame and, now, Tevaughn Campbell with his blazing speed.
Bridge went through a pro day workout for scouts on Monday, Varga did the same on Tuesday and Campbell has garnered lots of NFL attention since he ripped off a speedy 40-yard time at the 2015 Canadian Football League Combine.
Let’s take a look at how the NFL sees our home and native prospects after their impressive performances.
Brandon Bridge
Bridge completed another step in the National Football League Draft process on Monday, throwing in front of scouts at his pro day.
The 23-year-old quarterback did not do any testing events, instead he decided to let his NFL Combine numbers stand: 4.72 40-time, 33-inch vertical, nine-foot one-inch broad, 7.18 three-cone and 4.37 20-yard shuttle.
After his NFL Combine throwing performance, a longtime NFL scout told Sportsnet that Bridge’s size and arm jumped out, but there were fundamental flaws with his footwork and mechanics. So Bridge went back to work on refining those aspects. He spent two weeks in California with QB guru Steve Calhoun and another two weeks in Mobile, AL at QB Country working with coach David Morris.
At his pro day, Bridge went through 59 scripted throws—completing 50—that were designed with Morris to showcase improved balance, footwork and accuracy.
“He was better than he was at the combine. You could tell he’s worked on his fundamentals since then.” says one NFL scout. Bridge clearly displayed improved footwork, but the same scout felt he was off target on a number of passes.
“He missed a bunch of throws, throws you’ve got to make at our level. Sure, I see the size and arm strength that scouts love, but I didn’t see enough at his pro day to change my mind about his combine performance. If we draft him it won’t be my idea. But, someone will draft him late on potential.”
One NFL team just might believe that Bridge can turn that upside into reality. Indianapolis Colts QB coach Clyde Christensen visited Bridge to put him through a private workout earlier in March. Bridge went through a number of different quarterback drills with Christensen while being asked to make throws from unorthodox positions. Possibly becoming an understudy to Andrew Luck in Indy could certainly help Bridge’s development.
Tyler Varga
Lots of NFL teams – 29 to be exact – were eager to see Varga run through the testing events that he was not able to complete at the NFL Combine due to a bone spur in his ankle.
It was a solid all-around performance for Varga, who measured 38.5 inches on his vertical, nine-feet nine inches on his broad jump and ran a 4.22 20-yard shuttle and 7.13 three-cone time. Clocking Varga’s 40-yard speed–like it or not–was a big reason why most scouts made the trip to Tolland, CT. Two NFL teams confirmed to Sportsnet that they timed Varga in the 4.6-range at his pro day.
“He didn’t look smooth as a runner. He just didn’t seem relaxed, I’m sure he was probably nervous,” says an NFL scout that was in attendance. “He’s a better football player than a tester. His draft stock is not going to be as high now, but I still think he’s a good football player.”
Varga’s on-field production in his senor season, high character, intelligence and body type are strong attributes on his NFL resume when teams look over his file and consider drafting the Canadian running back.
Tevaughn Campbell
University of Regina Rams defensive back Tevaughn Campbell ran a blazing 4.35-second 40-yard time to set a record for the fastest electronic 40 ever run at a Canadian Football League Combine. And once word got around, National Football League teams were calling Campbell’s agent Darren Gill about the five-foot-10, 186-pound cover man.
Campbell’s 4.35 electronic time ties him for the 10th fastest mark at the NFL Combine since 2000 and it would’ve tied him for the fourth fastest at this year’s NFL Combine. Three CFL scouts clocked him at 4.19 on their hand-held timers and the rest unanimously had Campbell in the 4.2s.
NFL interest came in about as fast as Campbell covered 40 yards with the Bills, Jets, Dolphins, Rams, Colts, Jaguars, Packers, Lions and Redskins inquiring on the Toronto native. Teams were asking for film to further evaluate Campbell.
