CFL.ca Staff
TORONTO — Ben Heenan, the number one ranked prospect heading into this weekend’s CFL Evaluation Camp presented by Reebok, had a solid performance today, finishing with the second most reps in the bench press drill, lifting 225lbs 32 times.
The product of the University of Saskatchewan also tested well in the vertical jump and broad jump, finishing in first (tied with three other offensive lineman in the vertical jump) in both drills amongst all other offensive linemen.
“I think I’m fairly athletic for a big man,” said Heenan. “Any time you get over 300 pounds it’s very valuable if you can move well in space. I think that’s something that I’ve demonstrated.”
Heenan was ranked as the top prospect by the CFL Scouting Bureau in February. The 2012 CFL Canadian Draft is scheduled for Thursday, May 3 at 3:00pm ET (TSN).
On the bench press, Heenan finished second to Western University defensive lineman Michael Van Praet, who put up a solid 38 reps. The record of 47 reps set last year by Michael Knill of Wilfrid Laurier remains intact.
“I was hoping for 40, to be honest, but I didn’t think I was ever going to get 47,” Van Praet said just moments after finishing his test. “It’s maybe a goal for the future. I don’t really need to be too much higher than I am, it’s pretty good.
“I’ve been training real hard the last couple of months with my strength coach, Jeff Watson. He’s been getting me ready, big time for this. I always test well in bench press but he really pushed me this time.”
The top vertical jump today was 42.5 inches by defensive back Dylan Hollohan from St. Francis Xavier. The top broad jump was 10′ 7.5″ by defensive back Keenan MacDougall from the University of Saskatchewan.
Click here for the full results from day one of the CFL Evaluation Camp presented by Reebok.
The players hit the field tomorrow at Varsity Field to continue testing in front of general managers, scouts and coaches from all eight CFL teams. In addition to one-on-one football drills, the players will also be tested in the 40-yard dash, three-cone drill and the shuttle.
