Draftee brings confidence

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This article was published 25/05/2016 (3404 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The chip on Trent Corney’s shoulder has grown steadily since the NFL’s draft earlier this spring.

There, the 6-3, 250-pound defensive end watched as his name was never called. Disappointing? Sure. But nine teams approached the Brockville, Ont., native, reportedly saying they were interested in signing him as a priority free agent.

His phone never lit up.

Undeterred, Corney took a mini-camp invite with the New York Jets. Two days after arriving there, Corney left without a deal, despite what he referred to as a “pretty dominant weekend.”

The chip grew bigger after falling outside the first round of the CFL Draft in early May — he was taken ninth overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with the first pick of the second round — but after the first day of rookie camp with the Bombers, Corney felt confident he can succeed here.

“I had a little bit of anxiety going into this practice because I wasn’t sure what it was going to be like, how I was going to size up,” Corney said Wednesday. “I’ve played in America for four years, and I definitely think I can play with these guys. Today definitely made me believe that. I felt like I can do what I need to do to see some field this year.”

Corney hasn’t played three-down football since his high school days. He played college ball at the University of Virginia, equipped with American rules and the nuances of a game much different than what he can expect in the CFL.

“I kind of lined up offside a few times today at practice, but I don’t think it will take too long before I get readjusted,” he said. “The playbook is kind of hard to grasp at first with the CFL rules and the different offences we’re playing. It’s definitely a little overwhelming.”

As vast as everything seems to be lying before him, Corney’s confidence in himself and his game is never lacking. He subtly boasted about his performance in Wednesday’s one-on-one drills, saying he won both of them.

“I feel like I’m ready for the CFL because most of the defensive ends are smaller, quicker,” he said. “I wasn’t really a defensive end in the American game (he played linebacker) because I was a little bit smaller. I feel like I’m the perfect size for an end in the CFL game.

Meanwhile, Corney waited until the 11th hour to sign a deal with the Bombers. On Tuesday morning, the club announced they’d agreed to terms, just hours before rookie camp was to kick off.

“You’d have to ask him and his agent,” said general manager Kyle Walter about what took so long. “There’s no set template for how these guys get signed. He was exploring NFL opportunities, he and his agent made that transparent. The negotiations go back and forth. And with Trent having a Canadian-based agent and a U.S.-based agent, you know, it’s not an efficient process. It was a little bit slower, but the conversations were all in goodwill, and it all worked out.”

‘I kind of lined up offside a few times today at practice, but I don’t think it will take too long before I get readjusted. The playbook is kind of hard to grasp at first with the CFL rules and the different offences we’re playing. It’s definitely a little overwhelming’– rookie defensive end Trent Corney

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Corney said his agent told him to hold out, suggesting he was possibly waiting for a last-minute call from an NFL team.

Corney admitted he was still “a little” angry over his situation south of the border, but is ready to have success in Canada.

“I’m happy to be here and am excited to be a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers,” he said. “Hopefully, I can bring the energy they need to make it to the Grey Cup.”

❚ NOTES: Practice today is slated for 10:15 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Investors Group Field. It is open to the public.

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.