At CFL Week in Regina, the combine became a spectator sport.

In previous years, the testing and evaluation of draft prospects was a stand-alone event, with not many viewers outside of note-taking and stopwatch-toting coaches and scouts. This past weekend, however, the combine was folded into the fan-friendly spectacle that was the first-ever CFL Week, which meant lots of extra eyeballs on the potential future pros.

“In the past, when we’ve done the testing, we’re in a hotel ballroom and it’s really quiet,” said Brendan Mahoney, the Stampeders’ director of Canadian scouting. “This year, we had 500 fans at the bench press. The atmosphere was like a game. You could tell the players were really pumped up.”

It’s a sign that fans are hungry for football when they turn out to watch players pump iron, run 40-yard sprints and execute vertical jumps.

“It was a great facility and a really well-run event,” said Mahoney. “My hat’s off to the CFL people for running a great combine.”

“It was very well organized,” agreed Stamps head coach Dave Dickenson. “Those two days of the combine can be tough on the players but because of how well everything was run, the guys were able to be at their best in the testing.”

Pat DelMonaco, Dave Dickenson, Kyle Carson and Marc Mueller at the 2017 CFL Combine

While fans got their football fix, player personnel types got more info to crunch as teams prepare for the May 7 draft.

“It was good to see all the prospects and get a chance to talk to them,” said Mahoney. “The interviews went really well.”

The Stamps hold the eighth overall selection in the draft and the combine is the next crucial step in determining who will be available by the time Calgary makes its pick.

“They’ve come and competed very hard,” said Stamps general John Hufnagel. “Some positions are a little bit stronger than others, but that usually does happen. It was a very valuable (combine), not only for the players but for the coaches that have to take all the (info), go back to the office and continue on with the evaluation.”

“There’s no doubt some of the players helped themselves this weekend with a good showing,” said Mahoney. “It’s good to see what they can do in person after having mostly watched them on film.”

Stamps coaches taking in the 40-yard dash at the 2017 CFL Combine

Though the combine is in the books, the prep work for the draft continues.

“We’ve already done a great deal of work preparing for the combine,” said Hufnagel. “Now we’ll take this information and now add more information by watching more film and talk to more people who’ve worked with them, like their strength coaches and their college coaches.

“Hopefully, we’ll be prepared and have some good luck on draft day and make some good decisions.”

It’s difficult and important work.

“This year’s draft has some very good players at each position,” said Mahoney. “Where the players stack up in terms of draft position is a process we are working to identify. The combine is a tool that helps us in that respect, but there is still much work to be done in the coming weeks. Things will begin to become clearer as to the strengths of this draft as we approach draft day.”