One of the interesting things about the CFL's prospect evaluation camp (E-Camp), which took place in Toronto this past weekend, is just how small in scope it really is. Yes, there are plenty of angles to cover, with everything from 40 times to bench-press records to storylines drawing plenty of attention, but in the end, this is an event that only had 55 invitees this year. Sure, only 47 guys were chosen in the CFL draft last year, so it's quite possible that the entire draft could be composed of players from E-Camp. Still, that isn't exactly the largest group for CFL general managers to choose from when making draft picks (even when you consider that there are a few highly-regarded 2011 draft prospects, such as top-ranked player Philip Blake, who didn't attend this year's E-Camp).

Are the low numbers of E-Camp invitees reflective of a shallow pool of Canadian talent in general, one that could go 50-60 players deep each year and no deeper? Some would say yes, but I don't think that's

Most of the obituaries on former Hamilton Tiger-Cats' offensive tackle Bronko Nagurski Jr. (pictured at right on his Post cereal 1962 playing card), who passed away today at the age of 73, will likely put much of focus on his father. That's understandable, of course; the original Bronko Nagurski remains not only one of the greatest Canadian-born football players of all time, but one of the most famous football players ever at both the NCAA and NFL levels. However, Nagurski Jr. was a legend in his own right north of the border, and a tremendous force on the line for the dominant Hamilton Tiger-Cats teams of the 1960s.

The senior Nagurski was born in Rainy River, Ontario, but while he was growing up, his family moved an hour's drive east and south to International Falls, Minnesota. The legend of his discovery by University of Minnesota Golden Gophers coach Clarence "Fats" Spears bears repeating; Nagurski was apparently out plowing a field, Spears is supposed to have asked directions to

Looking at the format of the CFL's annual E-Camp (which wrapped up Sunday), it would be easy to think it's all about the numbers. Prospects were put through their paces in everything from the bench press (where Laurier offensive lineman Michael Knill set a E-Camp record with 47 repetitions at 225 pounds) to the 40-yard dash (where York cornerback Andre Clark put up the weekend's best time with a mark of 4.50 seconds), and those results will certainly have an impact on what teams think of them. As I discussed in yesterday's piece, though, there's much more to where players are chosen in the draft than just the numbers they put up at the combine.

One of those other factors is the interviews team personnel conduct with players at the combine. Of course, those of us on the outside don't have any access to those, and even if we did, it would be almost impossible to evaluate them quantitatively; each team has their own ideas of what they're looking for in prospective players. Still, team

One of the most-discussed elements of the evaluation of professional football players in both the CFL and NFL is 40-yard-dash times. The 40, being run today at the CFL E-Camp in Toronto, is often seen as a key pre-draft test; however, it is a bit of an odd football construct, as it isn't a track and field distance at all, but rather derived from the average distance of punts (to give coaches an idea how long of a hang time would be required for special-teams players to get in position to make a tackle). It's become one of the more important cross-position standards, though; coaches and general managers obviously aren't looking for offensive linemen to beat receivers in the 40, but how linemen do does present an idea of how quick they are. It's more important for positions that extensively depend on speed, but the 40's cross-positional applications are evident.

How much credence given to 40 times varies from team to team. If you buy Oakland Raiders' owner Al Davis' strategy, the 40 is

The various tests conducted at the CFL's E-Camp don't necessarily directly correlate to how players will perform on the field or how much interest they'll draw from CFL teams in the draft, but they do give you an idea of what these guys are capable of physically. A case in point is Laurier offensive lineman Michael Knill, who smashed the CFL record of 40 bench press repetitions (set last year by another Golden Hawk, running back Mike Montoya) with 47. Those repetitions are with a weight of 225 pounds, the same weight used at the NFL combine earlier this year (where Oregon State defensive tackle Stephen Paea broke that event's record with 49 reps). Knill came in with the goal of beating Paea's NFL mark with 50, but he told CFL.ca's Arden Zwelling he was quite happy with the 47 reps he put up. Not all records lead to CFL draft success, though; see Queen's star cornerback/return man Jimmy Allin, who went undrafted in 2009 despite being an All-Canadian and an OUA all-star at multiple

The above picture is a frankly amazing collection of CFL talent and history, featuring all five of the quarterbacks who won a Grey Cup for the B.C. Lions together in one place with the trophy itself. From left to right, that's Joe Kapp (1964), Roy Dewalt (1985), Danny McManus (1994), Damon Allen (2000) and Dave Dickenson (2006). They're all in town for the Lions' annual Orange Helmet Awards (which take place tonight), and they've already had plenty of interesting things to say, from recent Hall of Fame inductee Danny McManus's discussion of a fight in the locker room the night before the 1994 Grey Cup game to assorted thoughts on if Dickenson and Allen will get into the Hall of Fame next year (both are eligible). Simply putting those guys in a room together should be enough to ensure a great night for attendees, and the Lions deserve commendation for not just looking at their past, but looking beyond the recent past. Plenty of teams honour the guys who just finished their careers, but

Mark Masters of The National Post had a great piece the other day on former Western Mustangs coach Larry Haylor (pictured at right in 1998 when he was awarded the Frank Tindall Trophy as the CIS coach of the year), who's now working with an absolute who's-who of CIS coaching legends to develop a largely CIS-based team that's hoping to be the first Canadian entry in the International Federation of American Football (IFAF) World Cup. Towards that end, Haylor (who's a candidate for the Canadian Football Hall of Fame next year) and company held tryouts across the country (in Guelph, Moncton and Saskatchewan) over the last month, which were attended by more than 150 players. From that pool, comprised mostly of current and recently-graduated CIS players (plus any other participants Haylor snaps up during E-Camp this weekend), they're going to select 45 players to take to the championships in Austria this July. In addition to the Austrians and Canadians, there will also be teams there from

The CFL's annual evaluation camp for top prospects starts Friday and runs through this weekend. It's always an interesting time in the CFL, with teams descending on Toronto to watch many of the top CIS and NCAA players eligible for the league's Canadian draft go through the paces in various workouts and drills. Much like the NFL combine, a strong performance at E-Camp can shoot players up CFL draft boards, while a disappointing camp showing can severely damage their draft stock. It's certainly not the only factor in who goes where, as career stats and game tapes are also heavily considered when evaluating each player's CFL potential. Still, the camp has a role to play. With that in mind, here are five players to keep an eye on this weekend; not necessarily the top five prospects out there, but five intriguing guys who could boost their CFL stock with an impressive showing. Players are listed in alphabetical order.

— Scott Mitchell: Mitchell, who came in at second in the CFL's most