Dino set to impress NFL scouts
One of two Canucks invited to Shrine Game
Eligible for the National Football League draft, Kirby Fabien is going to be perfectly situated. The Calgary Dinos’ offensive lineman will be front and centre at one of the prime hunting grounds for NFL scouts.
Fabien has been invited to the East-West Shrine Game in St. Petersburg, Fla. The NCAA’s top players will be there for the Jan. 19 showcase at Tropicana Field.
The development, which he learned about a day or two after Christmas, understandably pleases him.
“It’s a huge opportunity,” Fabien, six-foot-six and 305 pounds, said Friday morning at Dinos headquarters. “I’m excited about it. I get to play in a premier all-star game in the U.S. I’m pretty sure all the scouts are going to be there.”
Fabien, representing Canada West, and McMaster’s offensive lineman Matt Sewell are the only two Canadians participating.
“All year I’ve strived to get to this game,” Fabien said. “I tried to work hard and, hopefully, make it. And here I am now.” Butterflies? “I’ll have those first-day-of-training-camp nerves,” said Fabien. “But I think after I hit someone I’ll be fine.”
A first-round draft pick of the B.C. Lions — seventh overall last year — and a three-time CIS All-Canadian, Fabien is the 11th member of the Dinos to suit up for the Shrine Game. No CIS outfit has sent more players to the annual all-star gathering than Calgary.
“He wasn’t eligible for the NFL draft (last year),” Dinos coach Blake Nill said of the fourth-year player, “so this is going to allow him to go down there, showcase his talents for every NFL team. He’s going to have an opportunity to see if there’s interest in him. He has the size, the athleticism. He certainly has the intellectual capabilities for all that.
“Now it’s just a matter of seeing how he matches up against a tougher level of opponent, right? But I’ve got to think if Kirby utilizes his skillsets to their maximum, he’s definitely going to be able to compete very well down there.”
Fabien is unfazed by the challenges in front of him as a Canadian.
For starters, playing for the first time since Nov. 17, while some of his American counterparts have been busy as recently as last week.
“Kirby is working very hard every day with a trainer,” said Nill. “I believe he is conditioned well enough. But he’s going to have a little bit of a shock experience going down there. A lot of those guys have just finished their bowl prep and their bowl games. He’s going to be a bit of a disadvantage, but that’s something he going to have to deal with.”
Added Fabien: “The first couple practices, I’ll probably be a bit rusty. But I’ll adjust quickly. It’s still football, so I think I’ll be fine.”
Too, he’ll need to get accustomed to American rules, such as going head-to-head with the defensive line, which isn’t required to start one yard off the line of scrimmage. But Fabien, who played under NFL rules during the 2009 International Federation of American Football’s under-19 championship in Canton, Ohio, isn’t worried.
Primarily, Fabien is eager to prove that he’s no different than any U.S. prospect.
“That’s the plan,” the Bishop McNally grad said. “I want to play at their level and show that I can do it. I’m sure some people are going to be like, ‘How are you from Canada? People from Canada play hockey.’ After I practise, I’m sure that people are going to recognize that Canadians can play football.”