FB | Combine Bound: Lineman Brody Burke Excited to Represent Ravens

By Adam Coplan (Photos: Marc Lafleur, Marc Lafleur Photography / Carleton Ravens)

 Four-year Raven Brody Burke has been invited to the CFL National Combine in Edmonton, taking place from March 27-29. Participants of the combine include top U Sports and NCAA players seeking to go pro. The players will be evaluated by CFL coaches, general managers, and scouts throughout a variety of positional drills and physical tests. 

Burke's love of football has pushed him to seek a career out of it, but it was not always regarded as the obvious choice growing up. Burke spent his high school days primarily as a hockey player, and a pretty good one at that. In his U16 and U18 seasons with the AA Cumberland Jr. Grads, Burke amassed an impressive 87 points over only 58 games played. However, he "really started to see a future for [himself] in football" in his grade 12 season playing for the Cumberland Panthers.  "There was just something about the game that felt natural ... The culture, the teammates, and the coaches were all awesome," Burke nostalgically states of his youth pre-Ravens football days, which led him to fall in love with the sport.  

An Ottawa native, it would have been a more traditional and well-paved route to try his hand at making it in hockey, but Burke believes that the hockey-crazed city should get some love for its football scene. "I've always felt the football culture here is stronger than people give it credit for. It's a hockey city for sure, but Ottawa has still consistently produced amazing players ... I just think it's often missing the recognition." The nation's capital has produced countless CFL players, but there have also been five Ottawa-born football players to grace NFL fields since 2017. Most notably, defensive lineman Neville Gallimore, who recently signed with the Chicago Bears and once played for Burke's Cumberland Panthers.  

Burke continued to lay his roots in Ottawa when he joined the Ravens in 2022. For Burke, the decision was never in question, citing "the appreciation [he] felt from them right away" as a primary motivator in helping him choose Carleton. Burke ascribes Carleton with "[shaping him] into the student, the man, and the football player [he is] today," specifically crediting Coaches Corey Grant and Alex Lothian for being massive positive influences in his development. "Being a Raven has had a huge impact on my career ... It's pushed me to grow as a player and given me relationships and lessons I'll carry with me for the rest of my life."  

The CFL National Combine will feature players from all across North America. Unless Ravens receiver Frederick Hachey can score an invite after attending the CFL Invitational Combine earlier this month, Burke will be the lone Carleton representative; a responsibility he does not carry lightly. "I'm incredibly grateful for the opportunity, and I want to show the league what it means to be a Raven," Burke declares. Admittedly, there are some understandable nerves for Burke, who is heading to one of the most intense and competitive physical examinations of his life. However, for the lineman, he knows that despite heading there alone, he has a wealth of support back home in Ottawa and at Carleton, "I'm proud to know I have a whole family behind me." 

On Friday, March 27^th, the combine will feature a variety of physical testing drills, including the 40-yard dash, 3-cone shuttle, short shuttle, broad jump, vertical jump, and bench press. Burke, describing himself as "a big gym guy," is embracing the challenge: "I'm definitely looking forward to the testing ... I think the bench, the 40, and the vertical and broad jumps will be my stronger points ... I'm hoping to really push myself in the shuttle and 3-cone, too." 

The next two days of the combine will see players strap on the pads for practice sessions, including drills and one-on-ones. Burke understands that although this is primarily a chance for him to be evaluated, "it's also a huge opportunity to get a feel for what it's like to practice like a pro, learn like a pro, and communicate like a pro." What will surely be an invaluable learning experience, Burke enters the 2026 CFL National Combine with an open mind and an eagerness to learn and give it his all: "My overall goal is to be able to look back on the combine in a couple of years and know I showed up, did what I wanted to do, and got a lot out of it, too. All while representing Carleton in a positive light." 

Burke concluded his fourth season as a Raven with 44 career tackles, 6.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries.