At the CFL Combine last month, I had a chance to sit down with Michigan State DB Devynn Cromwell, who also has spent time at Texas Tech and is from Toronto. He was most recently mocked as a fourth-round pick.
ME: You grow up in Canada, go play NCAA, like big-time ball, Big 12, Big Ten. What’s kind of it like as a kid growing up? Or were you one of the kids who was like, I want to get to the NFL? Or were you a Canadian who’s like, I appreciate the CFL, like I want to be a CFL football player? Because it is like, I think, you know, when I was younger, people I’ve talked to were like me.
They grow up being like, I love the CFL. It made me fun. I love sports. I want to play there. But obviously the money now, things are a little different. People want to get to the NFL. So your mindset, who was it? Was it like, I want to get to the NFL? That’s why I’m playing D1. Or was it, I’m trying to be a CFL player?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Right off the bat, it was definitely like, I want to go to the NFL. I feel like whenever I start sports or whatever it is, right off the bat, I’m aiming for the highest level. You know what I mean? So when I started playing football, I was like, yeah, I want to go all the way. I wasn’t even watching any Canadian USports or any of that. I was NCAA, NFL clips right off the bat. So, you know, I feel like that was what I was always striving for. And, you know, ultimately what I’m still striving for, you know, just to put myself in bigger rooms and around bigger competition all the time. That’s kind of how that transpired. And I was always kind of aiming far.
ME: Did you play or you kind of model your game after?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Yeah, it always changes for me, really. I feel like every year I’m in a different position, so it kind of switches up. I’ve said Jalen Ramsey before. I’ve said it honestly always changes.
ME: So going to play in NCAA, when you played, because you played academy ball here in Canada, that would have been three down. So what was kind of the transition ball like to playing four down?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: No, so, well, I played high school ball in Canada at first. There was just three down. And then I played, I went to Football North, which we played four-down ball. But I also did seven-on-seven, so I kind of got a grasp for it all. So it wasn’t the craziest transition playing USports and then going back to four downs because I kind of had that experience already. So it wasn’t the biggest change, but it was just kind of like going back to kind of what I’ve done before.
ME: So what was it like down in Lubbock?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: They love football all the time. It’s different. It was amazing and crazy, but in the best way. Going down from Guelph to a small town. Small town, but big town. West Texas, strong. Closing everything on game days. Everything’s closed. Got fans all over the place. Everyone knows your name. The Crofts know your name. It’s different out there. The culture is different. It’s Texas football. They don’t play in Texas. Everything is really bigger in Texas. But everyone’s so nice. There’s something about that Texas, like, Southern charm or whatever it is out there. Like, everyone’s so nice, so helpful. And that shows, like, on the team, too, you know, someone you meet on the street. And the whole environment’s just super uplifting out there.
ME: So what was the decision like to hit the portal?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Yeah, so I’d gotten hurt maybe just past halfway through my season at Tech. So I missed all the spring ball. We had new coaches. And I was in a situation where it was like, hey, they didn’t… And I also thought I was going to go to the CFL or enter my pro journey last year because I ended up getting that extra junior college eligibility year back, so they planned for me to leave. I was planning on leaving and I was like, you know what, I might as well see what options I have because I didn’t do anything for spring ball, so I just decided to see what options I had.
ME: So, like, I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but, like, you obviously leave Tech, they have, you know, a College Football Playoff season, like crazy season. Jacob Rodriguez balls out, Joey McGuire’s getting all the flowers. Obviously, you’re worried about your own team, but was there any part of you, you’re, like, watching back and being like, man, like, shout out my guys? Is there any part of you that’s like, ah, I wish I was still there? Or is it just, like, you’re focused on you? Like, I’m in Michigan State now.
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Yeah, you know, as focused on me as I was, you know, I was, like, I have my boys down there still, and, you know, I was super supportive. Like, I’m hitting up the boys, hitting up Joey, just making, man, like, congrats, you know, I’m keeping up with them. So it was, honestly, like, I was happy for them. It was a cool experience, you know. Like, it sucks that I didn’t get to, you know, go to the College Football Playoff, but, you know, it’s still like, man, like, good job. Like, how is it? You know, I’m asking them, and just having that communication and just that relationship with them was still super cool.
ME: When you were there, did you feel like they had a rivalry with BYU?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: I didn’t get to play BYU. I did hear it a little bit, honestly, yeah, because I just wonder because they obviously beat them twice. I wonder if it’s like a real rivalry thing, like it’s different than Michigan-OSU or like Bama-Auburn. Yeah, it’s not something you hear all the time, but I did just hear, you know, they have a crazy environment out at BYU and, you know, the guys did talk about it a bit, but it wasn’t something that’s super specific and like, oh, we hate BYU type of thing out there.
ME: Getting the invite to come here, knowing this is kind of the next step, pro career, what was kind of that mindset, being like, I’m here?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Yeah, no, I’m still super excited to be here, you know. Got to be around all these players that, you know, I played against, around, grew up with, and, you know, seeing all the coaches as well. Just being around a lot of talent, both on the field and just overall. So, you know, I’m just super excited to be here still. And, you know, although I had my pro day, unfortunately I can’t do anything here. So you’re not going to do, like, the one-on-ones tomorrow? No, I actually got hurt, so I had my pro day, so unfortunately I won’t be able to. But it’s still great. I still wanted to be able to come out and show my personality to the coaches and stuff and just be around the boys, support my boys that I trained with and all that.
ME: Do you feel like you’ve had good conversations, like things going well?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Yeah, for sure. Honestly, like, all the interactions I’ve had were great conversations, whether that was in the elevator or whatever that was. I had great conversations.
ME: Fans of the league, fans of Canadian football who might not know you, not know the journey, what’s one thing you would kind of want to leave them with? Like, tell them about you, your game, like who you are, mentality, things like that.
DEVYNN CROMWELL: You know, I’m someone that cares about the little things, you know what I mean? Like, it’s not just, you know, showing up on, you know, Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday practice, whatever that may be. You know, I handle the things that are quiet and not so, I guess, not so sexy, you know what I mean? Just like not the things that are always just out there and out front, but, you know, the things in between, and, you know, recovery and all the small things that I take super important. And that’s how I kind of handle life, honestly, just worrying about the little things and making sure I handle everything as a whole.
ME: I actually do have one last one. What’s your favourite coverage set?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: I do like, you know, cover three. Cover three is fun, you know, especially because you can play around with different, you know, rotations and you can, you know, match cover three. You can play some man, too, with it at safety. So, you know, it’s fun because you can disguise a lot of quarters in that as well.
ME: I actually got one last, last one. Which league’s tougher, Big Ten or Big 12?
DEVYNN CROMWELL: Man, I’d say they’re both tough in different ways. You know, you see when I was in the Big 12, like, you see more air-raid type styles, you know what I mean? But, you know, when you get to the Big Ten, it’s like every team’s trying to establish the run first and they take pride in that, you know. So they’re both difficult in a sense in their different ways. But they’re both just, you know, great leagues. But, yeah, I’d say just different styles and just difficult in their own ways.
