At the CFL Combine last month, I had a chance to sit down with Virginia Tech DL Wilfried Pene, who actually spent time with the New England Patriots before he had to leave due to visa issues. He’s currently mocked to go second overall in the CFL Global Draft.
ME: I think a general kind of question for someone like you is you grew up in France. How did you kind of get to know American football?
WILFRIED PENE: So one day I went to, like, an event where you got, like, that football team in my hometown. So it’s a club. And they saw me and they said, hey, we want you to come. I started, I was 14 years old, 15. And since then, I never stopped.
ME: You came to it kind of late, but you must have, like, you must have really popped right away. Like, with the size, right?
WILFRIED PENE: Yeah, I was already, like, probably over, like, six. I was already, like, yeah, probably 5’11”, six foot, when I was, like, already, like, 14, 15. And I was, like, probably, like, almost, like, 215, probably. So I was already, like, a good size.
ME: So what’s it like? Like, you go, you know, obviously in France there. Then you go, like, you’re playing ACC ball at Virginia Tech. Like, Enter Sandman’s playing. You’re coming out of the tunnel. Like, was it kind of a culture shock like that for you?
WILFRIED PENE: I mean, yeah, it was, like, a little bit different, but… I mean, when you watch videos on YouTube and stuff like that, I got ready mentally. So I knew that was about to be a big stage. I knew it was about to be loud. So I was just excited to be over there.
ME: So I want to make sure I got this right. You spent time with the Patriots, but it was a visa issue, right?
WILFRIED PENE: Yeah.
ME: So going through that mentally, knowing like, shit, I’m not here. It’s not because I can’t play. It’s just because it’s kind of out of my control. How do you deal with that? And then how does that kind of translate to coming back and being here?
WILFRIED PENE: I mean, you know, like I cannot control, like, that visa stuff. Like, that was, like, my school who kind of a little bit had some messed up over there. The Patriots tried to help, didn’t work out with the immigration stuff. So, you know, like it is what it is at that point. So it was tough at first, but I grind, you know. I’m still, like, ready. I’m still physically strong and fast and whatever. And I got the chance to come here, to get invited here. So I want to make sure, like, the coaches see me. Like, unlucky me, I hurt my hamstring, like, a week before coming here.
ME: Does any part of it feel like you’re taking, like, a step back, like, going from being…
WILFRIED PENE: No, I feel like it’s a new beginning. Okay. I really feel like it’s a new beginning. Again, you never have a step back. It’s just everybody’s story to go pro is different, and for me right now, it’s tied to, regardless, it’s to be a pro athlete. So if it’s being a pro athlete in the CFL, it’s going to be in the CFL. I don’t care where it is. As long as I can take care of my family, whatever, I’m happy with that.
ME: So mostly, like, your introduction to the game must have been four-down football, right? So, like, what’s kind of the transition been like to the three-down game?
WILFRIED PENE: I guess we’ll see. Or just, like, the knowledge of it, yeah. I got the knowledge of, like, I know it’s, like, three down. I know that gap responsibilities are the same. The gap is the same. So, I mean, at the end of the day, it’s still football. Yeah. You know, if you can play football, you can play football. So, for me, I don’t really care if some rule is different. I know you got that one yard off the ball. But for me, I like it because I like pass rush. Yeah, okay. So, I feel it’s going to be easier for me to pass rush with the yard.
ME: Overall testing, how do you think you did?
WILFRIED PENE: So, I mean, I did my jumping. I did my vert. I got a 30 with no hamstring, like I said. So, pretty happy with that. For the bench, I’m a little bit mad. 29. I wanted 30-plus. I guess it’s maybe, like, the vibe, like, you know, like, the energy around. Like, I was probably maybe a little bit nervous still. But I’m happy with that.
