Wilfried Pene can’t wait to be a football player again.
Pene, 25, of Tours, France, will attend the CFL’s national combine this week in Edmonton. It comes roughly nine months after being released by the NFL’s New England Patriots.
“I want to show that I’m still a football player,” he said. “That I’m still fast, still strong and I’m athletic.”
The six-foot-three, 285-pound Pene — whose full name is pronounced will-fred PEN’-aye — is eligible for the CFL global draft April 29. He played at Virginia Tech, both as a tight end and defensive lineman, registering 73 total tackles (nine for loss) with five sacks in 34 career games.
Pene joined the Patriots in 2025 as an undrafted free agent. But he was released June 26 when his international visa, which allowed Pene to play at Virginia Tech, expired.
His paperwork now in order, Pene can pursue a pro career in Canada. But the circumstances surrounding his departure from New England were a bitter disappointment for someone who’d left family and friends behind in France to play football in U.S.
Pene was a two-time All-New England selection at Sir Thomas More Prep in Oakdale, Conn. He had eight catches for 183 yards with four TDs while posting 47 tackles (11 for loss), 15.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and a blocked punt.
“Man, it was very frustrating,” Pene said. “You work hard all of those years and just because of a situation involving a piece of paper your dream gets cut short.
“But when you find peace with it and realize the dream isn’t over, then you can move on. I have a shot to go to the CFL and prove I’m still a good football player.”
Pene will be among 82 players in Edmonton. On the agenda will be traditional testing — such as the 225-pound bench press, 40-yard dash and vertical leap — one-on-one drills and team interviews.
The combine begins Friday and runs through Sunday. Predictably, Pene is looking forward to it.
“Getting cut because of a piece of paper makes me hungrier because I know I can play football,” he said. “I just want to let go of all that frustration and put everything on the field and just play.
“I know we’re going to have some one-on-ones … I might start with a bullrush on the first one. I don’t think I’ll lose that rep but even if I do I don’t care. I just want to hear that ‘Pop.'”
Pene’s football journey has certainly been down a long and winding road. When he first began playing the game, it was as a running back and linebacker before his size resulted in a move to tight end.
At Virginia Tech, injuries forced coaches to shift Pene from defensive end to tackle.
“I just wanted to play,” Pene said. “Being inside versus at end is very much a different game because you get double-teamed by a combined 600-plus pounds and it’s tough.
“But because I was strong, agile and mobile, I used those as my strengths and I think they (Hokies coaches) saw that potential. I think using my quickness inside, it’s hard for offensive linemen to block me especially if I’m able to go upfield in more of an attack defence.”
Pene’s versatility wouldn’t hurt him in the CFL, where teams can have a maximum of 45 players — and a least one global — on their active roster. Pene understands the nuances of Canadian football having followed it since he was a youth in France and even had friends play in the league.
Kickers and punters have dominated the CFL global draft since its inception in 2021. But defensive players went first overall from 2022-24, including defensive linemen Kingsley Jonathan (2022 by Montreal but remained in the NFL) and Blessman Ta’ala (2023 by Ottawa).
Pene doesn’t really know where he might go in the draft but isn’t worrying about it.
“I just want an opportunity,” he said. “Of course, a part of me expects to be drafted high but at the end of the day, I’ll be drafted when I have to be drafted and I’ll let that decide this for me.”
Ideally, Pene would like another NFL opportunity but remains open to playing long-term in Canada if he’s in the right situation.
“Do I feel like I can play in the NFL? Yes,” he said. “After doing OTAs (organized team activities) last year, I don’t see why I can’t play in the NFL.
“But as long as I can make a living playing football, one way or the other, I’ll do it because I just love to play.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 23, 2026.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
