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Domo: New Bird Grymes migrated from Canada

IT IS the dream of 99.9 percent of the football-playing kids in America to one day play in the NFL.

IT IS the dream of 99.9 percent of the football-playing kids in America to one day play in the NFL.

It certainly was Aaron Grymes' dream three years ago, but it didn't quite work out.

Grymes, an all-conference cornerback at the University of Idaho, went unclaimed in the 2013 draft. No one signed him after the draft, either.

The Green Bay Packers invited him to their rookie minicamp on a tryout basis, but he didn't stick.

With his wife Hannah three months pregnant, Grymes needed a job. His position coach at Idaho, Torey Hunter, had played in the Canadian Football League and asked him if he might be interested in going up there.

Grymes wasn't very enthusiastic about the idea. But it was football and he had a family to support. So he agreed to give it a try.

"I went in with not the best attitude," said Grymes, who signed with the Edmonton Eskimos. "I went in with (the attitude that) this is not really my dream. My dream is to play in the NFL.

"I hadn't even heard of the CFL until my last year (in college). But after a couple of days, my attitude changed. I had some great mentors up there. Some guys to talk to. They helped me through. After a week, I was having a blast."

The 5-11, 185-pound Grymes ended up spending three years with the Eskimos. Started 41 games for them in those three seasons. Was an all-CFL selection last season and helped the Eskimos win a Grey Cup title, which is their Super Bowl.

"I ended up loving it up (there)," he said. "I had a really good time up there. I played for a good organization. They really took care of us. And everything's better when you're winning. So, I'll have memories I'll never forget, and a (championship) ring."

The best part is that Grymes' success in Canada has given him a second opportunity at his NFL dream.

Several NFL teams, including the Eagles, expressed interest in him after the Eskimos won the Grey Cup. He ended up signing with the Eagles in February.

Grymes hardly is a shoo-in to make the Eagles' season-opening 53-man roster. He'll be one of 11 cornerbacks on the field Thursday when the Eagles hold their first full-squad training camp practice. They figure to keep only five, maybe six.

That means Grymes needs to flash early and often. Which he's been doing. He made the most of limited reps in the spring OTAs and minicamps and was impressive the last three days during workouts with rookies and select veterans.

"When I went up there (to the CFL), I was buried on the depth chart," he said. "I was new to the league. That brought my morale down. But going through that situation prepared me for coming here.

"I'm barely on the depth chart again and have to build my way back up. But I know what that feeling is like now. I know what it takes. I know what I have to do to move up on that depth chart."

During 7-on-7 work Wednesday, Grymes picked off a Carson Wentz pass and broke up two other pass attempts. He has looked very comfortable playing the aggressive man-press technique that defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz favors.

"Aaron's a smart player," Schwartz said. "He's multidimensional. He's played outside and he's played nickel. He's shown a good, confident attitude.

"You can't cover a lot of guys if you're worried about getting beat. He's shown that confidence to go up and challenge guys. I think that (CFL) experience has helped him. That and the fact that he's a little bit different than the other guys (rookies) out here now because they're just out of college. He has a little more confidence because of his professional experience."

Grymes couldn't agree more. He said his three years playing in Canada helped him develop his cover skills on the CFL's longer, wider fields.

CFL fields are 110 yards long and 65 yards wide. NFL fields are 100 yards long and 160 feet (53 1/3 yards) wide. CFL end zones also are bigger, 20 yards deep compared to 10 in the NFL game.

"You've got to be in shape to play up there," he said. "You've got to be ready to run. Corner routes, they're not just corner routes. They're long. The quarterback puts air under the ball.

"Secondly, guarding that receiver who gets to waggle, who gets that running start (toward the line of scrimmage before the ball is snapped) is tough."

Grymes said he also matured a great deal during his three years in Canada. He lived alone in Edmonton during the season, with his wife staying in Moscow, Idaho, with their daughter.

"A lot of guys come here (to the NFL) right away (out of college) and they're wide-eyes and mess up their opportunity," he said. "And you don't get many opportunities down here.

"(The CFL) allowed me to mature. It allowed me to be smarter. I've become a better film-study guy. I've developed a much better work ethic than I had in college. Things like that.

"So I feel like I'm way more prepared for this opportunity now than I was when I was coming out of college."

Grymes hopes to follow the lead of other former CFL cornerbacks who have made successful leaps to the NFL, including the Seahawks' Brandon Browner and the Saints' Delvin Breaux.

"There have been guys who have made the transition," Grymes said. "I'm just hoping I can be the next one."

"Sometimes it's a little bit easier (for a CFL corner)," Schwartz said. "The field's a little smaller here. It's a little less movement. Those guys (in Canada) can run toward the line of scrimmage. More than one guy can be in motion. The field is longer. The field is wider. I wouldn't want to call this Arena football. But they come down here and it's like going to Arena ball."

There's been nothing easy about Grymes' path to the NFL. But if he ends up being one of the Eagles' 53 season-opening roster survivors, it will have been well worth the long and winding journey.

@Pdomo

Blog: philly.com/Eaglesblog