This Bull went from Bulldog to Bulldog to Redblack. Dontae Bull of Victoria, out of the Belmont Secondary Bulldogs and Fresno State Bulldogs of the NCAA, expects to make an immediate impression after being selected first overall by Ottawa in the 2023 Canadian Football League draft Tuesday evening.
“It is always my goal to be a starter and to make an impact on the team anyway I can,” said the massive offensive lineman.
Belmont staff proudly watched the draft on TSN.
“I could see it by Grade 10. A lot of players are good, very few are special,” said Belmont Bulldogs football head coach Alexis Sanschagrin.
The six-foot-seven and 326-pound Bull is in that latter category, said Sanschagrin: “We are very proud of Dontae and his accomplishments.”
Bull was an all-rounder at Belmont as quarterback and tight end, and was also 2016 sa国际传媒 high school defensive player of the year, while playing on the Bulldogs basketball team. He also played junior football for the Westshore Rebels.
“Being defensive high school player of the year shows his versatility in football while playing on the Belmont basketball team showed his athleticism,” said Sanschagrin, who played in the CFL as a safety for the Toronto Argonauts.
“Then it’s all about drive and work ethic,” which Dontae also has.
A pile-driver, especially in the running game, Bull is expected to create wide holes for Redblacks backs, while working on his game in pass protection.
“I like to create movement and to put people [defensive linemen] on the ground,” Bull said.
Bull was also a star in the classroom at Belmont and Fresno State.
“He’s such a bright kid,” said Sanschagrin.
Bull showed that by earning his master's degree in sociology during his six years at Fresno State (including a redshirt freshman season and the extra season awarded NCAA athletes for the pandemic cancellation of the 2020 season).
Bull appeared in 41 NCAA Div. 1 career games for Fresno State, also named the Bulldogs, with 33 starts.
His best season was in 2021 with 12 quarterback hurries, seven quarterback hits and three sacks in 13 games.
He played seven games this season with eight hurries and three sacks before breaking his leg in October against San Diego State and missing the rest of his senior season. That may have cost him dearly. Bull was the 63rd-ranked offensive lineman for the 2023 NFL draft last week but not selected.
Bull said his “leg is feeling good” and that he has “recovered well.”
Bull was ranked seventh overall for the draft by the CFL Scouting Bureau. He rose thanks to fact that several of the players ranked ahead of him for the CFL draft were taken quite highly in last week’s NFL draft and may never play a game in the CFL. Quebec-native Matthew Bergeron out of Syracuse University of the NCAA, also an offensive lineman, was top-ranked for the CFL draft. Twin brothers from London, Ont., out of the NCAA Big Ten University of Illinois Fighting Illini — running-back Chase Brown and safety Sydney Brown — were ranked second and third for the CFL draft. Bergeron went in the second round of the NFL draft last week to the Atlanta Falcons, Sydney Brown in the third round to the Philadelphia Eagles and Chase Brown in the fifth round to the Cincinnati Bengals.
“If not for the broken leg, Dontae [Bull] would have gone in the NFL draft with those players because of his combination of lengthy body frame, which gives him a wingspan, and his athleticism,” said Sanschagrin.
Bull is considered a can’t-miss prospect for the CFL with perhaps a chance at the NFL later in his career.
Meanwhile, Phil Grohovac, another Island offensive lineman, went 20th overall in the third round to the Edmonton Elks. The Mount Douglas Secondary Rams graduate, who won a sa国际传媒 high school championship and also a Vanier Cup U Sports championship with the Western Mustangs, was ranked 17th overall heading into the draft. The six-foot-four, 310-pounder played youth football with the Saanich Wolverines.
“The base of my football knowledge came from the Mount Douglas program,” said Grohovac, of his high school career with the Rams.
He is most proud of his run blocking, which allowed Western Ontario to be the top-rushing team in U Sports, but is under no illusions about what awaits at the pro level.
“I will have to grow up quickly against pros, some from the NFL and others out of NCAA Division 1, who are all technicians and who know their craft,” he said.
Luke Burton-Krahn from Victoria, who plays for the UBC Thunderbirds, was rated the best long-snapper available for the CFL draft and went 23rd overall in the third round to the Elks.
“I’m jacked up right now. This is an absolute blessing and I’m thankful to the Elks for giving me this opportunity,” said Burton-Krahn, a former rugby player at Esquimalt High, who came out of the Victoria Spartans in football.
“My experience at a bunch of different positions is my main asset. To have three players from Victoria go in the top-23 of the CFL draft, and with so many other sports here to choose from, shows the amount of talent here.”
