CALGARY – A trio of Calgary Dinos football players are one step closer to fulfilling their dreams after being selecting in the 2025 Canadian Football League Draft.

Nate Beauchemin, Gideon Agyei and Ethan Ball all heard their names called during Tuesday's draft. 

"We're all super excited for the guys," Dinos head coach Ryan Sheahan said. "Talk about three individuals who definitely excel on the field and in the classroom. They really love the game and they're getting to live a childhood dream where they get to continue at the highest rank in this country. It's great for those families, it's great for those guys and it's great for our program. Everybody is really excited for them as they move on and start an exciting new chapter."

Beauchemin was the first Dino off the board this year. The 6-foot-2, 204-pound safety was selected 14th overall by the Montreal Alouettes.

"It's just pure excitement – pure happiness," Beauchemin said of the emotions of the moment. "I've worked my whole life for this, especially the last four months. All the work in the off season has paid off and I'm happy for the opportunity and the experience I'm going to have. For right now I'm just ecstatic. Just pumped."

The memorable night continued for the Dinos' defensive backs, with Agyei and Ball being drafted just two picks apart. The 6-foot-2, 189-pound Agyei was selected with the 52nd pick by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, while the 6-foot, 190-pound Ball was taken 54th overall by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

"Being in that room for tonight's draft is just an embodiment of brotherhood," Agyei said. "We've worked for this moment for a very long time. It just feels surreal to be in that room, seeing Nate get his name called and then just waiting for your turn and waiting for that moment to happen. Getting to be with my family and my brothers and individuals that helped set the path before you is just an amazing feeling.

"If you look back over the past 10 years, the DB room at Calgary has always been great. This year we just embodied it even more and we knew what we had to do to put ourselves in a position to be great. We talked about it together and this was the ultimate plan. God only knows how much work we all put in and I'm just glad all three of us can show that U of C DB's are really like that."

This marks the first time since 2021 that three Dinos from the same position group were selected in the same draft when offensive linemen Peter Nicastro, Logan Bandy and Tyler Packer were selected.

"I just got off the phone with Coach Edem and we were talking about how it has to be a pretty rare thing for three guys to come from one team's position group," Ball said. "That just speaks to the coaching staff and the development the Dinos have. We all put in the effort and fed off each other and there are more guys in that room for the next chapter to continue.

"I'm just so thankful that a team took a shot on me and is giving me the opportunity. I'm a Prairie kid so I'm happy to be staying in the Prairies and playing close to home."

Added Sheahan: "My hat's off to people like (former coaches) Marcello Rapini, Tanner Hamade, Mac Horwood and especially coach D'Andrea, coach Edem and coach Abrahams – people that have all kind of touched those players' careers. The guys were joking around about this being "DBU," which is cool and rightfully so on a night like this. We're really happy for not only the defensive coaches but everyone involved."

Ball becomes the first Dino drafted by Winnipeg since 2018 when receiver Rashaun Simonise was taken by the Blue Bombers.

This becomes the 24th consecutive year the Dinos have had at least one player selected in the CFL Draft, with Beauchemin, Agyei and Ball becoming the 167th, 168th and 169th all-time CFL draftees in Dinos program history. Calgary has an incredible 82 total draftees over that 24-year span – by far the most in Canada West and second-most in all of U SPORTS.

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