Blue Bombers first-round pick’s football roots run deep

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This article was published 02/05/2023 (862 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the newest members of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers comes from a long line of football players.

The Bombers made University of Regina defensive end Anthony Bennett their first-round selection with the eighth overall pick in last night’s 2023 CFL Draft.

Bennett, who hails from Weston, Fla., but has Canadian eligibility due to his mother being from Regina, becomes the fifth member of his family to make it to the pros. His father, Charles, uncle, Tony, and cousin, Michael, all played in the NFL, while his older brother, Andrew, was a wide receiver at Regina before inking a CFL deal with the Montreal Alouettes.

The 6-3, 230-pound Bennett started his collegiate career playing NCAA ball at Florida Atlantic before taking his talents up north for his final two seasons. In 2022, Bennett set a Regina single-season record with eight sacks en route to being named an All-Canadian and Canada West all-star. He also tied a school record for tackles for a loss in a season with 10.5.

Bennett has an impressive resumé, but at 26, he’s older than your average first-year player.

Bombers rookie camp begins May 10.

Bennett, as well as Bombers general manager Kyle Walters, will speak with the media Wednesday.

The Ottawa Redblacks opened the draft by making Fresno State offensive lineman Dontae Bull the first overall pick. Bull, a 6-7, 320-pounder from Victoria, started 33 of 37 games for the Bulldogs.

Bull was followed by Montreal linebacker Michael Brodrique (Edmonton Elks), UBC defensive lineman Lake Korte-Moore (Saskatchewan Roughriders), Northern Illinois receiver Cole Tucker (Calgary Stampeders), and Penn State linebacker Jonathan Sutherland (Alouettes).

The lone Manitoban chosen in the first round was Brandon offensive lineman Dayton Black out of the University of Saskatchewan. Black was picked sixth overall by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

In the second round, the Bombers chose Bishop’s University defensive back Jake Kelly with the 15th pick.

The Bombers are getting an impressive athlete in Kelly as the Markham, Ont., product had the best vertical jump at this year’s combine at 40.5 inches. He was named his school’s best defensive player last season and was also an academic all-Canadian.

Round 3 saw the Bombers address the opposite side of the ball by selecting Concordia wide receiver Jeremy Murphy with the 26th pick. Murphy was awarded the Peter Gorman Trophy as the outstanding rookie in Canadian university football back in 2019. Last season, the slotback from Montreal had 29 receptions for 589 yards and two touchdowns in seven games.

In Round 4, Winnipeg selected Bennett’s U of R teammate and fellow defensive lineman — Tanner Schmekel. The fifth round saw the Bombers stay in their own backyard as they chose University of Manitoba Bisons defensive lineman Collin Kornelson at pick. No. 55. The former St. Paul’s Crusader is coming off his third season at the U of M where he had 14 tackles and a sack in four games. One spot before Kornelson, the B.C. Lions snagged former Oak Park High School standout Charlie Ringland, a defensive back out of the University of Saskatchewan.

The Bombers used their final three choices on Windsor defensive back Breton MacDougall (round six, pick 53), Alberta receiver Jonathan Rosery (round seven, pick 62), and Ottawa linebacker Max Charbonneau (round eight, pick 71).

The CFL Global Draft took place earlier in the day, and the Bombers used both selections on punters. At pick No. 8, the Blue and Gold tabbed Australian Jamieson Sheahan out of the University of California.

Sheahan played 28 career games between 2020-22 and averaged 43.5 yards per punt which puts him third in school history. He punted the ball 141 times, with 59 of them being fair catches, 34 landing inside the 20-yard line, and 28 going for 50-plus yards.

In the second and final round, the Bombers called Bermuda’s Karl Schmitz. At 36 years old, Schmitz doesn’t have a Bob Cameron career ahead of him, but he will be an intriguing name to keep an eye on in camp. He spent a few months with the NFL’s Denver Broncos in 2015 when he was 28. He also had tryouts with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. Schmitz, who moved to the United States when he was 16, garnered attention online with a YouTube video of him drilling a 70-yard field goal. Sheahan hasn’t told the Bombers if he’ll report to camp or not.

Last year’s punter/kicker Marc Liegghio will have stiff competition in camp as the club also signed American placekicker Chandler Staton (Appalachian State) in March.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31