Madison's Duncan-Busby looking forward to starting pro career

May 4—Football players dream of getting the opportunity to play at the professional level.

But National Football League jobs are hard to come by, considering the immense talent from around the country and potentially beyond and limited roster spaces.

Dhel Duncan-Busby is pursuing his professional football dream. No, he wasn't picked during the recent NFL draft.

He was drafted, though.

On Tuesday, the Madison graduate was picked by the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League in the third-round choice (No. 23 of 74 players selected).

Duncan-Busby became the first Bemidji State football student-athlete to be selected in the CFL Draft.

"It's pretty special to be the first at anything," said Duncan-Busby, a wide receiver. "Glory to my teammates."

In March, Duncan-Busby participated in the Canadian Football League's (CFL) Combine to improve his stock in the 2024 CFL Draft.

"It was a lot of fun, being part of the game and seeing the schematic part of the game," he said.

Duncan-Busby said the combine was similar to the NFL's.

"There was testing, 7-on-7s, practices and the last day a 12-on-12," he said. "It was interesting to be back in pads. I talked to eight of the nine teams, I had talked to Montreal in January. They liked how I tested."

Still, Duncan-Busby waited impatiently on draft day to see if and when he would be picked.

"I just wanted to know what was happening," he said. "Once I found out, I was relieved. I saw the draft ticker, and got the phone call from Saskatchewan."

Duncan-Busby has signed a rookie contract (two years with an option for a third year), and will make the trek from Minnesota to Saskatchewan, which is about an 11-hour drive.

Rookie camp is scheduled to start on Monday, the first preseason contest is May 20 and regular-season opener is June 8.

"I'm going to keep working out," Duncan-Busby said.

He is projected to play slot receiver.

Duncan-Busby said the major differences will be adjusting to a wider and longer field, having 12 players on the field instead of 11 and the opportunity for a receiver to get about a yard head start before the play starts.

"At the end of the day, it's still the same concept," he said.

After graduating from Madison, Duncan-Busby transferred to a prep school, before joining Bemidji State.

Duncan-Busby ended his collegiate career playing in 47 games totaling 171 receptions, 2,839 receiving yards, 27 touchdowns and averaged 16.6 yards per catch.

He ranks second on BSU's career receiving yards list, third in receptions, third in touchdown receptions and sixth in average yards per catch.

Duncan-Busby's nine career 100-yard receiving games is the third-most in program history.

Blue Streaks coach Mike Gilligan is proud of Duncan-Busby's accomplishments.

"We didn't start to see his flash until about halfway through his senior season," Gilligan said. "He put up really big numbers. He had a dream to play college football and never gave up on it. Now he's a professional."

Duncan-Busby said pushing through during the ups and downs is important to making dreams become reality.

"If you have it in your mind, and there will be doubters, stick to it," he said. "It's a pretty cool feeling to say that I know I can do this."

Gilligan said Duncan-Busby's work ethic and perseverance is good for young players to see.

"This means a lot for our program because it shows our kids that if you work hard enough, you can reach and exceed your goals," Gilligan said.

While just starting out in the CFL, Duncan-Busby also thinks about potentially playing in the NFL someday.

"If the NFL calls, I'll answer," he said.