Saskatchewan Roughriders first-round pick Malcolm Bell finally made a pick of his own.<\/p>\n
After going nearly seven years without an interception in a game that counted, the rookie defensive back came up with his first CFL takeaway in the Riders’ preseason finale, a May 23 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Saskatoon.<\/p>\n
And yes, Bell knows how long it had been.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe last pick was 2019,\u201d Bell said with a grin following a recent practice at Mosaic Stadium. \u201cI was in high school the last time I got a pick in an official game. Since 2019, I ain\u2019t got a pick.\u201d<\/p>\n
For a player selected ninth overall in the 2026 CFL\u00a0Canadian Draft by the Roughriders, the interception was another sign the 24-year-old is beginning to catch on quickly in head coach Corey Mace\u2019s defence.<\/p>\n
Bell said the play itself was more about being in the right place at the right time than making a highlight-reel read.<\/p>\n
\u201cAll game they\u2019re telling me, \u2018watch for the seven, watch for the seven,\u2019\u201d Bell explained. \u201cThe receiver slipped, (Benny) Sapp tipped the ball, and I got it. I was just there at the right moment.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, Bell knows defensive backs only get credit for catches they actually make.<\/p>\n
\u201cGot to be there to get it,\u201d Bell said. \u201cWe could have got there and dropped the ball, but we got there and caught the ball.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rookie cornerback has been one of the more intriguing young players during training camp after arriving from Michigan State, where he was the Spartans\u2019 highest-graded defender in 2025, according to Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n
Bell admitted adjusting back to the Canadian game after years in the NCAA has taken some work, especially with the wider field and constant communication required in the secondary.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just been an adaptation,\u201d Bell said. \u201cFootball is football, but you’ve got to get comfortable within the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
That transition has been made easier thanks to a veteran defensive back group that Bell says constantly talks through adjustments before every snap.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s not Marcus Sayles, it\u2019s T.C. (Tevaughn Campbell). If it\u2019s not T.C., it\u2019s (Rolan) Milligan or Deontai Williams,\u201d Bell said. \u201cThere\u2019s always somebody helping.\u201d<\/p>\n
The rookie added that the veterans have pushed him hard while still understanding he\u2019s learning on the fly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey coach me hard, but never coach me mean. As long as the message gets through my head, that\u2019s all that matters.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bell\u2019s comfort level appears to be growing by the day, and returning to Regina from Saskatoon for the final week of camp last week \u2014 and finally seeing Mosaic Stadium \u2014 from the inside has only added to the excitement.<\/p>\n
\u201cI can\u2019t wait to play and make plays in this stadium. You can already tell it\u2019s loud even when nobody\u2019s in here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Now Bell\u2019s focus shifts toward carving out a permanent role for the regular season. That could include learning a second position in the Riders’ secondary.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think halfback is probably what I\u2019m trying to learn,\u201d Bell said. \u201cYou’ve got to be able to play at least two positions.\u201d<\/p>\n
For now, though, after years without one, Bell finally has another interception to his name \u2014 and the rookie is hoping there are many more catches to come.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Saskatchewan Roughriders first-round pick Malcolm Bell finally made a pick of his own. After going nearly seven years…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":706730,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[3878,49,48,521,522,520,3290,4398,27684,27683,1893,4401,27682,4400,4399,82],"class_list":["post-706729","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-agriculture","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-contests","tag-country-music","tag-gx94","tag-manitoba-news","tag-radio","tag-rider-radio","tag-saskatchewan-news","tag-saskatchewan-roughriders","tag-saskatchewan-sports","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706729","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=706729"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/706729\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/706730"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=706729"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=706729"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=706729"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}