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 — and finally seeing Mosaic Stadium — 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":707154,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,257027,82],"class_list":["post-707153","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-cflsaskatchewan-roughridersmalcolm-bell","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707153","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=707153"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/707153\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/707154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=707153"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=707153"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=707153"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}