We’re still months away from the start of the 2026 NFL season but there are some former Michigan State players competing professionally.
The Canadian Football League kicked off its preseason action on Monday with the Saskatchewan Roughriders losing to the Calgary Stampeders 20-15. The Roughriders bounced back with a thrilling Week 2 preseason win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, 31-27, with a former Michigan State cornerback picking up his first professional interception.
Malcolm Bell was picked by the Roughriders in the first round of the 2026 CFL Draft shortly after going undrafted in the 2026 NFL Draft and he’s already making an impact.
Although he’s not projected to start for Saskatchewan as a rookie, the Spartan cornerback reeled in his first career professional interception on Saturday against the Blue Bombers.
FIRST PICK FOR THE FIRST ROUND PICK, MALCOLM BELL pic.twitter.com/kYCh3kAVpY
— Saskatchewan Roughriders (@sskroughriders) May 24, 2026
While it’s only the preseason so this doesn’t count toward his official stats, it’s a good indicator that he’s going to compete for the starting cornerback job at some point as a rookie. He stuck with a tipped pass and reeled it in for not only his first professional interception but his first career pick as well. In four years at UConn, he didn’t have a single interception and in his lone season in East Lansing, he also went pick-less. Two games into his pro career, he already has one.
Bell didn’t record any other stats in the win but this play more than made up for it.
It’s good to see him having some early success in the CFL and it’s plays like this one that will have him playing professional football for a while.
Malcolm Bell may still have an NFL future
In only one season at Michigan State, Bell was a stud, finishing as the team’s top defensive back with 49 tackles, five tackles for loss, his first career sack, and six pass breakups. He had a career season after moving over from UConn and he looked like a future pro.
Unfortunately, he went undrafted and wasn’t signed by the Cleveland Browns after partaking in their rookie minicamp shortly after the draft. He was then signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders after getting selected in the first round of the Canadian Football League draft. Clearly other pro organizations saw that he had talent.
In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before Bell is competing for a spot on an NFL roster after showing out in the CFL. Bell was arguably the most impressive newcomer on defense last season and he flashed NFL potential.
If he excels during the CFL season, he could get a camp invite by an NFL team and have a chance to make their 53-man roster. He wouldn’t be the first Spartan to have that luck (Mike Panasiuk).
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