The Jonathan Smith era didn’t produce a ton of pro football talent but there were a few guys who probably should’ve gotten more love for how well they played in a dark era of Michigan State football.
I’ve also said this before, but some of these Smith era players would have benefitted greatly from playing for Pat Fitzgerald instead. A lot of defensive players who I believed could have been stars with better coaching fit that bill like Alex VanSumeren, Jalen Thompson, Wayne Matthews III, and Malcolm Bell.
The latter went undrafted despite having a breakout season with Michigan State and now he’s pursuing a career back in his home country of Canada.
Bell was invited to the Cleveland Browns’ rookie minicamp after going undrafted but he left without signing an NFL contract.
While all of this was happening, he was selected in the first round of the 2026 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The pick made sense because Bell is Canadian-born and his NFL career was not to be — at least for now. Plus, he was one of Michigan State’s best defenders last season and you’d never know it because the Spartans’ defense as a whole was so mediocre.
Bell chose to sign with the Roughriders as their first-round pick but he still had to fight for his spot on the roster during the CFL’s preseason. In Saturday, the Roughriders announced their final roster for the upcoming 2026 season and Bell officially made the cut.
He’ll now be tasked with trying to out-do BJ Cunningham who was the last Spartan to star in the CFL.
Malcolm Bell has NFL talent
While Bell is probably pretty content about returning home to play in the CFL, there’s no doubt in my mind that the former UConn transfer has NFL talent.
Bell was really solid for four years at UConn, totaling 94 tackles, four tackles for loss, and 13 pass breakups. He transferred after the 2024 season and landed on Michigan State and Smith. He cracked the starting lineup and then finished with a career-best 49 tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, and six pass breakups. Pro Football Focus rated him as one of the Spartans’ best defenders.
Although he didn’t get signed after Browns rookie minicamp, I believe that he will get another shot next offseason or maybe in a few months when teams try to fill out rosters before cutting them down to 53. Mike Panasiuk went that route but now finds himself in the United Football League.
Bell looked the part of a future NFL cornerback at Michigan State and I think he just needs the right situation. He may not be an NFL starter, but he could be a valuable depth piece.
I’d like to see him get a shot, but for now, he’s a Roughrider.
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