Starting Michigan State CB selected in the first round of the CFL draft

Michigan State officially fielded a first-round pick in 2025.

That’s right, although the Spartans had just two players selected, and five other signing undrafted free agent deals after the 2026 NFL Draft, Michigan State did have a guy go in the first round this April — in the Canadian Football League.

OK, sorry to let you down, but it’s still a big accomplishment.

With the ninth pick in the first round of the 2026 CFL Draft, the Saskatchewan Roughriders selected Malcolm Bell. The UConn transfer spent one season in East Lansing and was the highest-graded Spartan defender in 2025. Now he’s apparently joining the reigning CFL champs.

There are only nine teams in the CFL which is why he was the final pick in the first round at No. 9 to the defending champs.

While it feels like it might be a no-brainer to continue pursuing an NFL future despite only receiving a minicamp invite, this isn’t a bad consolation prize for Bell who’s actually from Canada. The Montreal, Quebec, native committed to UConn out of high school in Ontario where he spent the 2021-2024 seasons before transferring to Michigan State to close out his collegiate career.

In East Lansing, he finished with a career-high 49 tackles to go along with six pass breakups in 11 starts. He was one of the biggest surprise newcomers on the team, but unfortunately his career year was wasted on a team that didn’t even go to a bowl game.

Fortunately for him, he now has two pro options.

Malcolm Bell has a big decision to make

Although the NFL is Bell’s dream, he can’t be too upset about the prospect of moving back to Canada to play professional football. He had plenty of success at the college level and earned a minicamp invite from the Cleveland Browns, but now he must decide if he wants to heavily pursue that route and face a long, uphill battle, or head home to play professional football.

Joining the reigning Grey Cup champs can’t be a bad gig either.

How long does Bell have to decide what to do? Luckily, Browns minicamp is on May 8 which is about a month before the CFL season kicks off in June. He could attend minicamp, hope for a contract, and then if he doesn’t sign one, head to the CFL for their 2026 season in June.

Bell’s performance at Browns minicamp will tell us just how serious he is about making it in the NFL. My bet is that he’s going to earn a contract from the Browns and get a shot at the 53-man roster in the fall.

Returning home as a first-round pick in your home country isn’t a bad consolation prize.

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