Training Camp Report: What's Old Is New Again for the Swiss Army Knife
CFL B.C. Lions

Training Camp Report: What's Old Is New Again for the Swiss Army Knife

Published on May 25, 2026 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
B.C. Lions News Release


(Kamloops) - Four years ago, a raw rookie from the esteemed Saskatchewan Huskies program arrived for his first BC Lions training camp. Riley Pickett quickly earned the reputation of being the club's Swiss Army Knife.

Selected in round five of the 2022 CFL Draft as a defensive lineman, Pickett played an immediate role on special teams and ultimately found himself as one of the club's long snappers in 2023 and 2024. Following the retirement of David Mackie, he became the Lions' primary fullback and remains one of the squad's most reliable foot soldiers on special teams.

For Saturday's pre-season game in Langford, Pickett added another new role of sorts. In uniform but not active for the game, he served as an extra set of eyes for the coaching staff and worked closely with fellow fullbacks Jacob Bond and Colton Meikle. Pickett still loves that camp life.

"There's a first time for everything. In my CFL career, I've certainly had a lot of firsts with being a d-lineman, long snapper, fullback and then an 'assistant special teams' coach on Saturday," said Pickett.

"Super awesome experience. It's great to see all the young guys go out there and have fun, ball out, run fast and hit hard, all of that kind of stuff."

Having spent plenty of time on the practice field, in the meeting rooms and around other various team activities, it's clear Pickett sees a lot of himself in the two other fullbacks. Both of the youngsters came here from the BCFC Junior ranks, Bond with the Okanagan Sun and Meikle being the hometown boy from the Kamloops Broncos.

"Coming from junior myself, I played three years with the Saskatoon Hilltops, I know how hard it can be to make that jump, especially to the professional level, right from junior," explained Pickett.

"Jacob Bond has been one of my best friends on the team for two years now. He's a great kid and a great athlete. Another defensive guy who switched to the offensive side, so I know how hard that can be. And Colton, this is the first year I've really gotten to know him. He's a good dude as well. Everyone calls him 'Big Tex.' I switched that nickname to 'Taco.' It's a really good team of fullbacks and running backs. It's awesome."

Practice Points: Monday, May 25

Following the pre-season opener and subsequent off day from field activities, Monday was a spirited afternoon of padded practice against the windy and cloudy backdrop of Hillside Stadium.

The first team session was focused on high-tempo. It was Seven McGee making the biggest play on a leaping touchdown pass from Nathan Rourke.

Rourke and Justin McInnis had a good connection all day, including on a long touchdown bomb where the receiver got past three defenders.

On defence, Ronald Kent Jr. had an interception, while T.J. Lee III and newcomer Morice Norris each took one back for a major toward the end.

The defensive line in multiple groups caused havoc for Rourke and the offence at various points. It will be interesting to see how much better the group up front is with a full season of Levi Bell.

Various points of the Monday practice featured crowd noise. It's never too early to prepare for the noisy elements of Winnipeg, where pre-season wraps up this Friday evening. The Lions also open the regular season with a pair of noisy environments in Saskatchewan and Hamilton on June 13 and June 19, respectively.

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Canadian Football League Stories from May 25, 2026


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