Riley Pickett

Canadian gridiron football player (born 1997)

Riley Pickett
Career information
No. 45 BC Lions
Pickett with the Lions in 2023
Born:	(1997-10-05) October 5, 1997 (age 26) Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
Status	Active
CFL status	National
Position(s)	Long snapper Defensive lineman
Height	6 ft 4 in (193 cm)
Weight	250 lb (110 kg)
University	Saskatchewan Huskies
CJFL	Saskatoon Hilltops
High school	Centennial Collegiate
CFL draft	2022, Round: 5, Pick: 41
Drafted by	BC Lions
Career history
As player
2022–present	BC Lions

Career highlights and awards
3x Canadian Bowl champion (2016, 2017, 2018)
Career stats
Playing stats at CFL.ca

Riley Pickett (born October 5, 1997) is a professional Canadian football long snapper and defensive lineman for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL).

Junior career

Pickett played for the Saskatoon Hilltops of the Canadian Junior Football League from 2015 to 2017.^[1] He won a Canadian Bowl championship in each of his three seasons with the Hilltops and was named the Defensive Lineman of the Year in 2017.^[1]^[2] He played in 21 games where he recorded 26 tackles, 11 assisted tackles, 16 special teams tackles, 10 sacks, and two forced fumbles.^[1]

University career

Pickett later joined the Saskatchewan Huskies of U Sports football and played for the team from 2018 to 2021.^[2]^[3] He played in 21 games where he had 58.5 total tackles, 11 sacks, 16 tackles for a loss, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.^[2] He won two Hardy Cup championships with the Huskies, in 2018 and 2021.

Professional career

Pickett was drafted in the fifth round, 41st overall, by the BC Lions in the 2022 CFL Draft and signed with the team on May 11, 2022.^[4] He played in ten games in 2022, where he had one defensive tackle and two special teams tackles.^[3]

During his 2022 exit interview with the team's co-general manager, Neil McEvoy, it was suggested that Pickett practice long snapping, since there was an opportunity at the position in the following season.^[5] Having never played the position, he practiced in the off-season with Saskatchewan Roughriders long snapper, Jorgen Hus, and eventually won the job following training camp.^[5] He played in all 18 regular season games in 2023 as the team's long snapper and also recorded seven special teams tackles.^[6]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c "Riley Pickett". Canadian Junior Football League. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Riley Pickett". Saskatchewan Huskies. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ ^a ^b "Riley Pickett". BC Lions. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ "Lions Sign Seven Members Of 2022 CFL Draft Class". BC Lions. May 11, 2022.
^ ^a ^b "Life of a long snapper | Pickett excels in new role". BC Lions. Retrieved November 10, 2023.
^ "Game Notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League. Retrieved November 10, 2023.