Mitch Picton derives considerable pride from being a receiver who can find open spaces.
He took that to a notable extreme earlier this month.
After a long-overdue melt exposed a patch of green turf in the northwest corner of Mosaic Stadium, Picton seized the first opportunity to work out on the field.
“There are long winters in Saskatchewan, so we’re always chomping at the bit to get back out and throw outside and to be able to run and train out on the big field where you’re not really constrained,” the former LeBoldus Golden Suns and University of Regina Rams standout said on Tuesday, while (eek!) a Winter Storm Watch was in effect for southeastern Saskatchewan.
Consummately team-oriented, Picton went far beyond the call of duty by grabbing a shovel and clearing a path toward centre field — not for his own purposes, but to hopefully create a snow-free launch point for placekicker Brett Lauther.
“That was the idea,” Picton said with a chuckle. “If you can get a spot for the turf to show through, it usually melts away pretty quickly.
“The idea was to be able to get to the hashmark so that Brett would be able to kick off a hash, but there was a little bit too much snow out there at the time so we had to let Mother Nature do its work.”
Alas, a two-foot-wide path would not widen with sufficient speed.
“I gave up hope on that one,” Picton said, “so Brett had to wait a couple of days.”
Fittingly, Picton could not wait to set foot on the field. He was, after all, one of the very first people to play on that expansive surface.
Picton was a member of the Rams when they faced the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the introductory football test event at Mosaic Stadium on Oct. 1, 2016 — precisely nine months before the Roughriders played their first regular-season game at the $278-million edifice.
The Rams posted a 37-29 Canada West victory, thanks in large part to two touchdown receptions by Picton.
In all, he caught 11 touchdown passes in eight games that season en route to being named a U Sports All-Canadian.
Another prominent member of the national All-Star team was Noah Picton — Mitch’s cousin — who threw 25 touchdown passes on his way to receiving the Hec Crighton Trophy as the premier player in Canadian university football.
Picton-to-Picton was a productive partnership for one more year. By then, Mitch had been drafted by the Roughriders, who claimed him in the fifth round (37th overall) in 2017.
After catching 53 passes for 761 yards and eight touchdowns as a graduating member of the Rams, Picton signed with the Roughriders in November of 2017 and joined their practice roster for the final fragment of the season.
He remained on the practice roster throughout the 2018 campaign before making his CFL debut on July 27, 2019.
He has since caught 43 passes for 438 yards and three touchdowns in 23 games.
Two of those majors — including one game-winner — were scored last season, when he registered 18 receptions for 220 yards in 11 contests.
In February, the 27-year-old Picton signed a two-year contract extension with the Roughriders, shortly before he was eligible to test CFL free agency.
Even while staying put, he has been on the move — travelling across Saskatchewan to represent the team.
“That’s something that we really leaned into this off-season — getting out into schools and talking to kids,” Picton noted. “We’ve done a ton of it and it’s something that I’ve really enjoyed.
“I remember being that young kid and having Riders players come and visit you at school. That was always a pretty special time. Saskatchewan’s my home, so to be out in the community and feel like you’re making a difference in your home province is something I definitely am enjoying doing.”
It is a fun full-circle experience for Picton, who fondly remembers being a student at W.S. Hawrylak School when Roughriders legends such as offensive linemen Jeremy O’Day — now the team’s General Manager and Vice-President of Football Operations — and Gene Makowsky dropped by.
“Now I’m on the other side of the coin,” Picton said. “I’m the guy trying to deliver a positive message and help kids along the way.
“It’s pretty special. I know what it means to these kids. They always get super-excited. That definitely adds to it and keeps you wanting to come back.”
Football-wise, Picton’s appetite has been whetted by the fact that training camp — which is to begin May 14 in Saskatoon — is less than a month away.
Part of the anticipation relates to the arrival of quarterback Trevor Harris, who signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent on Feb. 14.
A noted diagnostician throughout his CFL career, Harris is someone who reads and reacts without a wasted millisecond.
Sort of like, say, Noah Picton?
“A lot of the stuff that they do is pre-snap,” Mitch Picton concurred. “Noah was an extremely intelligent quarterback and I feel like there are some similarities there.
“They’re both very cerebral in the way they attack the game. They take what the defence gives them and they always know where they’re going with the ball, based on coverage and that sort of thing. They get the ball out quickly to where it needs to go and let their playmakers take it from there.
“That’s something that I’m looking forward to. Part of my game that I definitely pride myself in is understanding the offence and understanding defences as well and being in the right place at the right time and finding holes.
“Hopefully Trevor is able to kick it out to us and we’re able to make some things happen.”
By then, one cautiously presumes, all the Colorado Lows will have passed — and Picton will be picking up first downs instead of a shovel.
“I can’t wait,” the personable pass-catcher concluded, relishing the notion. “There truly isn’t anything like playing at home in front of our fans and being able to do it for real.”
