‘The closest is Adam Bighill’: B.C. Lions marvel at Jackson Findlay’s ‘insane’ success through four career CFL starts

Photo courtesy: Paul Yates/B.C. Lions
When the B.C. Lions traded up to select safety Jackson Findlay in the second round of the 2025 CFL Draft, they believed they were adding a foundational piece for the future.

They just didn’t realize how quickly that future would arrive — or how integral it would be to their Grey Cup hopes.

“We’re talking four starts, four interceptions,” defensive coordinator Mike Benevides raved about the rookie Canadian currently holding down his back end.

“I’ve made fun of the veterans. How long did it take you to get four interceptions? Four games? The old guys like T.J. (Lee) and GP (Garry Peters), they don’t like it, but I’m gonna tell them.”

Findlay has been on the Lions’ active roster virtually all season, cutting his teeth on special teams while carving out a package role for himself on defence. Reps increased weekly, but the 21-year-old from North Vancouver didn’t hit his stride until Week 16, when starting safety Cristophe Beaulieu went down early with a torn ACL.

The Western University product stepped in seamlessly, recording five defensive tackles against Calgary to go along with three stops on special teams. He went on to start the final four games of the regular season, generating a takeaway in every single one. It is a level of instant success that Benevides can find no true comparable to in his long and distinguished CFL tenure.

“Hell no. I go back to 1999, that’s a long time ago, but I can’t think of one at any position where someone stood in and just was amazing from the top,” he said. “The closest one was Adam Bighill when he had to play some linebacker. But when you’re looking at the free safety, secondary positions — that’s a challenge. I can’t think of one example throughout all that time.”

The comparison to Bighill, a three-time CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player and sure-fire first ballot Hall of Famer, is a lofty one, but Findlay may blow even that out of the water. While the current Stampeders’ backup exploded for over 100 tackles in his second season in Benevides’s defence, he was credited with just seven defensive tackles in 12 appearances as a rookie with B.C. in 2011. Findlay has 26 to date, including 21 since Beaulieu went down, plus another 12 on special teams — admittedly 10 fewer than Bighill managed in that category.

The smooth transition goes beyond just the raw statistics, too. Pro Football Focus, an analytics company that grades CFL players’ snap-by-snap performance, had rated Beaulieu as the league’s top safety prior to his injury, as he collected 36 defensive tackles, two interceptions, and one forced fumble. Since taking over, Findlay has risen to claim the second-best grade at the position, placing him above the two Divisional All-CFL selections, Calgary’s Damon Webb and Hamilton’s Stavros Katsantonis.

“It’s insane,” Benevides stressed. “When you take a look at what Cribo (Beaulieu) was doing just in his second year, it was phenomenal. Still a young guy and all the rest, but phenomenal. But to have Jack step in and do what he’s done, it’s just a credit to him and the coaches, RP (Ryan Phillips) and the guys.”

The Lions are a young defensive unit that has seen plenty of impact from rookies, including super-human plays from Robert Carter Jr. at the corner position and instant pass rush infusion from the likes of Levi Bell and Bradlee Anae up front. Findlay is just one part of that success, but the only part that every other CFL team passed on the chance to add to their roster.

All nine franchises had a chance to snag the OUA Defensive Player of the Year before B.C. traded with Toronto to select him 16th overall in April. Despite prototype size, a CFL pedigree four generations deep, and strong testing measurables, he wasn’t even the first safety off the board, with Montreal taking Calgary’s Nate Beauchemin two picks earlier.

While the story of any draft class isn’t written in a season, those decisions to pass on a seemingly can’t-miss safety prospect could be talked about for years to come.

“We knew he was intelligent — I mean, he’s gonna be a doctor one day. But he’s been able to make so many plays, and he’s been able to step in smoothly,” Benevides marvelled.

“Free safeties sometimes don’t want to get messy in the box. He loves it. He f***ing comes down into the box and tackles. He’ll blitz. He’ll do all kinds of great things. I can’t say enough good words about him, because the other thing is I make it hard on him from a check point of view, and he does a great job. It is a luxury to have him.”

When Beaulieu is healthy enough to return mid-way through next season, the Lions could have a dilemma on their hands about how to juggle two all-star-calibre safeties. For now, they’ll simply thank their lucky stars and hope Findlay’s pick streak continues when it matters most.

The B.C. Lions (11-7) will host the Calgary Stampeders (11-7) in the West Semi-Final at BC Place Stadium on Saturday, November 1, with kickoff slated for 5:30 p.m. EDT.  The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 770 CHQR in Calgary and 730 CKNW in Vancouver.