David Bell an exciting and unique 2022 NFL Draft prospect

Although former teammate Rondale Moore has held most of the spotlight on the Purdue offense, 2022 prospect David Bell has been the team’s most productive receiver since arriving on campus. 

When David Bell committed to Purdue in early 2019, he was expected to join forces with Rondale Moore to create one of the most dangerous receiving tandems in college football. Unfortunately, Moore was hampered by injuries and only played in a total of seven games in the final two years of his college football career.

As a result of Moore’s absence, Bell was given a bigger role in the Boilermaker offense, something not all true freshmen can handle. But Bell proved throughout his first season in West Lafayette that he was far from a typical freshman player. He racked up 86 receptions for 1,035 yards and 7 touchdowns and won Big Ten freshman of the year.

Bell continued to turn heads during his sophomore campaign, finishing with 53 receptions for 625 yards and eight touchdowns in only six games. This impressive production has put Bell on the NFL’s radar as he approaches the start of his junior year.

Bell is one of the best players in the country when it comes to high-pointing the ball and outmuscling defenders to come down with it. At 6’2″, 205 pounds, Bell has the preferred size of an NFL receiver and has demonstrated excellent body control in contested catch situations. According to PFF, Bell has made the most contested catches of any Power 5 receiver since 2019.

Along with the highlight reel catches, Bell also can make the basic plays. Even though he has been targeted heavily over the last two years, very few drops show up on film. He is also able to get open from the slot and outside. His versatility should definitely be considered a positive.

As a route runner, Bell looks smooth going in and out of his breaks. He has good burst that helps him get off the line of scrimmage and make plays in both short and big yardage situations.

Although he has solid movement skills, Bell doesn’t seem to create a lot of separation on his routes. He has been so good in tight coverage situations that it hasn’t really hurt his production in college, but it may be difficult to maintain that style of play against NFL defenses.

At Purdue, Bell has run a somewhat limited route tree. This is always a challenging thing to evaluate because it’s hard to know if this is a direct product of Bell’s skill set or Purdue’s scheme. Since we can’t be sure, it’s hard to list this as a negative, but it is at least something to keep in mind.

Bell is a natural athlete who was a state champion in both football and basketball in high school. He has sufficient speed for the NFL and is regularly able to force missed tackles after the catch.

His physicality and play strength are as good as it gets for the position. He has no problem playing through contact before and after the catch. This, combined with his exceptional leaping ability, makes him a difficult matchup for any college corner.

What is so impressive about Bell’s early collegiate career is how productive he has been in an imperfect situation. Unimpressive play from the quarterback position and Moore’s limited availability put a lot of pressure on Bell to lead the offense, and he has stepped up to the challenge.

As of right now, David Bell seems to be projected as a late first or early second-round pick. There is definitely a place for Bell at the next level. However, where that place is and what role he will have remains to be seen. I could see concerns about his ability to separate from defenders, but his elite ball skills and body control make him an exciting prospect for the 2022 NFL Draft.