David Bell Scouting Report: 2022 NFL Draft Prospect

Purdue Boilermakers, WR

David Bell has not been the most dynamic receiver that Purdue has had these past few years. That Rondale Moore guy was pretty good. But Bell makes up for that by just being incredibly smooth in every move he makes as a receiver. I took a look at his games against Iowa and Minnesota last year as well as his partial game against Notre Dame this season.

Background

As a true freshman, he caught 86 passes for over 1,000 yards and seven touchdowns. He followed that up by making eight touchdown catches in a shortened 2020 season. He was off to a great start in 2021, averaging over 100 yards per game while averaging a touchdown scored. Unfortunately, he took a dirty hit from Notre Dame in their most recent game and will likely miss some time.

Hands

All scouts have their biases. One of mine is that I like receivers who can catch. Call me crazy, but that is one trait that seems to be true in all of the best wide receivers in the NFL. It’s also the reason that I was much lower on guys like Sammie Coates and KJ Hamler coming out of college. David Bell can catch. In fact, to say Bell’s hands are strong is a gross understatement.

This is just stupid. That is such a bad pass, and that defensive back has the interception before David Bell treats him like a toddler and steals his ball on the playground. This isn’t a one-off thing as he had a similar play against Iowa last season as well. There are not 50/50 balls with David Bell, as most defensive backs would be lucky to make it 60/40.

Concentration

Bell has an uncanny ability to track the ball. No matter what the defender is doing to him, he maintains focus and does an incredible job of finishing catches. Above, he gets knocked down by the defender and somehow manages to turn while falling and fully extends his arms to make the catch. Somehow, he looks natural doing it.

If you’re thinking that one catch was a fluke. Let me assure you. It was not.

Getting forced out of bounds while having to cut his route short? No problem for David Bell. He adjusts his original route, slows slightly, and then turns back into the ball to make the catch while getting two feet in for good measure. Again, he makes it look routine.

Balance

Bell also does a nice job of getting yards after the catch.

His balance while making catches also applies to after the catch as he can bounce off tacklers and get a little extra with the ball in his hands.

Route Running

David Bell just understands how to get open.

This is a great understanding of the coverage in running his route. If he makes a deeper cut, it gives the safety playing over the top a chance to get even with him, but by cutting his route short, he gives his quarterback a huge window to drop the ball in and get the touchdown grab.

Athleticism

My only concern with his game is I don’t know what kind of athlete he is. He was able to get open deep, but he used his excellent balance to produce extra yards as opposed to flat out speed. He’s not going to blow people away with his athleticism, but I will be interested to see if he’s more of a 4.4 guy or a 4.5 guy in order to see what type of potential he has in the NFL.

Conclusion

There were two words that kept popping into my head when watching David Bell. Smooth and fluid. Guys who show that football is hard are impressive, but guys who make it look easy are special. David Bell is special. I may have questions about his athleticism which could limit his upside, but I have no doubts about his ability to succeed at the next level.

 Author: Joe Loncarich