WR David Bell’s production screams NFL star, but will Cowboys be deterred by testing numbers?

With Amari Cooper’s departure, the Dallas Cowboys are very much in the wide receiver market come the draft in two weeks. Purdue’s David Bell had quite the productive career, tallying 2,946 yards and 21 touchdowns on 232 receptions.

In 2021, he earned first-team All-Big Ten, first-team All-American and Big Ten Receiver of the Year honors.

He was also named to 2020 First-team All-Big Ten, as well as being 2019 Big Ten Freshman of the Year, First-team Associated Press Freshman All-American, and Honorable mention All-Big Ten selection. A two-sport high school athlete (basketball, 4A state champion), Bell chose the Boilermakers over other Big Ten powerhouses Ohio State and Penn State.

The production is there, the question is whether the athleticism and film will translate to the NFL.

Measurables and Stats

Listed Height: 6-foot-1

Listed Weight: 212 pounds

Jersey Number: 3

Rushing Stats (2021): 3 attempts, 39 yards

Stats (2021): 93 receptions, 1,286 yards, 6 touchdowns

Film Study Information:

Games Watched: Iowa (2020), Northwestern (2020), Connecticut (2021), Notre Dame (2021)

Best Game: Connecticut (2021)

Worst Game: Notre Dame (2021)

Physical Skills Evaluation:

Route Running: Sells speed before breaking off his route to gain separation. Good at finding open throwing windows for the QB vs zone. Has good sideline awareness, is aware of where he is at all times, and does his best to get a foot down in bounds. Lacks real urgency in his routes.

Blocking: Willing to put his body between the ball carrier and defender, but don’t expect maximum effort. Will take some plays off when asked to block.

Contested Catch Ability: Good at using his body to box out defenders and optimize his ability to make the catch. Good concentration on the ball, will fight through defenders at the catch point to wrestle the ball away from them.

Beating Press: Only really displayed a speed and stutter release, doesn’t have the deepest of toolboxes here. Will need to add more to have sustained NFL success.

Long Speed: Not a burner, but has moments of threatening defensive backs with his vertical speed on go routes. Had a rough combine as he ran a 4.65, which puts him below the 5^th percentile for all receivers.

Performance Evaluation:

Separation: Isn’t the best separator, but that’s not how he wins. Wins with route tempo and out-physicaling defensive backs at the catch point.

Ball Skills: Good ball tracking ability, willing to go up in the air or down on the ground to bring in the catch. Fantastic ball concentration.

YAC Ability: Capable of making a jump cut and making one man miss, but won’t bust off any big gains where he avoids multiple people or breaks multiple tackles after the catch.

Ball Tracking: Tremendous ball tracker, adjusts routes in a flash, and optimizes his best angle at the catch point.

Versatility: Took a number of snaps outside and the slot. Best projects as an outside receiver in the NFL. Used as a motion receiver fairly often in college. Took a reverse and has success vs. Connecticut.

Strengths:

Fantastic body control and optimizes himself to be in the best position to make a catch. Good in contested catch scenarios. Finds open throwing windows for the QB vs zone. Fantastic at tracking the ball deep, on over the shoulder throws or throws where he has to adjust his body.

Weaknesses:

Long speed was a big hiccup for him in the combine where he clocked a 4.63, and has moments where it shows on his tape. He has flashes of threatening the defensive back vertically, but it’s not nearly enough to be a consistent basis. Doesn’t separate the best and lacks a wide range of releases in his toolbox.

Fit with the Cowboys:

If the Cowboys had gone a different direction and kept Cooper instead of re-signing Michael Gallup, Bell would have been a good fit.

Cooper is a natural separator who wins with his route running and ability to get open through it. That is not Bell. David Bell is a jump ball, contested catch receiver, similar to Gallup. Bell might have had trouble starting over Cedrick Wilson had he returned to the fold, the former needing time to develop his route running and add more releases to his toolbox.

All in all, he wouldn’t be a bad swing at a developmental wide receiver, but fans shouldn’t expect much out of him Year 1.

Prospect Grade:

Final Grade:

73.35, 4th round player

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