Louisville Wide Receiver Chris Bell is a Ball Magnet

I kept going back and forth between a first and a second-round grade for Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell as the film was playing, but the more I watched him, the more I started seeing it.

Bell reminded me a little bit of wide receiver Deebo Samuel and a whole lot of receiver Ladd McConkey.

I evaluated Samuel when he played for the 49ers twice, once for Sports Illustrated Lions, and another time for Sports Illustrated Jets.

I studied McConkey when he was back at Georgia before he was selected by the Chargers in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft (No. 34).

Come to think of it ⎯

There’s a little of receiver Zay Flowers mixed in there, too. Flowers was a first-round pick of the Ravens in the 2023 NFL Draft (No. 22).

Bell is a prospect who makes me thankful I decided to start doing full-season evaluations.

Why?

Bell’s potential is subtly seen on his game film. He’s a hybrid between a running back and a wide receiver with some deep game.

That’s a problem.

Hands

2024:

• 43 receptions
• 67 targets

While that amounts to a catch rate of 64.2%, I only saw him drop two passes he should’ve caught. Bell has dependable and confident hands. He is seen plucking the ball out of the air regularly.

Sophisticated and smart route runner

Bell has explosive short-area speed at the snap and when he’s out running his routes. He can create throwing windows using his athleticism and crisp moves ⎯or⎯ with physicality.

This receiver is not an easy ask to cover.

For good measure, he runs some “off-speed” routes, making his playing speed hard to judge for cornerbacks. I liked how he took his foot off the gas when he was not the intended receiver, which helped clear out areas for other receivers. More than that, I loved how Bell was so dialed into his quarterback. Bell and his quarterback were on the same wavelength. Whenever the quarterback got in trouble and had to bail out, Bell was aware of the situation, and he worked to get himself open.

Great quality.

Any concerns?

There were some slight inconsistencies in the areas of creating route leverage and creating separation. I noticed a good number of times the quarterback looked his way, but then thought better of it.

Bell also showed a slight tendency to jump to catch the ball when he didn’t have to.

Little stuff that needs polish.

Luxury pick

I can see the rich getting richer with Bell.

He looks like the perfect pick for some playoff team with a great quarterback looking for a new No. 2 receiver.

Bell excels at getting open in the short-to-intermediate route level (0-19 yards), and that’s today’s NFL game.

#0 Chris Bell 6-foot-2, 220 pounds

Daniel Kelly’s 2025 Fall Grade: First-Round (I would select him)

Projected by NFL Mock Draft Database to be a First Round prospect as of November 15, 2025

2024 game film evaluated: Austin Peay, Jacksonville State, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, SMU, Virginia, Miami, Boston College, Clemson, Stanford, Pitt, Kentucky, and Washington (click to view games watched to form this evaluation)

2024: Returned 4 kicks with a long of 21 yards (ESPN)

2026 NFL Draft Scouting Report

Highly competitive chain-mover who excels against man and zone coverage. Thick upper body. Good playing strength. Lined up mostly outside. Sometimes inside. Tough. Physical. Selfless. High football IQ. Gets fired up. Can shake and bake or drive hard into routes. Good get up and go. Nimble. Graceful-looking movements. Quiet feet. Quick. Knows how to sell routes. Plants foot hard and crisp on slants. Uses his frame to box out corners. Posts up. Legit YAC. Strong runner with good contract balance and vision. Determined. Looks to cut it back inside instead of going out of bounds. Finds the soft spots in zone coverage. Good concentration in traffic areas and tight coverage. Decent catch radius. Compensates for not having top-shelf deep speed with excellent ball tracking skills. Good body control to adjust back to the ball when it’s in the air. Competitive blocker. Wants to win.

What to watch for during the 2025 college football season

1. Consistently gaining route leverage?

2. Deep game?

3. How does his playing speed look?

Daniel Kelly is a former NFL Scout with the New York Jets. He was hired on the regime which featured Bill Parcells, Bill Belichick, Scott Pioli, Mike Tannenbaum, and Dick Haley. He is currently the Editor-in-Chief for First Round Mock, and has written for Sports Illustrated (Lions, Jets, and 49ers), NFL Draft Diamonds, and Yardbarker, as well as a featured guest on ESPN Radio and Fox Sports Radio. Featured in USA Today. For more information about him visit his website at whateverittakesbook.com. Follow on Twitter @firstroundmock.