Rookie Spotlight: David Bell, Purdue (photo via Purdue Athletics)
Height: 6-1
Weight: 212
Hands: 9 1/4″
Arm: 31 7/8″
40 yard dash: 4.65
NFL Comparison: Allen Robinson, Rashod Bateman

College Production (Final Season)
23% team receptions
28% team receiving yards
17% team receiving TDs

Breakout Age: 18

Pros
– will only be 21 in his rookie year
– very young breakout age, made immediate impact on a team that also included Rondale Moore
– slinky, silky route-runner who separates with ease given smooth change-of-direction and instincts
– elite ability to “sell” routes and fool opponents
– great feet in his stems and at his route’s transition points
– mega-possession-receiver-plus: averaged over 100 yards a game over last two seasons
– not an overly physical player, but very adept after catch with terrific open-field vision
– had some of his biggest games versus toughest competition like Ohio State and Michigan State (2021)
– plays fearlessly
– excellent body control
– great hands

Cons
– not built to be a bully or win a majority of contested-catch battles
– limited acceleration
– more smooth than twitchy/quick
– doesn’t project to be a monster end-zone target
– bad 40 time, highlights lack of long speed

Scouting Notes: Bell is a route-running and footwork aficionado who has overproduced at every turn in his career as a possession-receiver-plus type of stat compiler. His feet are flashy and his ability to un-separate from Big 10 defenders is truly second-to-none in the 2021 class. While not a size/speed demon, Bell seems to manage to possess just the minimal amount of requisite size and strength to be a tough guy to tackle in the open field, and just enough requisite downfield speed to be able to get open deep. Of course, his starts and stops through his routes are magical and certainly aid in getting defenders off-balance or out of phase when trying to turn and run with him. Bell was as consistent as they come in 2021 as a true junior, and has actually seemingly overproduced expectations at every turn in his football career, from his immediate breakout onto the scene as a true freshman to his early true-junior NFL declare status. The combination of route-savviness with body control and great hands makes him feel like a player who will project as a similarly dependable target at the NFL level. Bell says he models his game after Allen Robinson, but his slightly slighter frame and smooth possession-receiver-plus profile remind us more of another Penn State alum in Chris Godwin — especially if Bell, like Godwin, tests better than expected in Indy.

Fantasy Outlook: Bell is likely to end up as a player who goes around the 1-2 turn in 1QB 2022 pre-NFL draft rookie drafts, around the same time as players like Jahan Dotson and George Pickens. Clearly, that order and whole tier could get shaken up with combine performances and landing spots, but Bell is not going to be a guy who falls too far, because fantasy players will almost always bet on talent first and foremost, especially in dynasty. Whether or not he’s in redraft consideration for 2022 will be determined by his NFL landing spot and how he looks in camp. He’s silky smooth, he’s fearless and he’s overproduced expectations at every turn. The absolute nut-high outcome for Bell would be to go to an offense where he’s paired with a young stud QB who could lock onto him and develop a chemistry for years to come. You truly could close your eyes and imagine Keenan Allen-like volume for a player like Bell one day in the NFL. On the not-so-bright side, Bell also has many similarities to Rashod Bateman in his game, and we’ve seen that after one year in a low volume attack like Baltimore’s, Bateman has not been much of a fantasy asset yet.