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What David Bell brings at WR

What David Bell brings at WR


Bell’s draft stock took a hit after he posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.65 seconds, a slower-than-average mark for a receiver. The Browns felt comfortable drafting him in the third round, however, and believe Bell can make up for his speed with his smooth route-running, diverse route tree and catch ability, which was evident from how he totaled only 11 drops among his 232 career receptions.

The Browns don’t need Bell to be a speed threat — they already have at least two of those types of players in Anthony Schwartz and Donovan Peoples-Jones. They simply needed another receiver who could catch and produce big plays, and Bell did plenty of that at Purdue.

O’Shea broke down one of the plays that highlighted that: an impressive deep-ball catch against Notre Dame last season. Bell ran a vertical route and leaped over the defender to make a tricky two-handed catch, one that he still corralled despite not having much separation between him and the defensive back.

“We saw him as one of the best players in the draft as regards to his ball skills,” O’Shea said. “He did it in a lot of contested areas, or where he was closely matched at the top of the route.

“That was a difficult catch. He has a defender that’s closely trailing him or matching in man coverage, and he has the ability to make those plays and show his great ball skills.”

Even though he might not be a player that will consistently burn defenders, Bell can still do plenty of other things with his body to create just enough space to make a catch.

“Speed is one thing, but there’s so many things that go into being a great receiver,” O’Shea said. “It’s body control. It’s an ability to understand where you are on the field and have sideline awareness. All those things are critical in the development of a young wide receiver, and he certainly has a lot of those things that we’re able to work with.”

The Browns gave Bell an ample load of reps from the slot, where his talents could best fit in the offense, during OTAs and…

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