A report by Ryan Talbot reveals that the Buffalo Bills hosted Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell on Wednesday for an official pre-draft top-30 visit. Bell is the first known wide receiver brought in by One Bills Drive this draft cycle, and he’s a prospect with both fantastic size and decent college production.
At the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine, Bell measured in at 6’2” and 222 pounds, with 31 1/4” arms and 10” hands. He didn’t run agility tests at the combine, due to his continued recovery from an ACL injury suffered late during his final season of college football. Analysis of Bell via the Pro Football Network PFSN Mock Draft Simulator claims that Bell “likely” possesses 4.4-range 40-yard dash speed.
NFL Draft analysts see Bell as a well-rounded player with plenty of upside — thanks in large part to his football IQ, size and four years of steady complementary production at Louisville. In 47 games over four campaigns with the collegiate Cardinals, Bell caught 151 passes for 2,166 yards and 12 touchdowns; adding two rushes for 43 yards, and also five punt returns for 78 yards (per Sports Reference).
Some view Bell as a player with a running back’s mentality, likening him to players such as A.J. Brown or Xavier Legette. Bell himself has compared his game to that of Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, and even Julio Jones. That, of course is pie-in-the-sky material, but it’s impossible not to be intrigued by Bell’s traits and continued positive on-field development.
Detrimental to his NFL potential aside from the immediate concerns for how Bell’s knee recovers is the fact that he suffers too many drops and isn’t a natural hands catcher. Generally, draft analysts see Bell’s draft ceiling midway into Round 2, with him potentially sliding to an early Round 3 selection due to the prior mentioned injury. If fully healthy, Bell likely gets Round 1 consideration from more than a few teams.
Buffalo will no longer have a pick in Round 2 following the trade for Moore (unless they work a deal to move back into the second round), but Bell’s current situation lends an opportunity to potentially see the Bills call his name in Round 3 should they find passing on his potential too much of a risk.