David Bell -- WR -- Purdue

[UntouchableCrew]

Anyone interested in WR David Bell in the 2nd? Great route runner, catches everything, has his biggest games against the best opponents. Extremely productive.

His HC Jeff Brohm, who was a backup QB with the 49ers back in the day had an interesting comp:

“David reminds me of a young Jerry Rice for the fact that everything is smooth. He doesn’t look like he’s going to make the spectacular play, but he always makes the play,” Brohm said. “He’s just a steady, consistent competitor, and we’re glad he’s on our team.”

“He’s just a playmaker,'' Purdue quarterback Jack Plummer said. “He’s a guy who you can look to and you can trust that he’s going to do the right thing.”

 

[derp]

We've talked about him a bit in the prospect thread - Bell looks like such a safe bet to be a good pro. Feel like he's a layup in the second round. Don't think he's going to run particularly well and I'm not entirely sure he's an awesome fit for what the Jets want offensively but I think what he does tends to translate to the pro level. He should get drafted higher than he will IMO.

[Untouchable]

Don’t really know anything about him but these sound like the exact same things people said about Jordan Matthews like 8 years ago.

[ElBarrioJets]

He kinda reminds me of Corey Davis? We already have one of those. 

[derp]

28 minutes ago, Untouchable said:

Don’t really know anything about him but these sound like the exact same things people said about Jordan Matthews like 8 years ago.

Not sure if that's meant to be good or bad. Matthews was a pretty good pro until injuries took a toll.

In general the 6'2+ 205+ 4.55ish guys with good hands who go on day two tend to translate well. They don't all work out but it tends to be a good way to draft the position and a pretty prudent allocation of draft capital. Certainly better than the sub 4.3 guys with okay college production who go day one purely because they run fast in a straight line.

That said, I'm not sure he fits "speed creates pressure, pressure bursts pipes".

[Chrebetfan80]

14 hours ago, derp said:

Not sure if that's meant to be good or bad. Matthews was a pretty good pro until injuries took a toll.

In general the 6'2+ 205+ 4.55ish guys with good hands who go on day two tend to translate well. They don't all work out but it tends to be a good way to draft the position and a pretty prudent allocation of draft capital. Certainly better than the sub 4.3 guys with okay college production who go day one purely because they run fast in a straight line.

That said, I'm not sure he fits "speed creates pressure, pressure bursts pipes".

Ive said I like bell alot, i just dont think his times are going to be what were looking for in this offense.  He's got great body control, great hands, sound route running although i wouldnt say its out of this world, but he's so smooth he's able to get in and out of breaks well.  There isnt a lot of suddenness to his game, I dont know if thats a by product of him being a very smooth strider where his breaks are just good, but even his double moves they just seem to cruise, where id like to see some more violence in the feet at the top of routes. 

If you want another dependable WR who will catch the ball well and make some plays, i think he's a really good fit, if you want a game breaker im not sure he's that guy.  If they were to pair him with another WR that was very fast and add both to this offense i think it would be really good.  You need a mix of both, if youre telling me he slots into Coles role next year then I feel really good about that.  

[UntouchableCrew]

Agree he's not going to test well but that's part of why I think he's going to end up being a great value. He's just one of those guys who is going to get open and make plays -- if he had speed he's an obvious first rounder, IMO.

That said, I can see what you're saying about what we're looking for in a WR.

[derp]

30 minutes ago, Chrebetfan80 said:

Ive said I like bell alot, i just dont think his times are going to be what were looking for in this offense.  He's got great body control, great hands, sound route running although i wouldnt say its out of this world, but he's so smooth he's able to get in and out of breaks well.  There isnt a lot of suddenness to his game, I dont know if thats a by product of him being a very smooth strider where his breaks are just good, but even his double moves they just seem to cruise, where id like to see some more violence in the feet at the top of routes. 

If you want another dependable WR who will catch the ball well and make some plays, i think he's a really good fit, if you want a game breaker im not sure he's that guy.  If they were to pair him with another WR that was very fast and add both to this offense i think it would be really good.  You need a mix of both, if youre telling me he slots into Coles role next year then I feel really good about that.  

Very much agree. I do still think he’s going to be good but I don’t think it’ll be with the Jets.

Bit about him in the Cole role is interesting. They’re likely replacing Crowder as a starter this offseason - whether it’s draft or FA. My lean is they’d want someone who can expand upon what Crowder has been asked to do this year, you agree?

[Chrebetfan80]

1 hour ago, derp said:

Very much agree. I do still think he’s going to be good but I don’t think it’ll be with the Jets.

Bit about him in the Cole role is interesting. They’re likely replacing Crowder as a starter this offseason - whether it’s draft or FA. My lean is they’d want someone who can expand upon what Crowder has been asked to do this year, you agree?

it depends... See this is where it gets interesting.  Because if you say we're going to fill his role in the offense, then thats where a guy like Wilson comes into play.  And the flexibility you have with him and moore being able to be inside and outside makes it really interesting.  ORRRR do you go with a guy like bell or even burks who are bigger targets and say moore will operate more in the slot than on the outside in the future

Id rather go smaller and then expand outwards.  Similar to how the Rams have done it for years with kupp and woods.  I think wilson and Moore could be like that for us in this offense.  But also, i do enjoy bigger more physical wrs who can dominate a game, so really i could go either way.  

Also I name only these guys but theres a number of later round players that will be good.  2nd round guys like bell, tolbert, possible pickens.   Drummond later on isnt as big at 6'1 but i think weighed in around 220 so he's a solid boy. 

[Chrebetfan80]

justin shorter is another name thats interesting later on.  much better feet than youd think for a guy of his size, also a big time prospect out of HS thats kind of gotten buried over at FL. 

[Guilhermezmc]

BALLER

[BurntDice]

He definitely seems very safe, but his ceiling doesn’t seem that high. I’d rather take Williams, Dotson, Wilson. He’ll probably be a solid #2

[Paradis]

Going down the Bell path today--

He's a possession guy; day 3/WR3 on an NFL roster. No athletic pop in his game. Tyler Johnson, but craftier. It's too bad, if he was more naturally athletic - he could be a force. His overall hands/tracking/body position is good. Love his feet and short-area shiftiness. it's why he could probably stick as possession guy in 3-4 WR sets - where Tyler can't even get on the field. 

Feast in zone, famine in man.

[PepPep]

I would like a deep play threat to play opposite Davis with Moore in the slot. Mims was supposed to be that guy. If we are drafting his replacement (in a sense) Bell is not the best fit. I've recently brought up Alec Pierce as potentially a target in Rd. 3 or 4 for that role. But a guy I also like is George Pickens. High upside, low floor type player.  

Otherwise, for our style of offense I really like Wan'dale Robinson and Jahan Dotson. But if the Jets bring back Berrios, with Moore already taking hold of that starting slot position, it makes a lot less sense to draft another diminutive 'slot' WR.  

None of these guys are going Rd. 1. This assumes Burks, Williams, Olave, Wilson and London are all off the board by Rd. 2. There's a good chance one or two of them slide, but I'm not making that assumption. 

[jetstream23]

I think I like this guy more than some others here.  His best attribute might just be that he's pretty well-rounded, like he doesn't seem to have any major dent in his game.  At the same time, he doesn't have those one or two things that make him jump off the tape and make you say... WR1.

With that said, I think the important things are all there and his feet, his predictable and creative routes, and his hands all look above average.  When I watch him I think that IF he had just one more thing like blazing speed or if he was 6'4" then we'd be talking about him as a late 1st or early 2nd (maybe #35) guy.  He looks like a mid/late 2nd rounder to me.  A better version of Van Jefferson.

[sec101row23]

6 hours ago, jetstream23 said:

I think I like this guy more than some others here.  His best attribute might just be that he's pretty well-rounded, like he doesn't seem to have any major dent in his game.  At the same time, he doesn't have those one or two things that make him jump off the tape and make you say... WR1.

With that said, I think the important things are all there and his feet, his predictable and creative routes, and his hands all look above average.  When I watch him I think that IF he had just one more thing like blazing speed or if he was 6'4" then we'd be talking about him as a late 1st or early 2nd (maybe #35) guy.  He looks like a mid/late 2nd rounder to me.  A better version of Van Jefferson.

I’ve seen him mocked late first round in a few places.   Will be interesting to see how he tests.  

[Jets Voice of Reason]

4 hours ago, sec101row23 said:

I’ve seen him mocked late first round in a few places.   Will be interesting to see how he tests.  

 

10 hours ago, jetstream23 said:

I think I like this guy more than some others here.  His best attribute might just be that he's pretty well-rounded, like he doesn't seem to have any major dent in his game.  At the same time, he doesn't have those one or two things that make him jump off the tape and make you say... WR1.

With that said, I think the important things are all there and his feet, his predictable and creative routes, and his hands all look above average.  When I watch him I think that IF he had just one more thing like blazing speed or if he was 6'4" then we'd be talking about him as a late 1st or early 2nd (maybe #35) guy.  He looks like a mid/late 2nd rounder to me.  A better version of Van Jefferson.

That's an interesting comparison I can dig it. I think everyone likes David Bell, it's just hard because of the measureables conversation, but the guy is going to be a good pro. I don't know why, but I just feel like he'd be like a cotchery type of guy for us with possibly higher upside.

[jetstream23]

5 hours ago, Jets Voice of Reason said:

 

That's an interesting comparison I can dig it. I think everyone likes David Bell, it's just hard because of the measureables conversation, but the guy is going to be a good pro. I don't know why, but I just feel like he'd be like a cotchery type of guy for us with possibly higher upside.

That's exactly who I thought of as well.  Cotchery was underdrafted and ended up overachieving a little for where he was taken.  But similar to Bell (and to Van Jefferson) it's another guy who did just about everything really well, above average, but didn't do any one thing particularly great.  When it comes to the Draft it seems that a guy has to have that one significant differentiator that pushes him into the 1st round or that gets people thinking, "Oh, I can see this guy as a WR1."   If you check all the boxes you need to have extra thing like elite speed or elite size that propels you up the board.  

[Beerfish]

On 1/8/2022 at 1:37 PM, Paradis said:

Going down the Bell path today--

He's a possession guy; day 3/WR3 on an NFL roster. No athletic pop in his game. Tyler Johnson, but craftier. It's too bad, if he was more naturally athletic - he could be a force. His overall hands/tracking/body position is good. Love his feet and short-area shiftiness. it's why he could probably stick as possession guy in 3-4 WR sets - where Tyler can't even get on the field. 

Feast in zone, famine in man.

You are going to rue underestimating this guy.   Knows how to get open, catches the ball.

[mrcoops]

I'm quite intrigued by Bell.  Jerry Rice is obviously a very positive comparison, though it's clearly a longshot for Bell to become even half of what Jerry Rice was at the pro level.

Could be very nice value in the 2nd round though. A real route technician, with impressive body control. Not the biggest or the fastest WR, but a guy who will produce in the NFL because he knows the position so well and works hard at his craft.

I wouldn't hate him as one of the Jets' picks in the 2nd round, I think he would fit nicely in the scheme.

[Paradis]

On 2/15/2022 at 2:55 PM, Beerfish said:

You are going to rue underestimating this guy.   Knows how to get open, catches the ball.

I would be happy for him to be baller. I don't dislike the player, just the potential. Tyler Johnson. 

On 2/16/2022 at 1:52 AM, mrcoops said:

I'm quite intrigued by Bell.  Jerry Rice is obviously a very positive comparison, though it's clearly a longshot for Bell to become even half of what Jerry Rice was at the pro level.

Could be very nice value in the 2nd round though. A real route technician, with impressive body control. Not the biggest or the fastest WR, but a guy who will produce in the NFL because he knows the position so well and works hard at his craft.

I wouldn't hate him as one of the Jets' picks in the 2nd round, I think he would fit nicely in the scheme.

Even if you're a Bell guy, that's top dollar for him. Value on day 3, sure. I wouldn't draft him at all, but I can appreciate why someone would want to believe in his craftiness. 

[JetBlue]

I'm taking Pickens if he is there.  He has true number 1 potential and at the least should be a solid 2.