The Miami Dolphins had a straight-up bizarre second day of the 2026 NFL Draft. Armed with an enviable quantity of picks, GM Jon-Eric Sullivan defied consensus big boards a couple of times in the third round before landing on Chris Bell to cap off Miami's four-player Day 2 haul.
Bell tore his ACL late last season, but not before piling up 72 receptions for 917 yards and six TDs in his final year at Louisville to earn first-team All-ACC honors. That medical red flag dropped Bell from a potential Day 1 pick to the tail end of Round 3.
Every other team's loss was the Dolphins' gain. While Bell doesn't come without his flaws as a prospect, one draft expert's take, combined with Miami's current situation, could foreshadow a breakout rookie campaign.
Chris Bell has the tools to become Malik Willis' go-to target for the Miami Dolphins
FanSided's resident draft guru, Mike Luciano, provided a strong breakdown of what Bell would bring to his eventual NFL team once he heard his name called in Pittsburgh:
"Bell is going to immediately turn some scouts off due to his lack of a professional route tree, and that's even before considering his serious ACL injury. Perhaps they can be won over when they see how he runs like a powerful running back after a catch. The ball skills suggest that added development can make him an NFL boundary player."
Even though he wasn't able to test at the Combine, the 6'2" Bell showed up and tipped the scales at 222 pounds. That's quite the thick frame, yet Bell has incredible explosiveness and has claimed he can run in the 4.3-second range in the 40-yard dash. Quite the blend of size and speed, not to mention, as Luciano highlights, the ability to overpower defensive backs in the open field.
It's not a surprise to see Sullivan lean into Bell's sort of body type. During his lengthy front office tenure in Green Bay, Sullivan was on hand for the Packers drafting a lot of players in that mold. Miami's polarizing selection of 6'3 1/2" Texas Tech wideout Caleb Douglas fits that mold, too.
The Dolphins are jokingly referred to as Packers Southeast because of their core trio of Sullivan, head coach Jeff Hafley, and quarterback Malik Willis. The latter is an excellent downfield thrower, so drafting a couple of weapons with big catch radii makes a lot of sense.
But expectations should be low for Douglas. He was viewed as a massive reach at No. 75 overall. Not so much the case for Bell, who doesn't face a lot of competition to ascend the depth chart in Miami in short order.
Multiple other draftniks expressed serious optimism about Bell in the aftermath of what could be the crown-jewel steal of Miami's massive rookie class:
Love the Dolphins getting Chris Bell here. Big upside as a perimeter WR who flashes the making of vertical route running and has juice after the catch. Great pick. pic.twitter.com/0FYsIP2M57
— Matt Harmon (@MattHarmon_BYB) April 25, 2026
"I think Chris Bell is the receiver with the most upside in the draft" 📈
— Underdog NFL Draft - Josh & Hayden (@UDFootballShow) April 25, 2026
Turn on the tape Dolphins fans - he looks like the best athlete on the field 🐬 pic.twitter.com/AZCGwupcLA
Fins fans should indeed be bullish on Bell's upside. He's basically a bigger, 2.0 version of newly acquired veteran receiver Jalen Tolbert, with similar burst to diminutive speedster Tutu Atwell, another free-agent signing.
We'll see how soon Bell can hit the field in Miami. Once he does, expect Willis to look his way often for massive chunk plays through the air to ignite the Dolphins' passing attack amid an exciting new era.
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