College Football 2012 Top 150 Players: No. 138 Le'Veon Bell, Michigan State RB

No. 138: Le'Veon Bell, No. 24, Michigan State, Running Back

In his freshman season, Le'Veon Bell was one of my favorite players to watch across the country. He was a change-of-pace back of sorts for the Spartans, and the kid was a perfect complement to Edwin Baker in the backfield.

Two seasons later, there is no Baker, and he has to carry the load entering the season as the feature back.

Strengths

Bell is explosive and extremely talented with good field vision. Those are the things that led him to passing Ed Baker in 2011 for the role of the Spartans' primary ball-carrier.

Against teams in the Big Ten that did not have the edge of the defense buttoned down, like Wisconsin, Bell was effective at getting to the corners and picking up positive yardage. The kid is a playmaker that has the ability to make the quick cuts before getting back up to speed and picking up more yards.

Bell also has solid pass-catching skills. The shifty kid from Ohio caught 35 balls for the Spartans a year ago and was capable in their screen game.

Weaknesses

In a nutshell, the major unproven part of Bell's game is his ability to pick up the tough yards.

The kid is a wizard at shaking defenders, making the jump cut and out-sprinting the defense; between the tackles and in traffic is where he needs to improve. Defenses that manned the edge well render Bell virtually useless, as evidenced by his 95 total rushing yards against Notre Dame, Michigan and Georgia.

Against the Dawgs, Bell posted an average of just 2.8 yards per carry. In the Big Ten, a running back has to be able to run inside and outside to be truly successful, so that is where Bell must improve in his junior season.

2012 Predictions

Edwin Baker is gone, having moved on to the NFL draft. That means Bell will be getting even more carries, with senior Larry Caper acting as the secondary back.

More carries is a good thing, as long as the explosive kid can prove that he is capable of getting the tough yards. Michigan's defense is going to be stout on the edge, as will Nebraska's and Notre Dame's—all teams that Bell did not have his best games against in 2011.

Expect Bell to hit the 1,000-yard mark that he missed by 52 yards a season ago. But for Michigan State, a team that will have massive quarterback and wide receiver issues, just crossing 1,000 yards won't be enough.

Bell has to be active in the pass-catching game and maximize his production if Sparty wants to get back to the Big Ten Championship Game.