Chris Bell NFL Draft 2026 Scouting Report for Miami Dolphins WR

Damian ParsonNov 9, 2025

The Miami Dolphins selected Louisville WR Chris Bell with the No. 94 overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft.

Chris Bell is a physically imposing and explosive, vertical matchup wide receiver prospect. He's an outstanding height, weight and speed receiver for NFL teams to bet on .

Bell puts defenses in conflict after the catch. He is built as an outside receiver but brings usage and alignment versatility to an offense.

Bell joined Louisville as a 3-star recruit in the 2022 class. He displayed his playmaking ability last season with 43 receptions for 737 yards and four receiving touchdowns. A late-season torn ACL can Bell to slip in the NFL Draft.

Dame Parson is the lead host of the Locked On NFL Draft podcast. He also serves as co-host of the Scouting Room NFL Podcast alongside Daniel Harms.

Highlights

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Where He Wins

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 17 Louisville at Miami

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- Bell is a powerful pass-catcher who welcomes contact. He possesses a physical and dense frame, allowing him to pinball off would-be tackles in space. He is a glue-guy receiver who is fearless working in the middle of the defense, where the linebackers roam.

- He is an explosive athlete after the catch. When Bell secures a pass in the open field, he shifts gears quickly and erases pursuit angles. He displays strong spatial awareness during the transition from receiver to runner.

- He is best-used as an in-breaking route runner. Bell excels at locating and occupying free space in the middle of the field. He decelerates well to hit his landmarks on time for his quarterback. Bell can dominate as a between-the-hashes receiver.

- Bell plays to his strong frame when attacking the football in contested situations. He makes combat or collision catches with defenders, initiating contact with his body. He possesses good ball skills and hand-eye coordination, allowing him to track the ball effectively before making a play on it. Bell has outstanding body control to decelerate and adjust to the ball's trajectory, such as back-shoulder fades and underthrown passes.

- His alignment versatility will assist the offense in manufacturing advantageous matchups to exploit. He presents a difficult matchup for small nickel corners to cover with a two-way go out of the slot.

- Bell displays good football IQ. He comprehends how to attack different coverages. He locates and attacks Cover 3/bail-technique cornerbacks' blind spot. He pushes corners off the ball before working across their face on in-breaking routes.

Areas of Improvement

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- Bell is not a natural hands-catcher. He has moments of double-catching passes and trapping them into his pads. This can be an issue against the active-handed NFL cornerbacks who will punch through the receiver's hands.

- He displays lateral rigidness within his release package at the line of scrimmage. This causes limitations in defeating press coverage quickly.

- He can benefit from better run blocking technique and effectiveness on the perimeter.

- He is a solid route-runner, but needs to improve his ability to separate from man coverage. Handsy and physical cornerbacks are difficult to disengage from in the contact window.