It’s a very safe bet that, if you’re reading this, David Bell is faster than you. The standout Purdue wide receiver was considered among the top-tier wideouts in the 2022 class … until he went down the street to Lucas Oil Stadium and participated in the NFL Scouting Combine.
The Indianapolis native “stayed home” to attend Purdue. Bell rolled into West Lafayette and produced. His 1,000-yard receiving season as a true freshman put him on the prospect radar. He and Rondale Moore formed an onerous duo for Big-10 defenses in 2020. Moore was the gadget dynamo, the athletic freak. Bell was the squeaky-clean X receiver who stole cornerbacks’ lunch money. Moore moved on to the Arizona Cardinals in 2021, while Bell marched forward and breezed through another massive season for the Boilermakers. If Bell’s game could be summed up in one word, it would be consistent.
“But he’s too slow …” is the mantra of the analytics crowd, their RAS-weighted calculators whirring in disapproval. No, Bell isn’t a speedster. Most wide receivers in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, including the greatest of all time, had their mere existence questioned over a lack of top-end speed. Bell’s 4.65 40-yard dash is comparably slow for a wide receiver, but it doesn’t matter. Today’s best receivers, Cooper Kupp and Davante Adams, are athletic clones of Bell. Both of them had to answer questions about their lack of speed as young professionals.
