Skyler Bell Reminds Buffalo Bills Coach of a 'Younger [Stefon] Diggs'

Despite being sidelined during the Buffalo Bills’ mandatory minicamp, rookie Skyler Bell did enough during OTAs to leave quite the impression on one of the team’s former players-turned-coach.

Dean Marlowe previously played parts of four seasons in Buffalo and has since returned to the organization to serve as its fellowship coach for the 2026 season. As he has watched the Bills’ offseason workout program, the new Bills’ new coach couldn't help but harken back to his playing days and drum up a comparison for the team’s new young pass catcher.

“He honestly reminds me of a younger [Stefon] Diggs,” said Marlowe on The Film Room. “And he might be a little bit faster.”

Bell ran a 4.4-second 40-yard dash and a 1.53-second 10-yard split at the NFL Scouting Combine, helping him earn an athleticism score of 85, which was fifth-best among players scored at his position.

Diggs spent four seasons with the Bills, finishing each of them with over 1,100 receiving yards and eight touchdowns or more. If that’s the ceiling for Bell, a fourth-round pick selected at No. 125 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft, it would be a boon for Buffalo.

“Skyler Bell has done a fabulous job,” said Marlowe. “He doesn’t look like a rookie to me.”

A lot of similarities between Bell and Diggs

Marlowe then recalled a few routes that Bell ran during the Bills’ offseason work in which the youngster “stopped on a dime” displaying his natural capacity to gain separation, as he did routinely during his final collegiate season at UConn. Separating from defenders has also been a strength of Diggs' throughout his career.

Bell was nearly unstoppable in 2025 with the Huskies, finishing with a Pro Football Focus receiving grade of 85.2, which ranked 34th among 679 graded wide receivers. The 5-foot-11, 192-pound wide receiver totaled 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns as a senior.

Diggs, who measures 6-foot, 191 pounds, was also a mid-round pick, selected by the Minnesota Vikings at No. 146 overall in the fifth round of the 2015 NFL Draft, extending the similarities between him and Bell. He also came from a non-traditional football school at Maryland, where he thrived, recording over 2,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in three years with the Terrapins.

There was already a lot to like about Bell, but this latest comparison takes the cake. It would also negate any need to sign Diggs as a free agent, an idea that has been floated by the veteran WR and others this offseason.

Marlowe would know what a good receiver looks like

Bills safety Dean Marlowe celebrates his interception against Miami. | JAMIE GERMANO / USA TODAY NETWORK

If anyone is well-equipped to evaluate Bell as a prospect, it’s Marlowe, who spent nine years in the NFL as a safety, playing in 75 games, including 22 starts. While he was never a Pro Bowl-caliber player, Marlowe has been around the block, including spending the 2020 and 2022 as his teammate.

Marlowe's best season as a pro came with the Bills in 2021, when he finished with a career-high 67 tackles over 16 games, including nine starts. During the 2020 season, he recorded the only two interceptions of his career during Buffalo’s final game of the season, a 56-26 rout of the Miami Dolphins on Jan. 3, 2021.

The NFL veteran spent the 2025 season with Oklahoma State, his alma mater, as a defensive quality control coach before joining the Bills’ coaching staff this offseason. As a veteran of the league who has seen it all, Marlowe’s early impression of Bell should serve as music to Bills fans’ ears.

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