Chris Bell Could Be a Broncos Value Pick

Finding Broncos has returned. Draft season is here, and we're breaking down the 2026 class with individual scouting reports. Let's talk about Louisville wideout Chris Bell.

Background

Bell spent time at a JUCO before choosing Louisville over Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and Florida State. He grew every year and was poised to break the 1,000-yard mark in 2025 before tearing his ACL, which ended talk of him as a first-round pick in the 2026 NFL draft and cast doubt on how much he could play as a rookie.

Stats

Bell caught 12 touchdowns in four years at Louisville, with 151 total catches on 223 targets. He has dropped 13 total passes, with seven in the last two years on 168 targets.

Bell has 96 first-down catches in his career and 74 in 2025. He caught 21 of 39 contested catches the last two seasons, while being 33 of 59 in his career.

Pros

Oct 17, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Louisville Cardinals wide receiver Chris Bell (0) carries the football for a touchdown against Miami Hurricanes defensive back Jr. Romanas Frederique (29). | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Bell showed steady year-over-year improvement, was viewed as an ascending payer, and still could be. He has good size and a great build, with plenty of toughness to work the middle of the field and the boundary.

Bell isn’t phased by physical coverage, and a tough press at the line doesn’t create too much disruption, as he showed good ability to fight through it and stay in phase with the play. Bell has a resilient mentality in all phases, but especially with the ball in his hands, where he can be extremely tough to take down.

Bell shows great understanding of angles, both with the ball in his hands and in his routes to stack defensive backs on his hips and keep them there. There is also good athleticism that shows in all phases, especially in his ability to make adjustments and make a play on the ball.

Cons

The ACL tear throws Bell's evaluation off because there is no way to know how he will return from it. Will he be the same player, or will he be different? Even though ACL injuries aren’t what they used to be, they can still affect a player's mentality.

Bell's ability to get off press coverage is solid, but it isn’t the cleanest and stems from some bad footwork. He is resilient against the press, but at the NFL level, that may not be enough to hide the issues. Bell also lacks nuance in his route running and is very easy to read, allowing defenders to get into good position.

Is Bell a natural separator? There is a strong correlation between NFL success and the ability to separate, and he has issues in this area. It stems from a lack of nuance as a route runner, a lack of predictability in his routes, and a lack of quickness in and out of breaks.

Fit With the Broncos

Bell fits well with the Broncos' offense and could give them the yards-after-the-catch player they've been lacking, though Jaylen Waddle helps there. However, the Broncos already have a logjam at wide receiver, and while Bell would likely be essentially redshirted as a rookie, they would have to open up the depth chart in some way in 2027.

It also could be hard for the Broncos to spend an early pick on a player who has little chance of making a significant impact in the 2026 season.

Grade

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