The mystery ILB: Beau Bell

[patchick]

Ah, to play for a team like Ohio State! Every fan in the country will see your games and know your strengths, and every draft analyst will have a good bead on your standing.

And then there's Beau Bell of Nevada. Quick, how many Nevada football games did you watch this year? Yep, me too. And good luck finding any highlight videos online. In fact, good luck finding ANY solid information on this 6'2" 248 athlete who has played both inside and outside in the 3-4 and put up dominating numbers as a senior. Or maybe he's 6'1" 239, or possibly 6'3" 245. I've read that he's exceptionally fast but not strong against blockers; also that he's a strong run-stopper but lacks the speed to drop into coverage. His strengths are intelligence, field awareness and leadership...er, I mean those are his weaknesses. He's projected as a round 4-5 guy, except by those who think he'll be gone by the top of the 2nd. In other words, forget about reading up on him too, it will just make your head spin.

Bell has been invited to the Senior Bowl; can the DVR crowd please give him a long look and provide some real information? Thank you!

[VJCPatriot]

There will be some players that make a name for themselves in the Senior Bowl and the North-South bowl. I saw Patrick Willis dominate in I believe the Senior bowl, and i could tell he was the real deal. Unfortunately he went at #11. The Pats have the chance to draft a truly great player like Willis sitting at #7.

[DaBruinz]

Hmm.. Well, not sure what site has him projected as a 4th/5th round guy. This site: http://www.nfldraftscout.com has him as a 1st/2nd round pick as an ILB prior to the juniors coming out. NFLDraftcountdown has Bell ranked as the 7th best OLB. So, I guess it will depend on which position they have him ranked at.

Here are some of the negatives they mention:

Originally Posted by NFLDraftScout.com

Some have questioned Bell's toughness after he missed five games last season with a sprained ankle. ... Is viewed as a bit of a loner and isn't the rah-rah team leader many teams prefer at the inside linebacker position. ... Good timed speed, but lacks great quickness and body control, making him a bit of a runaway locomotive, at times. ... Can over-pursue and leave cut-back opportunities for runners. ... Relies too much on his athleticism in defeating blocks. ... Only an average blitz threat, at this time, lacking the lateral quickness to elude blockers and the technique to disengage.

Now, I don't take everything they say as being 100% accurate but the things in bold stood out to me. The Pats can develop technique to disengage and elude blockers. What is slightly worrisome is the part about being a loner and not a leader.

[midwestpatsfan]

I am really high on Beau as well and he is higher than a 4th/5th pick. I think he would be a great pick with our 2nd. here is some other stuff on bell from the unlv website:

Bell, who leaves UNLV as its second-leading career tackler with 320, became the first player in league history to be named MWC Defensive Player of the Week three times in one season. He turned in the sixth-most tackles in school history with 126 as a senior, which leads the MWC and ranks 20th in the nation. He also stands 11th nationally with 6.58 solo tackles per game.

Not just a tackling machine, however, Bell was a playmaker all over the field, tying for fourth in the nation with five forced fumbles and ranking fifth in the MWC with a team-leading four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown at Wyoming. He also led his team with 9.5 tackles for loss, ranked second with three QB sacks and third on the squad with three pass breakups. The fourth player in UNLV history to be invited to play in the Senior Bowl, Bell had eight double-digit tackle games, including a season-high 15 (11 solo) at New Mexico to close his illustrious college career.

[dryheat44]

Originally Posted by midwestpatsfan

I am really high on Beau as well and he is higher than a 4th/5th pick. I think he would be a great pick with our 2nd. here is some other stuff on bell from the unlv website:

Bell, who leaves UNLV as its second-leading career tackler with 320, became the first player in league history to be named MWC Defensive Player of the Week three times in one season. He turned in the sixth-most tackles in school history with 126 as a senior, which leads the MWC and ranks 20th in the nation. He also stands 11th nationally with 6.58 solo tackles per game.

Not just a tackling machine, however, Bell was a playmaker all over the field, tying for fourth in the nation with five forced fumbles and ranking fifth in the MWC with a team-leading four interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown at Wyoming. He also led his team with 9.5 tackles for loss, ranked second with three QB sacks and third on the squad with three pass breakups. The fourth player in UNLV history to be invited to play in the Senior Bowl, Bell had eight double-digit tackle games, including a season-high 15 (11 solo) at New Mexico to close his illustrious college career.

This sounds like the resume of another small-school LB who had GMs concerned about the level of competition. His name was Zach Thomas.

[midwestpatsfan]

Originally Posted by dryheat44

This sounds like the resume of another small-school LB who had GMs concerned about the level of competition. His name was Zach Thomas.

And Beau does not have the size issues Thomas had. Despite playing at UNLV, he is a big time player. He will excel at the senior bowl and probably run very well. I think he is this years Patrick Willis and will rise fast after his pre draft performances.

[patchick]

Originally Posted by midwestpatsfan

I am really high on Beau as well and he is higher than a 4th/5th pick.

Many draft sites undervalue 3-4 LB prospects in general, and barring red flags I agree that Bell could be a high pick. But if you look around, there isn't even any consensus that he's the best LB prospect in Nevada! Or, for that matter, any consensus on Bell's position...

GBNreport lists Ezra Butler as prospect #90 overall, Bell out of the top 100. OLB/ILB not specified.

Football's Future lists Bell as the #7 OLB, Butler as #10 OLB.

NFLDraftScout lists Bell as the #2 ILB and #26 overall prospect, Butler as the #6 OLB and #44 overall prospect.

Condraft does not rank Bell among the top 20 at either ILB or OLB, Butler is their #7 OLB but not a top-100 prospect.

About.com ranks Bell the #9 ILB prospect, Butler not ranked in top 10 OLBs.

NFLDraftDog ranks Bell the #14 OLB prospect, Butler #5.

And the topper: The HuddleReport ranks Bell as the #11 OLB, Butler as #9...but in their writeup on Bell, they describe him as "the best pure MLB in this draft"!


I guess my point is just that major-conference players like Adibi, Leman and Highsmith are generally ranked very consistently, while small-conference guys like Bell are all over the map -- both in rankings and descriptions.

[patchick]

Originally Posted by midwestpatsfan

And Beau does not have the size issues Thomas had. Despite playing at UNLV, he is a big time player. He will excel at the senior bowl and probably run very well. I think he is this years Patrick Willis and will rise fast after his pre draft performances.

Have you seen him play? Any comments on his style?

[midwestpatsfan]

Originally Posted by patchick

Have you seen him play? Any comments on his style?

I have seen him play. I caught wind of him last year when he played against my team (Iowa State). He dominated in that game and was all over the place and did just about everything to pull the upset that day. Since then I have caught a few of there games. I think he could play both inside or outside, but here most likely inside. His pass coverage will need to get better, but he did do much better with that this year, and he did have 4 pics I think this year. Very fast, very strong, and is a great tackler. He reminds me a lot of DeMeco Ryans from a few years back and even Patrick Willis. He has the speed to go sideline to sideline and always finds the ball. I think he is going to be one of the best at the position.

[patchick]

Originally Posted by midwestpatsfan

I have seen him play. I caught wind of him last year when he played against my team (Iowa State). He dominated in that game and was all over the place and did just about everything to pull the upset that day. Since then I have caught a few of there games. I think he could play both inside or outside, but here most likely inside. His pass coverage will need to get better, but he did do much better with that this year, and he did have 4 pics I think this year. Very fast, very strong, and is a great tackler. He reminds me a lot of DeMeco Ryans from a few years back and even Patrick Willis. He has the speed to go sideline to sideline and always finds the ball. I think he is going to be one of the best at the position.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! Glad to get your insights.