The Dolphins used their third pick in the third round, No. 94 overall, to take Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell. One of the most productive receivers in college football, Bell produced 2,166 career receiving yards on 151 receptions, 12 touchdowns and averaged 14.3 yards per catch.
1. Big-time production, big-time games
Chris Bell was enjoying the best season of his college career in 2025, pushing to lead the nation in receiving yards. Despite missing the last two and a half games, Bell finished with 917 yards. An ACL injury sidelined him in late November, but just four months removed from surgery, he's already running 18 mph.
His biggest game happened against the best defense he faced, and in the building where he'll suit up for his home games in the NFL. Bell posted 166 receiving yards and two touchdowns in a win over the University of Miami in 2025, the most allowed by the Hurricanes all season.
2. A tank with a rocket strapped to his back
A theme of this Dolphins 2026 Draft has been identifying players with rare traits. There aren't many humans with a 222-pound muscular frame capable of running 40 yards in 4.3 seconds, but that's the company Bell keeps.
In the Miami game, Bell pulled away on two long catch-and-run touchdowns. He erased angles and zoomed past a defense full of NFL Draft picks.
"We felt like the talent is very high," General Manager Jon-Eric Sullivan said. "The upside is very high, and it's a long-term investment with kind of looking down the road. We think we got a really good one."
Bell is a thick, compactly built athlete who bounces off tacklers and wins at the catch point. He produced 372 yards after the catch last season and averaged 7.2 yards after the catch in 2024. In his career, he caught 33 of 59 contested catch opportunities.
3. Consistent improvement
Staying at Louisville for the duration of his four-year career, Bell got better each season. Coaches praised his expansion of the route tree, and his drop rate fell each season, as low as four percent in 2025. He did that while filling up the highlight reel with acrobatic, one-handed catches, displaying exceptional body control and field awareness.
4. Tough with a chip on his shoulder
Bell's game at Louisville was primarily about turning short crossing routes into explosive plays. Although he was productive and uber-competitive on back-shoulder throws, 66 percent of his catches came between the numbers. There's a toughness to his game, a chip on the shoulder that he uses as fuel every day.
"I've been having this ranking on the front of my home screen since this pre-draft started," Bell said. "It's going to be in my mind. I'm going to write that on my mirror and every day I wake up, I'm going to see it. I'm going to tell myself, 'This is how many guys they took before you."
For more on the Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft selections, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
