Dillon Bell, Georgia: 2025 NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Bell was a three-star recruit from The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas in the class of 2022

Injuries pushed Dillon Bell into the lineup last season. He flashed impressive versatility and athletic traits during his limited opportunities. Expect Bell to break out this season and become Georgia’s top receiver prospect for the 2025 NFL Draft.

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Dillon Bell, WR Georgia: 2025 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Houston, Texas

Background: Bell was a three-star recruit from The Kinkaid School in Houston, Texas in the class of 2022. He was the No. 452 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 424 for On3.com. Bell was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked three-star recruit for ESPN with a 79 grade out of 100. As a high school senior, he led Kinkaid to a 9-2 record and the SPC 4A Championship. Bell finished the season with 46 receptions for 662 yards and ten touchdowns, 101 carries for 655 yards and 14 touchdowns, and seven completions on 15 pass attempts for 164 yards and three touchdowns. He also returned a few punts and kicks. Bell was the 2021 Offensive Player of the Year for the Houston Touchdown Club. As a junior, he caught 24 passes for 350 yards and two touchdowns, carried the ball 74 times for 607 yards and 18 touchdowns, and passed for three touchdowns. Bell produced 11 receptions for 109 yards and a score, 83 carries for 484 yards and seven touchdowns, and a passing touchdown during his sophomore campaign. He caught 21 passes for 223 yards and four touchdowns as a freshman. Bell also ran track and played basketball. He posted an 11.34 100-meter dash and a 23.68 200-meter dash in the spring of 2021. His brother, Micah, enrolled at Notre Dame as a wide receiver in 2023 and transferred to Vanderbilt this offseason.

Injuries & Off-Field: N/A

Awards: N/A

Pros: Special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units, returned half a dozen kicks in 2023, appears to have broad shoulders, built thick enough to take some carries, quick feet aid release, killer diamond release, plants and suddenly changes direction (during release and as a ball carrier), hand swipes and swats to combat press punches, rapid accelerator who eats off-man cushions quickly, doesn’t mind contact early in the route, hip and shoulder fakes mid-route, quick feet at stem’s peak sharpens cuts, snaps route off at top of the stem, quick to decelerate on short to intermediate curls and comebacks, sharp breaks on slants and posts, nice feel for holes vs. zone, ball tracking, gets low to dig catches out of the turf, comfortable making catches vs. tight coverage, body control along the sideline, concentration at the catch point, playmaker with the ball in his hands, open field cuts leave defenders grasping at air, flashes of positive lower body contact balance, absorbs contact and is tough to bring down, drops his shoulder to lay the boom on would-be tacklers, gadget playmaker with trick play ability, blocking play strength advantage vs. corners, competitive blocker

Cons: Limited slot experience, occasionally late off the line, release package generates limited separation vs. press, still learning to maximize leverage after winning vs. press at the LOS, route tree is limited, routes drift downfield due to lack of focus, started jogging on a route but was then targeted vs. Kentucky and had no separation (2023), jogs some routes when ball isn’t coming his way, ability to separate on in-breaking routes comes and goes, inconsistent hip sink on cuts, vertical separation doesn’t stand out, struggles to stack corners consistently, lacks home run hitting long speed, very little separation created vs. Alabama corners in man coverage (2023), a few concentration drops on easy catches, some lunging and leaning on blocks, inconsistent ability to sustain blocks, feet get wild when trying to line up/sustain blocks

Overview: Bell has special teams experience on the kick return, kick coverage, and punt return units and returned half a dozen kicks in 2023. He has a thick frame with broad shoulders. The Bulldogs use him as a do-it-all offensive chess piece, giving him reps out wide, at running back, and at H-back. He’s not big enough to handle a high volume of carries between the tackles, but he offers value on a limited volume and can create on off-tackle runs. Georgia also gets the ball to him on sweeps and has him run routes to the flat after lining up at running back. He’s a true playmaker with the ball in his hands worth scheming touches for. As a wide receiver, Bell’s quick feet give his release package fangs. He has some excellent diamond releases because of his ability to suddenly plant his foot and change directions. The junior also uses swipes and swats to clear press punches. He accelerates rapidly, eating the defender’s cushion in off-man. Early contact in the route often doesn’t bother Bell since he’s dense and quick enough to play through it. The Texas native uses hip and shoulder fakes to manipulate the defender mid-route. His quick feet execute sharp cuts as he snaps his route off at the top of the stem. He runs sharp curls, comebacks, slants, and posts. Bell already has a nice feel for finding holes in zone coverage. Unfortunately, he is sometimes late off the line and doesn’t have a complete release package. Bell generates limited separation against press coverage and doesn’t maximize the reps where he wins at the line. His route tree is still filling out, and he has surprisingly little experience operating in the slot. Bell’s routes drift downfield, and he got caught letting up and jogging too early on some plays in 2023. Defenders stick to his in-breaking routes, and he doesn’t sink his hips much for sudden cuts. Bell’s vertical separation doesn’t stand out, and he is forced to fall back on his contested catch skills since he lacks the elite speed to stack corners. The former three-star recruit suffers from some concentration drops but often displays elite ball tracking. Bell gets low to dig underthrown passes out of the turf and is comfortable making catches with defenders in his face. His concentration is excellent, especially when working on the sideline or climbing over defenders at the catch point. Bell’s body control also jumps out in these situations. After the catch, he makes sharp open field cuts to leave defenders grasping at air and has the contact balance to absorb hits and keep rolling. He even drops his shoulder to initiate contact against defensive backs. Bell is a competitive blocker, but his wild footwork makes it difficult for him to sustain blocks.

Overall, Bell is a versatile, dynamic athlete who is still refining his basic toolset as a wide receiver. The biggest concern with his tape is his inconsistent ability to create separation against quality, future NFL corners. For as promising as the tape against Tennessee and Florida State was in 2023, the Alabama tape was concerning. Bell’s draft stock is volatile but has top 100 upside.

Role & Scheme Fit: Gadget playmaker and developmental Z receiver

Round Grade: Fourth Round

Size: 6'1", 210 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 06-09-24