Purdue Wide Receiver David Bell Selected in the Third Round by the Cleveland Browns
LAS VEGAS — Wide receiver David Bell had to wait nearly until the end of the second day during the 2022 NFL Draft to hear his name get called, but the Cleveland Browns selected the Purdue prospect with the 99th overall pick.
He was the 16th wide receiver off the board, going in the third round.
The @Browns decided to #RingTheB3LL 🛎#ProBoilers | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/yVncZx1pUG
— Purdue Football (@BoilerFootball) April 30, 2022
During his three-year career with the Boilermakers, Bell made 232 receptions for 2,046 yards and 21 touchdowns. During the 2021 season, he was named the Big Ten Receiver of the Year after compiling 93 catches for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns in 11 games.
Bell burst onto the scene for Purdue as a freshman, tying the Big Ten lead with 86 receptions for 1,035 yards and seven touchdowns. He garnered Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors and was also an honorable mention by the conference.
During a shortened 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell still caught a career-high eight touchdowns on the season in just six games.
The Browns finished the 2021 season with an 8-9 overall record in the regular season while missing the playoffs. The team brought in former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper in the offseason after the departure of Jarvis Landry.
Bell was the second Purdue player to be taken in the 2022 NFL Draft after former teammate George Karalftis was taken in the first round by the Kansas City Chiefs.
READ MORE: Karlaftis goes No. 30 Overall in the 2022 NFL Draft
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D.J. Fezler is a staff writer for BoilermakersCountry.com. Hailing from The Region, he is from Cedar Lake in Northwest Indiana and has spent the last two years covering Purdue football and basketball.