David Bell in the NFL
In the NFL. Photo: Erik Drost, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Receiver, Purdue, 2019–⁠21

David Bell

Number
No. 3
Height
6′2″
Weight
205 lb
Class (2021)
Sophomore
Hometown
Indianapolis, IN
Born
Dec 14, 2000

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David Bell played receiver at Purdue (2019–⁠21). He was a consensus All‑American in 2021. The Cleveland Browns took Bell in round 3, No. 99 overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.

At a glance

Best season
1,286
Receiving yards, 2021 (Purdue, 9–⁠4)
Best game
240 yards
At Iowa, week 7, 2021: No. 1 receiving game in FBS that week
Drafted
No. 99
Round 3, 2022 NFL Draft (Cleveland Browns)

Career highs

14catches, career highat Northwestern, 2019240receiving yards, career highat Iowa, 20213receiving touchdowns, career hightwice; last at UConn, 2021

Honors

Players of the year, conference and regional honors: Wikipedia’s lists (CC BY-SA), each linked from its honor.

Receiving

Receiving yards, season by season, with his team’s record
SeasonTeamRecYdsAvgTDLong
2019Purdue861,03512.0754
2020Purdue5362511.8889
2021Purdue931,28613.8660
Career2322,94612.72189

Season lines from CollegeFootballData, regular season and bowls.

On the roster

SeasonTeamNo.PosClassHtWt
2019Purdue3WRYr 1
2020Purdue3WRYr 2
2021Purdue3WRSo. (Yr 3)6′2″205

As each season’s roster listed the player (CollegeFootballData). Classes before the latest listing are counted back from it; “Yr 1” is the year on file where that count can’t place a season he played (a redshirt, transfer or 2020 year); height and weight as last listed.

Per play

SeasonTeamPlaysEPA/playPctileMedianTotalUsage
2019Purdue1280.4840th (n=499)0.5461.715%
2020Purdue770.5753rd (n=346)0.5543.619%
2021Purdue1210.8776th (n=410)0.67105.315%

Expected points added: how much the player’s plays moved the team’s expected score, per play and in total. Plays: total EPA divided by EPA per play, the plays the source credits to him (for a receiver roughly his catches and runs, not every target; for a passer, not every attempt), so it can differ from attempts plus carries. Percentile: against the position’s regulars that season across all divisions on file (quarterbacks with 150+ plays, backs 60+, receivers and tight ends 30+), with how many there were (n) and their median; a dash means too few plays to rank. A season in progress uses the full-season bar scaled by games played, never below 75 plays for quarterbacks, 30 for backs and 20 for receivers. The cohort grows or shrinks with the source’s coverage each season (2025 lists far more players), so compare percentiles rather than raw EPA across years. FCS seasons are marked. Usage: the share of the team’s plays the player was part of (shown from 20 plays). From CollegeFootballData, 2013 on.

Game by game

2021 Purdue 11 games, 93 catches, 1,286 yards, 6 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Sep 4vs.Oregon StateW 30–⁠218134042–
Sep 11atUConnW 49–⁠0612135926
Sep 18atNotre DameL 13–⁠27764032–
Oct 2vs.MinnesotaL 13–⁠206120034–
Oct 16atIowaW 24–⁠711240160–
Oct 23vs.WisconsinL 13–⁠30633010–
Oct 30atNebraskaW 28–⁠239740216
Nov 6vs.Michigan StateW 40–⁠2911217153–
Nov 13atOhio StateL 31–⁠59111030237
Nov 20vs.NorthwesternW 32–⁠1412101021–
Nov 27vs.IndianaW 44–⁠7679120–
2020 Purdue 6 games, 53 catches, 625 yards, 8 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Oct 24vs.IowaW 24–⁠2013121322–
Oct 31atIllinoisW 31–⁠249122130–
Nov 14vs.NorthwesternL 20–⁠27978019–
Nov 20atMinnesotaL 31–⁠348104247–
Nov 28vs.RutgersL 30–⁠37468119–
Dec 5vs.NebraskaL 27–⁠3710132189–
2019 Purdue 12 games, 86 catches, 1,035 yards, 7 TD
DateOpponentResultRecYdsTDLongRush
Aug 30atNevadaL 31–⁠34149149–
Sep 7vs.VanderbiltW 42–⁠24482030–
Sep 14vs.TCUL 13–⁠341−100–
Sep 28vs.MinnesotaL 31–⁠388114037–
Oct 5atPenn StateL 7–⁠35356043–
Oct 12vs.MarylandW 40–⁠149138230–
Oct 19atIowaL 20–⁠2613197154–
Oct 26vs.IllinoisL 6–⁠24518071
Nov 2vs.NebraskaW 31–⁠277230139
Nov 9atNorthwesternW 24–⁠2214115118–
Nov 23atWisconsinL 24–⁠4512108129–
Nov 30vs.IndianaL 41–⁠4491361312

Box scores from CollegeFootballData, 2004 on. ✦ postseason; ★ a career high on file.

Before the draft

DrillCombine 2022
Height6′0⅞″
Weight212 lb
Arm length31⅞″
Hand size9¼″
Wingspan76⅝″W
40-yard dash4.65 s
10-yard split1.56 sW
Vertical jump33″
Broad jump9′10″
3-cone drill7.14 s
20-yard shuttle4.57 s

Unmarked: Combine and pro day results compiled by array-carpenter (nfl-draft-data); W: Pre-draft measurables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA).

In the NFL

3 seasons, 25 games with a stat; latest team: Cleveland Browns.

SeasonTeamGRecYdsTD
2022Cleveland Browns15242140
2023Cleveland Browns9141673
2024Cleveland Browns13270
NFL career25414083

Regular seasons, from nflverse (CC BY 4.0). G counts games in which the player recorded a stat.

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