The New England Patriots invested the fourth overall selection in last year’s draft in an offensive tackle, but they very much remain in the market for longer-term help at the position. While we are optimistic about Will Campbell’s outlook, his right-side counterpart Morgan Moses is getting up there in age and will eventually need to be replaced.
The Patriots will have their pick of the litter in this year’s draft, but one player literally stands out above the rest: Markel Bell from the University
of Miami, a school the team has plenty of ties to.
Hard facts
Name: Markel Bell
Position: Offensive tackle
School: Miami (Sr.)
Opening day age: 22 (7/18/2004)
Measurements: 6’9 1/4”, 346 lbs, 87 1/8” wingspan, 36 3/8” arm length, 9” hand size, 5.36s 40-yard dash, N/A Relative Athletic Score
Experience
Colleges: Holmes (2022-23), Miami (2024-25)
Career statistics: 29 games (21 starts) | 1,578 offensive snaps, 170 special teams snaps | 33 quarterback pressures surrendered (3 sacks, 2 hits, 27 hurries) | 11 penalties (incl. 0 declined/offset)
Accolades: Third-team All-ACC (2025)
A mix of limited exposure and raw technique meant that Bell flew largely under the radar coming out of Cleveland Central High School in Cleveland, MS. The zero-star recruit did receive a handful of scholarship offers, but he ultimately opted for Holmes Community College just 70 miles from his hometown. He spent two seasons with the Bulldogs and along the way became one of the hottest JUCO players in the country.
Following his second season at Holmes, he was graded as a four-star recruit and received offers from several high-profile schools such as Arkansas, Auburn or Mississippi. He went on to commit to Miami, and over the final two years of his college career appeared in 29 games with 21 starts — all as the Hurricane’s left tackle.
A third-team all-conference selection as a senior, Bell was a key member of a team that advanced all the way to the National Championship Game in 2025. None of his teammates played more offensive snaps than his 1,034 that year.
Draft profile
Projected round: 3-4 | Consensus big board: No. 126 | Patriots meeting: N/A
Strengths: Bell is a monster of a human, whose size is unmatched in this year’s draft. He ranks in the 99 percentile in height, 98 percentile in arm length, 97 percentile in wingspan and 96 percentile in weight among offensive tackle prospects since 1999. Naturally, he eats up a lot of space and due to his natural length and the area he can cover is able to keep defenders engaged from a distance while also maintaining control throughout contact.
He combines his size with impressive strength. Once properly anchored down, moving him off his spot is a tall task for defenders. He also has the grip strength and core power to plow defenders out of the way if he gets his hands on them. He is able to do so in part because his feet are adequately quick and he covers plenty of ground when on the move, which in turn helps make up for some of his other shortcomings. He also has shown he can handle a high-volume workload.
Weaknesses: Standing at 6-foot-9, Bell naturally plays high and has issues winning the leverage game against smaller defenders on a consistent basis. This shows up both in pass protection and run blocking, with his tendency to lean and inability to get underneath opponents detrimental to his success and running counter to his raw power.
Bell is also not the most fleet-footed blocker, whose foot speed is limited and who is slow to get off the snap. Speed rushers can give him problems; his recovery is limited by his athletic makeup — he is size and muscle rather than quickness — and his usage of secondary counters is still rudimentary. In open space, Bell is not entirely lost but still reliant on his sheer length to make a difference. He also needs to learn to synchronize his feet with his upper body to maximize his abilities,
Patriots preview
What would be his role? Bell has clear starter-level traits, but he would enter the Patriots as a backup at offensive tackle for the 2026 season. He would be a candidate to serve as a third/swing tackle who could see the field as a sixth blocker in select packages, while also serving on the field goal and extra point protection units. However, given his need for technical refinement, he would not threaten the positions of Will Campbell or Morgan Moses atop the depth chart.
Does he have positional versatility? Bell’s versatility is limited to playing his listed position on offense and, as noted above, taking the field in the kicking game. He should be able to line up on both sides of the line as a left and right tackle, and as an in-line tight end whose sole purpose would be to block in the run game or help with perimeter pass protection.
What is his growth potential? Athletically, Bell is very much a specimen but he has considerable space for development from a technical perspective. He needs work on his base and his sets, and needs to break his tendency to lean into opponents — something easier said than done for somebody who has the height of a medium-sized dinosaur. However, if he learns to combine his raw traits with better technique and continues to stay on the trajectory from his JUCO days, he very much has what it takes to become a starter in the NFL.
Why the Patriots? The Patriots are entering 2026 with the aforementioned Will Campbell and Morgan Moses as their starters at the left and right tackle positions, but Moses’ long-term outlook is murky: at age 35, he is in year-to-year territory. Adding Bell possibly with the 125th pick in the fourth round of the draft would therefore make plenty of sense, because the setup would be perfect for a player in need of some development: he would sit a year before ideally taking over for Moses.
Why not the Patriots? Despite his immense potential, Bell is still a project at the end of the day and the Patriots might not be willing to spend a premium pick — and those within the first four rounds can be considered as such — on him. There are players with a clearer projection if lower overall ceiling available. In addition, 2025 seventh-round pick Marcus Bryant, who himself is a massive human, also might be a factor when it comes to the decision of adding more tackle depth.
One-sentence verdict: Bell is an exciting prospect due to his rare physique and sky-high potential, who makes sense as a developmental prospect with the future in mind.
For more information about Markel Bell and the rest of this year’s class of prospects, please take a look at Adam’s 2026 NFL Draft Guide.
Also, what do you think about Bell as a potential Patriots target? Do you like him? Where would you pick him? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts.
