The Buffalo Bills picked UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell in the fourth round at No. 125 overall in the 2026 NFL Draft. They acquired the selection in their second trade down of Round 1, a deal with the Patriots.
This is the fourth piece in my rookie profile series, which will provide a detailed look into my pre-draft thoughts on all the Bills’ 2026 draft selections minus punter Tommy Doman Jr., whom I did not evaluate before the draft.
Be sure to check back during the week (and maybe into next week)
for the other rookie profiles in this series.
Previous Rookie Profiles
Skyler Bell rookie profile
NFL comparison: Sterling Shepard
Big Board rank: No. 63 overall (selected: No. 125 overall)
Positional rank: WR15 (selected: WR21)
Round grade: 2/3
My pre-draft scouting report on Bell:
Skyler Bell is a modern inside–outside wide receiver with a lighter, compact build and enough length to play bigger than his size. He’s a smooth, easy mover with good initial quickness off the line and fluid acceleration into routes. While not physically imposing, he has the athletic profile and movement skills to align both in the slot and outside depending on usage.
Bell wins with suddenness and tempo more than strength. He shows clean footwork underneath and can sell double moves with his ability to change speeds without gearing down. He’s a natural hands-catcher who consistently plucks the ball away from his frame, and he finishes better than expected in contested situations thanks to tracking and timing. After the catch, he’s more functional than dynamic, relying on quickness and awareness to avoid clean hits rather than breaking tackles. He can struggle versus physical coverage early in routes, and while his route running is solid, it doesn’t consistently create separation on its own. His speed is slightly above average — not quite to his testing figures — and there are occasional concentration drops on routine throws.
Overall, Bell projects as a rotational receiver with inside–outside versatility and reliable hands, but without a true standout trait. His well-rounded skill set is where his value resides. He can move around the formation and contribute at all levels without commanding constant defensive attention.
Skyler Bell relevant stats at Wisconsin / UConn
Career yards per route run: 2.15
Final season yards per route run: 3.13
Career drop rate: 9.8%
Final season drop rate: 3.8%
Career contested-catch win rate: 50%
Final year contested-catch win rate: 63.5%
Career missed tackle forced rate: 14.5%
Final year missed tackle forced rate: 14.7%
Lots of numbers here. I’ll give context on all of them. Yards per route run (YPRR) is the ultimate receiver efficiency metric. In the NFL, a single season above 2.0 is really good. Above 3.0 is like Puka Nacua/Ja’Marr Chase Land. For draft prospects, anything even approaching 2.0 for a career is outstanding. Bell’s was 2.15. The 3.13 in 2025 for Bell is super high.
His career drop rate of close to 10% is worrisome, in fact, 10% is right when worry tends to set in for receiver prospects. Yet his strong showing his final season in that category does squelch some of that concern. This is the first of many times you’ll read this from me regarding contested catches. They absolutely are not “50-50” balls. In fact, it’s one area of NFL football that skews defense today. The best contested-catch receivers in the NFL hover around 50%, even if you’re a 40% contested-catch winner you’re doing an admirable job. For draft prospects, it’s not uncommon to see 65% and up for a season and Bell approached that lofty figure in 2025. Impressive.
While separation is king at wideout in the modern era, I remain a firm believer in yards-after-the-catch capability. Bell’s career and final-year percentage right around 15% is good, not great. Every draft class features a small collection of YAC monsters with MTF percentages in the 25-30% range. He can make defenders miss on occasion — it’s just not his specialty.
Skyler Bell combine / pro day numbers
Height: 5’11 5/8” (28th percentile among WRs)
Weight: 192 (28nd)
Arm Length: 31 7/8” (48th)
Hand Size: 10” (87th)
10-Yard Split: 1.53 (65th)
40-Yard Dash: 4.40 (85th)
Vertical Jump: 41” (95th)
Broad Jump: 133” (95th)
Final thoughts on Bills fourth-round pick of WR Skyler Bell
Strictly based on my pre-draft evaluations and grades, which of course are meant from a league-wide perspective and not tailored to specific teams, I thought Bell was selected a massive steal, the second-largest of its kind in Buffalo’s 2026 class compared to my overall Big Board rankings. I had a late second/early third-round grade, much earlier than he was selected.
He’s the exact type of shifty, speedy, sudden separate I firmly believed the Bills needed to add to their receiver group given how much separation has been an issue at that position the past two seasons. Is he Davante Adams right now. Of course not. And he’s not Khalil Shakir after the catch either. Yet there’s a fine blend of vertical ability, intermittent pops in YAC scenarios, and brilliant ball-tracking to make an instant impact on Buffalo’s offense.
In my conversation with Chris Parker (Bulldog) at WGR550 the week after the draft, he mentioned a prediction that Bell will be a regular in three-receiver sets by Halloween. I really like that. He’s a very NFL-ready mid-rounder that provides something mostly different than any other receiver on the roster. Bell has a different body-type wise than D.J. Moore. Ironically, though, at this stage of Moore’s career, they’re not very different stylistically.
