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Purdue’s David Bell leads all returning WRs in one impressive area

Dustin Schutte

By Dustin Schutte

Published:

Throw the ball his direction, and David Bell will come down with it. That’s been the method to Purdue’s passing attack, and it’s worked out pretty well for the Boilermaker offense and the wide receiver.

Bell has made a plethora of ridiculous catches during his first two seasons in West Lafayette. Whether he’s able to create space against a defender, tip-toe the sideline or make a play over a defender, the rising junior receiver has demonstrated the ability to do it all.

Pro Football Focus (PFF) recently provided an evaluation of Bell’s ability to make catches with a defender on him. According to the formula, he’s the best to do it in college football.

Bell has a 92.6 career receiving grade on contested targets according to PFF. That’s the highest grade among all returning receivers in college football.

No wonder Brohm is always targeting Bell when the Boilers are driving.

Bell was named the B1G Freshman of the Year in 2019 and was an honorable mention All-B1G selection. In his first year at Purdue, the receiver hauled in 86 catches for 1,035 yards and 7 touchdowns while also scoring 1 rushing touchdown. He picked up the slack for an injured Rondale Moore during the second half of the season.

Last fall, Bell was primarily the No. 1 target in Purdue’s offense again. He averaged a B1G-best 104.2 receiving yards per game and had 8 touchdown receptions. As a sophomore, Bell was a first-team All-B1G pick.

This season, Bell will be the top receiver in Purdue’s offense again and defenders are going to have a tough time stopping the junior receiver.

Dustin Schutte

Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB