Tag: Jaheim Bell

Hunter Henry sees ‘tremendous talent’ in Patriots rookie TE

Jaheim Bell is an exceptional talent no one is talking about, but Hunter Henry sees it behind the scenes

New England Patriots tight end Hunter Henry had high praise for rookie tight end Jaheim Bell when speaking with media members.

Bell was drafted by the Patriots in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft, and he currently has one catch for one yard on the season. Nevertheless, the Patriots seem to want to get him going in the offense.

Bell was a multi-faceted player at Florida State. He had 39 receptions for 503 yards and two touchdowns last year.

Now, he is looking to add an injection of youth to a position that is full of veteran talent. The organization drafted him as a high-upside player, and it appears he is showing up in practice.

“He’s doing a great job… We love having him in the room. He’s a tremendous talent who we feel like we have to get going,” said Henry, via MassLive’s Mark Daniels.

Bell’s development could be important for the future of the Patriots’ tight end position. Henry is 29 years old, and backup tight end Austin Hooper is 30 years old.

Continued progress from the rookie will be integral to the success of the position moving forward.

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Patriots rookie TE seizing opportunity with big-time practice performance

Could the Patriots have a three-headed monster at tight end?

New England Patriots rookie tight end Jaheim Bell has impressed throughout the training camp practices.

He had a huge day at Sunday’s practice in particular, scoring three touchdowns on offense. It was an important performance considering both veteran tight ends, Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, were out with injuries.

The hype around the seventh-round draft pick began early on. The Florida State product was compared to Deebo Samuel by his coach, wide receiver specialist TJ Brown. For the Patriots, Bell is the kind of player who could be looked back on as a major draft steal down the road.

“I’ve just been prepared every day,” Bell told reporters. “Whenever it was my time for me to shine, yesterday was one of those days for me. I always tell myself, ‘Be ready for when that moment comes.’ Because when you get those moments, you don’t want to look back and say, ‘I wish I did this, and I wish I did that.’ With that opportunity I made the most of it.”

Bell could be an intriguing player to watch for the Patriots. He was a low-risk, high-reward draft selection.

New England needed depth at the tight end position, and Bell could be a strong No. 3 option. Even with Henry and Hooper in the mix, the rookie has shown enough that he might still be given opportunities to make an impact.

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Senior Bowl director impressed by Patriots’ rookie late-round draft pick

Rookie late-round draft pick could be viewed as a steal for the Patriots

Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy offered insight into New England Patriots rookie tight end Jaheim Bell in ESPN’s Mike Reiss’ Sunday notes column.

Bell was selected out of Florida State in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL draft. He finished his collegiate career with 95 catches for 1,260 yards and nine touchdowns in total. He transferred to Florida State in 2023 after spending his first three years at the University of South Carolina.

The 2023 season saw him tally 39 catches for 503 yards and two touchdowns for the Seminoles.

His versatility was on display throughout his entire college career. A perfect example would be his game against the Tennessee Volunteers in November 2022, when he carried the ball 17 times for 82 yards, while also catching five passes for 39 yards.

His rare skill set is something that caught Nagy’s eye, and it could prove to be his calling card in the NFL.

“He is extremely versatile,” Nagy told Reiss. “This isn’t true helmet scouting, but there was some similar usage to him and what they got out of Deebo Samuel when he was [at South Carolina], just in terms of some of the slot and running back versatility. There was some fullback usage in there.”

It will be interesting to see exactly where he fits in the Patriots’ tight ends room. Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper are the top veteran options, but Bell will undoubtedly add a strong injection of youth talent.

If he puts it all together right out of the gates, he might not have to wait long to see game action.

Unexpected Patriots late-round rookie gets Deebo Samuel comparison

The Patriots might have gotten a steal with this draft pick

There’s belief that New England Patriots rookie Jaheim Bell could one day be looked at as one of the biggest steals of the 2024 NFL draft. The seventh-round pick is a versatile playmaking machine with the ability to do everything on offense.

No one knows this more than wide receiver specialist TJ Brown, who has worked with Bell behind the scenes. Brown has built a strong reputation through his incredible work with some of the best receivers in the country at the NFL, collegiate and high school levels.

When appearing on Patriots Daily with CLNS’ Taylor Kyles, he explained why he believed the Patriots got a steal with a player he believes has a similar trait to San Francisco 49ers star receiver Deebo Samuel.

“When I met [Jaheim], he was a big kid. He played receiver in high school. He played everything in high school,” said Brown. “I coached against him his senior year in the playoffs. …He ran the first punt back. Next drive, they get the ball, he caught a pass, took it to the crib. Next time, we scored, kicked the ball to them, he took a kick return to the crib.

“Jaheim has always been a great athlete with big size. So I actually think ya’ll got a steal with him on some Deebo-type stuff because he can really do everything. He can get stuff out of the backfield. He can run routes. He can block. Actually at the Senior Bowl, they actually said he had the best blocking out of all of the tight ends that was there.”

Along with Bell, Brown has also worked with Patriots rookies Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker.

Adding a do-it-all tight end was one of the biggest needs for New England when entering the draft. They currently have veterans Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper on their roster, but they clearly needed some youth at the position.

Bell’s unique skill set could get him on the field sooner rather than later. That would obviously be huge for a Patriots team desperately looking for more impact players to give their struggling offense a spark.

Patriots announce signings of three rookie draft picks

The Patriots make their first three rookie draft pick signings

The New England Patriots announced the signing of three players in their 2024 rookie draft class.

Quarterback Joe Milton III, defensive back Marcellas Dial and tight end Jaheim Bell made it official by signing their new rookie contracts on Friday.

Milton is joining a crowded quarterbacks room in New England that also includes rookie Drake Maye and veterans Jacoby Brissett and Bailey Zappe. The same will be true for Dial in the defensive backfield, especially with Christian Gonzalez and Marcus Jones healthy.

However, there are expectations that Dial can also contribute on special teams as well, which should get him in the mix sooner rather than later.

And then there’s Bell, who could be a surprise as a seventh-round pick. There’s a logjam at tight end with Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper leading the way, but it shouldn’t come as a surprise if Bell works his way into the mix at some point.

The Patriots released pictures of the rookies taking the field for the first time at rookie minicamp on Friday. It’s a big class in New England with eight players being taken off the board, and all of them have the potential to be difference-makers in their own unique ways.

Patriots select TE Jaheim Bell with No. 231 pick in 2024 NFL draft

The final pick for the Patriots is in, and it’s a tight end

The New England Patriots saved the tight end position for last, and they did so by grabbing Florida State’s Jaheim Bell, who was one of the more under-the-radar prospects on the board.

Bell’s versatility is obvious from the get-go considering he can line up as a receiving tight end and fullback. He’s a bit undersized at the tight end position, but he more than makes up for it as a playmaker.

The Patriots could be thinking of utilizing him more as a fullback blocker for Rhamondre Stevenson in the offensive backfield. That would also make him a threat as a play-action receiver or a runner in such sets.

This is another solid pick-up for the Patriots, who clearly came into the draft with the intentions of loading up the offense as much as possible. It was a job well done for a team that picked seven offensive rookies and only one defensive player.

That’s what happens when you have a top-10 defense and one of the worst offensive units in the league. Something needed to change.

2024 NFL Draft Scouting Report: TE Jaheim Bell, Florida State

An athletic move TE, what does Bell bring to the NFL and fantasy teams?

After three years at the University of South Carolina, tight end Jaheim Bell moved south with a transfer to Florida State for his senior season. He posted a personal-best in receptions (30) and receiving yards (503), showcasing his athletic traits by creating plays down the field.

Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 241 pounds
40 time: 4.61 seconds

A three-star recruit, Bell’s FBS highlight was a 2023 Second-Team All-ACC honor. He enters the NFL draft conversation as a hybrid tight end who brings positional versatility that historically hasn’t translated so well into the pro ranks.

Table: TE Jaheim Bell, Florida State (2020-23)

Year School Class Gm Receiving Rushing
Rec Yds Avg TD Att Yds TD
2020 S. Car Fr 5 1 29 29.0 0 0 0 0
*2021 S. Car So 13 30 497 16.6 5 7 40 0
*2022 S. Car Jr 12 25 231 9.2 2 73 261 3
*2023 Fla State Sr 13 39 503 12.9 2 4 2 1
Total 43 95 1,260 13.3 9 84 303 4

*includes postseason/bowl games (stats from Sports Reference)

Pros

  • Fast enough to challenge many safeties and linebackers down the seam — his 4.61-second 40-yard time ranked in the top 87% of TEs to attend the combine
  • Tough to bring down in the open field thanks to contact balance, leg drive, stiff-arms, above-average lateral movement traits, and leaping ability
  • Weaves through traffic extremely well — dangerous over the middle and on designed screens
  • Can play out of any receiver placement but is his best from the slot where he can exploit physical mismatches — also offers boundary traits when split out wide
  • Has enough functional strength to be groomed into being a better blocker
  • Showed rushing chops while at South Carolina

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Cons

  • Not a universal system fit as a tweener — unlikely to ever develop into a full-time, true “Y” as an inline tight end, due to his lack of size (91% of combine TEs were taller, 85% outweighed him)
  • Inconsistent hands and average catch radius — 79 3/8-inch wingspan ranks in the 56th percentile among combine TEs
  • Overpowered as an inline blocker and shows massive swings in effort
  • Could be limited to passing downs given his lack of size and point-of-attack strength

Fantasy football outlook

Bell, who compares to well to Tennessee tight end Chigoziem Okonkwo, will be a late-round selection, probably in the fifth or sixth, given his limitations. He would best fit an RPO-based system that looks to create mismatches in personnel alignments, and there’s an argument for him to be drafted as a situational TE2 in a West Coast offense.

Creative play callers, such as Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay, would scheme him into a role that maximizes his contributions. In terms of fantasy football success, it seems like a long shot for Bell to eventually mature into a consistent fantasy contributor. History works against tweener tight ends making a huge impact.

5 TEs the Colts should watch at the NFL combine

Here are some TEs the Colts should watch at the NFL combine.

The 2024 NFL Scouting Combine officially got underway with the start of workouts Thursday, and they’ll continue Friday with the defensive backs and tight ends taking the field.

The Indianapolis Colts will have a keen eye on all three positions—safeties and cornerbacks are lumped together—considering they are relatively high priorities in terms of needs this offseason.

While the combine is mostly important for the medical reports and formal interviews with prospects, the on-field testing does carry some weight for the Colts. Their investment in high-end athletes has been well-documented throughout Chris Ballard’s tenure.

Though the tight end room is relatively crowded, the Colts could still use a draft pick on a rookie tight end

Here are five tight ends the Colts should watch during Friday’s workouts at the NFL combine:

List of tight ends at 2024 Senior Bowl

The tight ends heading to Mobile, Alabama for the 2024 Senior Bowl.

Tight ends are becoming more and more important in the NFL. Just ask the four teams that played on Championship Sunday. All have great pass-catching tight ends. The Jets have a nice one in Tyler Conklin and an up-and-coming one in Jeremy Ruckert.

The Senior Bowl will feature six tight ends hoping to become the next key offensive piece for a team. Here are the six tight ends that will be in Mobile, Alabama, coached by Denver’s Zack Grossi and Logan Kilgore.

2024 Senior Bowl preview: Tight ends

A preview of the seven tight ends that will be in Mobile for the 2024 Reese’s Senior Bowl.

The 2024 NFL Draft starts in Mobile!

The Reese’s Senior Bowl game will be held Saturday, February 3rd, with the practices occurring the week leading up to it, starting Tuesday, January 30th. It is also one of the first major stops in the pre-draft process before the teams are on the clock on April 25th.

Even more exciting, this year’s Senior Bowl may be one of the more anticipated in recent memory. There will be over 100 NFL prospects competing all week in front of scouts and draft pundits alike and the talent this year will be easy to see throughout the week.

Outside of the big names like Brock Bowers, Ja’Tavion Sanders and possibly Cade Stover, there may not be a lot of name recognition with this season’s tight-end class. In this preview, we will look at the seven tight ends who will be looking to become household names by the time their names are called in the upcoming draft.

Other previews:

Quarterbacks
Running backs