The NFL Draft is just around the corner, and Louisville football fans are expecting to hear at least one Cardinals name early in the draft. Louisville’s Chris Bell is listed as one of the top wide receivers in this year’s NFL Draft, as he is coming off his best season in college football.
Chris Bell’s fiery NFL Combine message should have NFL teams paying attention
However, he tore his ACL against SMU and missed Louisville’s final two games, which dropped his NFL Draft Stock. The former Cardinal was trending toward a first-round pick, with multiple experts predicting a late first-round selection, but after the injury, many dropped him to the second round.
Well, Bell reportedly is making excellent progress with his injury, and Jordan Schultz reports there is still a “real” chance of him being a first-round draft pick.
Jordan Schultz says there is a real chance Chris Bell could be picked in first-round
Bell had a monster 2025 season for Louisville as he led the Cardinals in receptions, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. He finished his season with 72 receptions for 917 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns, and ended his college football career with an impressive 151 receptions for 2,166 yards.
He is now trying to recover quickly from this brutal leg injury, and Schultz reports there is a real shot he is still a first-round pick, despite tearing his ACL.
“Louisville WR Chris Bell, who was widely considered a top-20 pick before suffering an ACL injury in November, is progressing ahead of schedule and is now running and jumping,” Schultz posted on his social media. Bell already has visits scheduled with 13 teams (and has completed four) and is expected to be fully cleared by training camp, and chance of being first-round pick is still real.”
Louisville WR Chris Bell, who was widely considered a top-20 pick before suffering an ACL injury in November, is progressing ahead of schedule and is now running and jumping.
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 18, 2026
Teams are intrigued by his unique skill set at 6’2.5”, 225 lbs, and in-game GPS tracked him at low 4.3… pic.twitter.com/fiw0h6I1Mm
After the news that Bell tore his ACL, Mel Kiper dropped the Cardinals' elite wide receiver out of his top 10 for wide receivers in the 2026 NFL Draft, but since the NFL Combine, Bell has climbed back into the top 10 and is now ranked No. 9. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound wide receiver is a physical and speedy wide receiver who can take over games and even compared himself to AJ Brown, Deebo Samuel, and DK Metcalf.
Louisville fans are hoping to hear Bell’s name in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, as it will mark the first Cardinal drafted in the first round since Mekhi Becton was drafted No. 11 overall in the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets.
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