Louisville football held its Pro Day yesterday, and many players stepped up and raised their draft stocks. Defensive tackle Rene Konga and wide receiver Caullin Lacy really turned heads yesterday with their performances, but something that caught a lot of Louisville fans' eyes was Chris Bell and his comments about Tyler Shough.
Louisville WR Chris Bell’s NFL comparison will have Saints fans raising eyebrows
Bell and Shough were teammates on the Cardinals in 2024 when Louisville went 8-4, but the two clicked immediately and had a great connection. Now, with Shough as the New Orleans Saints QB1 and Bell trending to be a late first-round or early second-round pick, Bell made it clear once again yesterday that the former Cardinals QB wants to draft his former teammate badly.
Chris Bell is all-in on possibly reuniting with Tyler Shough
Shough was the No. 40 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and while he lost the quarterback competition against Spencer Rattler at the start of the season, he took over in the middle of the year and went on to be a Rookie of the Year finalist. Now, with the Saints in need of a wide receiver, Bell revealed yesterday again that Shough is pushing for Kellen Moore to draft the Cardinal.
“He's been telling me he wants me so bad,” Bell stated Tuesday in an interview. “And he’s been pushing my name, so hopefully. Hopefully.”
It was recently reported that Bell is a strong possibility to be drafted in the first round despite tearing his ACL against SMU. The Cardinals haven’t had a player drafted in the first round since Mekhi Becton was selected No. 11 overall by the New York Jets in 2020.
If the Saints want to draft Bell, they would have to hope he falls to the second round and select him with their No. 42 overall pick or trade up. Last season, Bell was Louisville’s top wide receiver, earning a career high 72 catches for 917 receiving yards and six touchdowns.
This isn’t the first time Bell has mentioned that Shough wants the Saints to draft Him, as he said at the NFL Combine that he has been in communication with Shough and that the Saints want him, and that “it would be great to reunite with Tyler Shough.”
When the two played together, Bell collected 43 catches for 737 yards and four touchdowns while Shough logged 3,195 passing yards and completed 62.7 percent of his passes. Louisville went 8-4 and had a big win over Clemson, and went on to win the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl.
Now, the two are possibly pairing up in the NFL, and the Cardinals fans are all-in on the 2026 NFL Draft to see if this dream scenario happens. The NFL Draft takes place in Pittsburgh this year from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.
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