Louisville football fans received devastating news Wednesday afternoon when the Cardinals learned that star wide receiver Chris Bell had suffered a torn ACL against SMU. Bell missed the final game of the regular season against Kentucky, and now fans are officially informed he will not play in the Boca Raton Bowl against Toledo.
However, the real blow isn’t Bell’s absence from the bowl game; it’s the serious impact his injury will have on his draft prospects. Bell was rated among the top wide receivers in expert mock drafts for the 2026 NFL Draft. After this injury, it is difficult to imagine his stock not taking a hit.
Louisville’s Chris Bell, one of the top receiver prospects in the upcoming NFL draft, suffered a torn ACL in a game at SMU on Nov. 22, per @PeteThamel and me. In his latest mock draft, ESPN’s Field Yates projected Bell as a first-round pick.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 11, 2025
Bell is a 6-foot-2, 220-pound wide… pic.twitter.com/LsPDHQWnzG
Related: Mock draft sends Louisville star WR to Patriots as Drake Maye’s next big weapon
Louisville's Chris Bell gets crushing injury update
ESPN’s Mel Kiper put out his first NFL mock draft a little over a month ago in early November, and the Cardinals fans saw Bell squeak in and be projected as a first-round draft pick. The 6-foot-2, 225-pound receiver has all the tools to make an immediate impact in the NFL, but now with this crushing injury update, he will likely fall in the draft.
Kiper projected Bell to be selected No. 30 overall by the New England Patriots, which would have been a perfect fit for the Cards receiver. He paired up with rising star quarterback Drake Maye, who would have caused nightmares for defenses for many years. However, it is now likely his draft stock will take a hit, and it is hard to imagine him still being a first-round pick.
The NFL Combine is a huge part of the NFL Draft, and now, with an ACL injury, Bell will miss a significant amount of time, including the Combine and a large portion of his rookie season. Bell had one of the best seasons in college football, dominating throughout.
He was a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award after he earned 72 catches for 917 yards and six touchdowns. When Louisville was climbing in the rankings, Bell was a big reason why, as he logged 441 receiving yards and five touchdowns in a three-game stretch, including his dominant nine catches for 136 yards and two touchdowns against the Miami Hurricanes.
Bell will still be drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft, but after yesterday’s news that he tore his ACL, the question is now just where he will be drafted.