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The New England Patriots selected dynamic tight end Jaheim Bell with their final pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Adding offensive players with seven of their eight draft picks, New England clearly had their eyes set on fixing what was one of the worst offenses in the league a season ago.
The addition of Bell gives first-year offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt a dynamic weapon to weave into his young offense.
From his breakout 2021 season up through his 2023 season with Florida State, Bell has been capable of producing explosive games. He offers upside due to his unique ability to play all over the field and while he doesn’t project as a typical tight end, he should be impactful if he can carve out a role in New England.
Jaheim Bell NFL Rookie Profile
Team: New England Patriots
College: South Carolina/Florida State
Height: 6’2”
Weight: 241
Age: 22 (6/14/2001)
Arm Length: 33”
Hand Size: 10”
2024 NFL Draft: Round 7, Pick 11
VERSATILE OFFENSIVE WEAPON JAHEIM BELL IS HEADED TO THE NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS #PatsDraft pic.twitter.com/cOehivh6RI
— Clay Fink (@clay_fink) April 27, 2024
South Carolina Production
Bell started his career in South Carolina, breaking out in his sophomore season with 30 catches for 497 yards and five touchdowns. He finished the 2021 season with a bang in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl, grabbing five catches for 159 yards and two touchdowns in an impressive win over Sam Howell’s North Carolina squad. Bell’s big game led to insurmountable hype heading into the 2022 season.
In 2022, the Gamecocks suffered a slew of injuries at running back. Bell became the team’s RB1 over a four-game span in which he rushed 54 times for 197 yards and a score behind an atrocious offensive line.
While his blocking was wildly inconsistent during his time at South Carolina, he emerged as one of the most important playmakers on the team. He lined up on the outside, in the slot, in-line, and in the backfield and was commonly schemed to get the ball into his hands. Following 2022, Bell transferred to Florida State.
Florida State Production
Bell had the best season of his career while suited up for the Seminoles. He caught 39 passes for 503 yards and two touchdowns while also rushing for another score. He was used in a similar fashion at Florida State as he was at South Carolina.
Here are the two things that stand out from Jaheim Bell on tape. Seam runs and YAC on passes in the flats. Great play speed for the new #Patriots tight end. Jonnu-lite isn't a bad comp. pic.twitter.com/Jn6hqS4FjW
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) April 27, 2024
Being essentially positionless can be viewed as both a positive and a negative for his NFL production: on one hand, he can line up in a lot of different positions and potentially create matchup nightmares. On the other hand, he may not end up being viewed as “good enough” at one specific role to stick around long-term on a roster.
Jaheim Bell Fantasy Football Outlook
As outlined, Bell likely won’t play the traditional tight end role. New England’s depth chart is already deep at tight end with Hunter Henry, Austin Hooper, and Mitchell Wilcox at the position. If Bell makes the roster, he would likely play an H-back type of role.
As of right now, Bell is the type of player that is more useful in real-life football than in fantasy football. Given that he doesn’t project as a full-time tight end, he likely won’t see a large enough snap percentage on a per-game basis over the course of his career to be consistently effective. Factor in the fact that he was projected as a fourth or fifth-round pick and fell to the seventh, and the idea that NFL teams don't know how to use him could end his career sooner rather than later.
Could he eventually carve out a fairly consistent role and have the occasional pop game? Absolutely. Grab Bell off of waivers after rookie drafts and toss him on the taxi squad, but don’t pick him in the top four rounds due to his projected limited role at the next level.
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