Catching the ball to catch on with the Browns

By STEVE KING

You might not have heard it on Sirius Radio last Saturday morning, but Browns draft pick David Bell has a huge fan in college sports talk-show host Dan Dakich.
Dakich, who is based in Indianapolis, raved and raved on his show about Bell, the former Purdue wide receiver who was taken in the third round last Friday night.
“When people down the road look back on this draft and say, ‘Let’s re-draft it,’ I can guarantee you that David Bell will be a first round-choice,” Dakich told listeners. “I’ve watched this guy a lot, and he’s incredible. You can’t cover him. He was extremely productive in college. He has great hands. He doesn’t drop the ball.”
The book on Bell is that he’s not very athletic and as such will have a lot of trouble getting open in the pros. I don’t buy that. He’s an intelligent guy, and he will find ways to get separation.
But the best part about him is, as alluded to by Dakich, is that he holds on to the ball. He dropped only five passes in his Boilermakers career. Those kinds of stats never get enough attention.
Scouts drool about wideouts’ speed and athleticism, and while those traits are obviously important, they are certainly not the be-all and end-all.This is not a track meet, nor is it a skills competition. We’re talking about football, and no matter how fast a receiver runs or how open he gets, it doesn’t matter if he fails to catch the ball.
Making catches, gaining yards, getting first downs to move the chains and scoring touchdowns comprise the end-game for a receiver. Bell is that guy, He proved it against the good competition he faced in the Big Ten, and there is no reason why he can’t do it again with the Browns, who will give him plenty of opportunities in training camp to work out of the slot.

For a team that still needs some help at wide receiver, it will be a huge benefit if David Bell can come through..Second only to kicker Cade York, he is the biggest key to the success of this draft for the Browns.