Joel Bell LT Furman 6’7″ 316 5.24

Too often we get caught up in the glamour positions. But instead of doing an article on one of them, my second player spotlight for the 2009 NFL Draft will be on offensive tackle Joel Bell.

Joel was a winner of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy and was also a second team all Southern Conference selection. He was instrumental in allowing Furman to average 31.6 points a game and over 400 yards of total offense. Bell started ten games last year for Furman showing good athleticism and the ability to be a great starting tackle. As a junior, he recorded a team leading 70 knockdowns and a 91 percent successful blocking percentage.

Joel is very agile and has quick feet for his size to protect against the outside rush. Usually a left tackle is more of a pass blocker, but Bell is a surprisingly good run blocker as well. As part of a very solid offensive line, which gave up only 29 sacks all season, Joel displayed his athletic ability while protecting quarterback Renaldo Gray’s blindside. I watched him play in the games against The Citadel and Appalachian State and came away very impressed. He opened massive holes for fullback and 2008 NFL fifth round selection Jerome Felton and continually sealed off his man, leaving lanes a truck could have rushed through.I also thought he did an extremely proficient job of protecting Gray’s blindside in both games.

Against Clemson his team looked overmatched a good portion of the time, but he still made some nice plays blocking off defenders, including a play where he left Felton with a clear running lane and almost five yards of space. He easily could be a good NFL starting left tackle for years to come. Look for his name to be called in the late rounds of the 2009 NFL Draft, possibly as high as the fifth round.

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