Dolphins WR Named among Sleeper Picks with Potential to be ROTY Candidates
Any Miami Dolphins fans who haven’t been living under a rock for the last two weeks know that rookie wide receiver Chris Bell was a potential first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft before he suffered a torn ACL in November. Miami managed to snag him with a pick late in the third round at No. 94 overall, and Bleacher Report’s Brent Sobleski thinks he has what it takes to compete for the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award.
The wide receiver was one of six sleeper picks mentioned by Sobleski, along with Cleveland Browns wideout Denzel Boston, Indianapolis Colts linebacker CJ Allen, Washington Commanders wide receiver Antonio Williams, Arizona Cardinals signal-caller Carson Beck, and Las Vegas Raiders cornerback Jermod McCoy.
Bell has all the makings of being a game-changing NFL receiver from the jump, seeing that he has great physical attributes, hands, and is a speedster. If he doesn’t end up in the running for the Offensive Rookie of the Year hardware, it could be because of availability issues. The jury is out on whether the former University of Louisville standout will be ready to go for the early part of his rookie season. While the expectation is that he’ll play at some point in 2026, exactly when he will make his Dolphins debut is unclear.
The 21-year-old spent all of his four-year college football career playing for the storied Cardinals program, and across 47 games played, he totaled 2,166 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns receiving on 151 total receptions. Impressively, he showed incremental growth with every passing season at the collegiate level, and that kind of linear improvement bodes well for his chances to carve out a really successful career at the highest level.
Dolphins fans should wish Bell all the best in his recovery process and hope he makes his season debut sooner rather than later in his maiden NFL campaign.
