Vonn Bell
 

"Bell has elite cover skills for a safety as he has the fluidity to shadow slot receivers, the speed to run with tight ends and the range to play center field. In fact, he covers so well that he could line up at corner. He also has the instincts and ball skills to be a playmaker in the NFL. Bell is not big enough to line up in the box and he's not a big hitter, but he is an adequate run-stopper who closes well in pursuit."


How he fits:
The 30th-ranked prospect and best available player on our board, Bell could prove to be a steal at this point. He's the best cover safety in this class and the Saints' pass defense needs a lot of work, considering they finished 31st in passing yards allowed per game and allowed an NFL-record 45 touchdown passes last year. -- Steve Muench


OVERVIEW
Bell was a top 30 national recruit out of Georgia, but eschewed the overtures of Alabama and other SEC schools to play for Urban Meyer and the Buckeyes. His faith in Meyer was rewarded with a national championship in 2014, and the fact his team beat Saban's Crimson Tide in the title game was no small irony. Bell got on the field right way for OSU, playing as a reserve at the nickel spot most of his true freshman season before earning a starting spot in the Orange Bowl versus Clemson (seven tackles, interception). He was inserted into one of the safety spots for 14-of-15 contests in the Buckeyes' championship 2014 season, racking up 92 tackles, two for loss, six interceptions and six pass breakups. Though his statistics dropped a bit in his final year in Columbus (65 tackles, two interceptions, nine pass breakups), Bell's play was still impressive enough to receive 2015 second-team All-Big Ten honors from league coaches (first team from the media).

PRO DAY RESULTS
40-yard dash: 4.51 seconds
Vertical: 30 1/2 inches
ANALYSIS
STRENGTHS Sheriff mentality looking to corral receivers on his side of the field. Has man cover talent. Instincts and reaction time are big assets. Trusts his eyes and fires downhill as soon as he reads throw. Capacity to meet ball at the catch* point more than most cover safeties. Credited with 23 passes defensed over last two seasons. Able to mirror targets and strike a centered blow when flowing downhill. Plays with excellent feel for his responsibilities in space. Sifts through route combinations and always gets to his guy. Rarely out of position.
WEAKNESSES Play speed looked very average on tape. Time*-consuming sprint to boundary from single-*high coverage to help over the top. Hip tightness impedes fluid flip and go when beaten in space. Occasionally gets caught peeking in on quarterback for too long and will briefly lose track of receiver. Against the run, allows running backs to get on top of him and deliver the first blow. Drag down tackler without much thud.
DRAFT PROJECTION Round 2
SOURCES TELL US "He's not special, but he's solid. I needed to go see him in person because he looked so small on tape and he looks the same in person. You can't play him around the line of scrimmage, but he's got instincts in coverage." -- AFC scout
NFL COMPARISON Kurt Coleman
BOTTOM LINE Though lacking in desired size and physicality, Bell has the ability to match up in space and is at his best when keeping the action in front of him where he combines his vision, reactive quickness and ball skills to go make plays on the ball. Bell lacks size and isn't an aggressive tackler so he needs to prove he can run so that he locks in his draft positioning as one of the top free safeties in this draft. Vonn Bell Draft Profile

Re: Vonn Bell
 

Mike Triplett
ESPN Staff Writer

Great story from Sean Payton and Vonn Bell on how the Ohio State safety came through for his new boss. The Saints were missing times on some of Bell's drills, so Payton called Bell personally to ask for video of them. Bell passed the test when Payton's text messages were flooded with the videos within a couple days. "That was important to me," Payton said. "I told him after we drafted him, I said, ‘Had you not sent me back those videos, you'd still be sitting home eating nachos right now." New Orleans Saints Football - Saints News, Scores, Stats, Rumors & More - ESPN

Re: Vonn Bell
 

are we playing as a CB is the question I want answered.

Re: Vonn Bell
 

You won't have your answer until preseason games, mostly likely.

Re: Vonn Bell
 

Payton must've really wanted him. That's good. Hey whatever we gotta do to get back to playing defense.

Re: Vonn Bell
 

I can see him as the third Safety and if(when)Byrd gets injured again Bell will step in. We've been beaten the past two years do to having inferior backups. This is a pick to build up depth. With three capable safeties, we can now can an additional player of a position of need. I like the pick. It fits a need.

Re: Vonn Bell
 

I think after the dust settles, this kid is a free safety. If you watch is tape, the shiftiness and ball hawking skills are there. This is a pick that I like .. really like. After reading some of the Carolina boards, we gave Carolina the business by snagging a guy they really wanted.

Third round selection with 1st round talent and ability... think about that for a minute. I'm on board with this one ... Jeff Ireland pick.

Re: Vonn Bell
 

Definitely a free safety and possibly an upgrade to Byrd in a year or so. Should see plenty of playing time in Rafael Bush's old spot immediately. Great pick.

Re: Vonn Bell
 

SP talked a lot about him in the slot and some up top. so this is good

Re: Vonn Bell
 

That makes sense. Looking forward to seeing him play.