Senior Bowl director is impressed with Patriots rookie Jaheim Bell 

Before taking charge of the Senior Bowl in 2018, Jim Nagy spent 18 years as an NFL scout, working for four different Super Bowl-winning teams. 

He began his career with the Packers organization during the 1996 season before moving on to the Patriots in both 2003 and 2004 and to the Seahawks' staff for the 2012 season. He also worked with the Commanders and the Chiefs, so Jim knows the ball.

Because of that, he's gotten an up-close look at some of the most under-the-radar rookies of recent draft classes, some of whom have landed with the Patriots. The one player that has caught his attention the most this year is tight end Jaheim Bell, who the Patriots snagged in the seventh round of this year's draft.

What impressed Nagy about Bell during his time at the Senior Bowl was his versatility, and even though the former scout adds the caveat that “this isn’t true helmet scouting, but there was some similar usage to what they got out of Deebo Samuel when he was at South Carolina, just in terms of the slot and running back versatility,” he's not wrong.

The Bell and Samuel comparison is a bit of a false equivalency. While they can both line up in multiple positions and get involved in both the run game and pass plays, Bell is 6-foot-2 and weighs 241 pounds, and Samuel is just 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds! 

Samuel might not be too happy with the comparison either, since he clocked a 4.48-second 40-yard dash. Bell only ran a 4.61 at the combine in April. 

Jaheim Bell's comparisons could mean the Patriots have a rising star on the roster

Someone who is more comparable to Bell is Samuel’s 49ers teammate, and former Harvard tight end turned H-back, Kyle Juszczyk. “Juice,” as his friends call him, ran a 4.71 40-yard dash and, in a Kyle Shanahan offense, the Niners fullback demonstrates the versatility that Bell impressed Nagy with.

Like Bell, Juszczyk can line up in the slot, as a tight end and in the backfield. That’s how offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt needs to use him. Juszczyk is also very hands-on in goal-line situations; his ability to line up in the backfield and then split out or go in motion helps his quarterback identify defensive schemes.

Unlike Juszczyk, Bell returned a kick in college, too (just the one). It seems unlikely he’ll feature on the Patriots special teams unit, but with the new kick-off rules, who knows? Bell himself told Nagy, “I just consider myself a ballplayer. I feel like whatever I’m asked to do, I can do it”. 

Bell isn’t the blocker Juszczyk is right now, but PFF says his run-blocking improved year on year in college. And he is only 23, plus he’ll be in a tight-end room with Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, who can teach him a thing or two. 

Bell ended his college career with 13 touchdowns; that’s not a lot, considering he had 179 touches of the ball in those three years. But he did score some spectacular touchdowns. He scored on a jet sweep when he lined up in the slot against LSU back in September, and in the 2021 Dukes Mayo Bowl, he clocked 20.4 mph on a 66-yard touchdown reception! 

The Patriots 2024 offense could be similar to Bell’s college career in that there won’t be as many scores as you want, but there will be some highlight reel plays amongst the stress and misery. 

Nagy was right to be impressed with Bell, even when he was a raw utility player at South Carolina. Bell is still raw, but with new Patriots tight ends coach Bob Bicknell guiding him, he will be an essential cog in the Patriots machine going forward.

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