During the 2006 and 2007 seasons, in addition to a rigorous Football Championship Subdivision schedule, Bell and the Demons played Kansas, Baylor, Mississippi (both seasons) and Texas Tech, giving him a chance to compete against college football's highest level.

Meanwhile, he was one of only four Division I athletes to play basketball and football in 2007. He signed a basketball scholarship and played his first three seasons in basketball for the Demons, playing in 88 games, starting six contests, for a highly-successful mid-major program that beat Iowa in the 2006 NCAA Tournament and played for the 2007 Southland Conference championship, missing on a return to the NCAA Tournament by four points.

Bell was an All-State and honorable mention All-American basketball standout at tiny Summerfield High School, which did not field a football team. He had always entertained the dream of playing football in high school, but would have had to transfer to a larger school a few miles away and leave behind his classmates (senior class of 13) and lifelong friends to do so.

After graduation, Bell, whose half-sister is Cheryl Ford, a star forward with the Detroit Shock in the WNBA, found out his father was former National Basketball Association All-Star forward Karl Malone. He had no contact with Malone until he was 18.

In 2005, Bell was working out in the weight room following the Southland Conference Championship basketball season. He began to consider trying out for football, and asked for and got head basketball coach Mike McConathy's blessing and football coach Scott Stoker's approval. After reporting for preseason drills in August, he began playing defensive end (wore jersey No. 68) and was targeted for a red-shirt season before a spate of injuries forced him to start vs. eventual SLC champion Nicholls State.

In his first-ever football game, against an option offense, Bell made 11 tackles with a stop behind the line of scrimmage,in his only action of the season. Stoker tried not to play him because Bell's scholarship automatically transferred over to football if he saw action, but injuries forced his hand.

In 2006, Bell emerged as the leader of the offensive unit quickly after he became an instant starter three weeks before the season opener at Kansas when the coaching staff moved him across the ball from defensive end to offensive tackle due to injuries to other players. Bucking the odds, he had the highest grade among the offensive linemen at Kansas and played admirably all year, learning all the while on the fly. After the football season, Bell resumed his basketball career, becoming a key inside force down the stretch to help the Demons win the Southland Conference East Division championship.

After raising his draft status with an outstanding 2007 football season, Bell reluctantly ended his basketball career over the winter, giving up the senior year he had dreamed about to go through his first-ever extended strength training program and prepare for the NFL.

In 2007, Bell became the 39th All-American football player in school history - and the most unlikely of that group - as well as the eighth player to earn that honor in Scott Stoker's six seasons as head coach. He registered 50 knockdown blocks and graded over 80 percent for blocking consistency, helping the offense generate 3,996 yards, an average of 363.3 yards per game.

NSU offensive line coach Jeremy Offutt, a former All-Big 12 standout at Oklahoma State, says Bell has a good "nasty streak" that serves him well in the trenches, but he is also typically a peacemaker in on-field altercations and maintains a good rapport with officials and his opponents.

Negatives: Has minimal experience playing offensive tackle (two years), much less football (23 games) ... His frame has yet to mature and even though he added 20 pounds of bulk in 2007 (to 303), he has very poor strength and will need at least a full season in the weight room to develop his body before he is capable of contributing ... When he gets too tall in his stance, he struggles to create movement off the snap (has worked on keeping his pads down as a senior) ... Still learning the game and is prone to making basic mistakes, but learns quickly and is a good study in film sessions ... Has very active hands, but without strength, he does not shock or jolt with his punch ... Must learn to stay lower in his stance, as bull rushers have good success walking him back when he gets too erect ... Still has problems adjusting when trying to sustain and position ... Lacks explosion off the snap (quick, but has little power behind his surge), preventing him from getting good leverage on drive blocks ... Will be better served in a system that relies more on zone blocking, at least until he develops needed strength.

Compares To: JAKE SCOTT-Tennessee ... Bell is a work in progress, but for a player with just two years on offense and 23 games of football experience for his entire life, he is well on his way to being a pet project for a patient offensive line coach. He is woefully weak, by NFL standards, and will need a year or two in the weight room, but you can see that the athletic ability is there. When evaluating Bell, it's important to realize that he has never been through more than 14 weeks of football-oriented strength training until now, due to his offseason involvement in basketball in 2005-06 and 2006-07. Considering his frame, attributes, work ethic and character, it is very easy to envision him adding strength and size as he begins a pro football career, refining and developing his football skills without the detriment of years of bad technique or poor habits to overcome.

Combine: 5.25 in the 40-yard dash ... 1.78 10-yard dash ... 3.0 20-yard dash ... 4.65 20-yard shuttle ... 7.65 three-cone drill ... 26.5-inch vertical jump ... 9'1" broad jump ... Bench pressed 225 pounds nine times.