Skyler Bell is a wide receiver and 2026 NFL Draft prospect who finished his collegiate career at the University of Connecticut after beginning at the University of Wisconsin. A native of the Bronx, New York, Bell was a three-star recruit in the 2021 class who joined the Badgers, redshirted his first year, then became a starter in 2022 with 30 receptions for 444 yards and five touchdowns before catching 38 passes for 296 yards in 2023. He transferred to UConn ahead of the 2024 season and immediately became the engine of the Huskies' offense, leading the team with 860 receiving yards and five touchdowns on 50 catches. His 2025 season was one of the most productive in program history, as he finished with 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns, earning consensus All-American honors as the first player in UConn history to receive that distinction and reaching the Biletnikoff Award finalist list. He was invited to the Senior Bowl, the East-West Shrine Bowl, and the NFL Scouting Combine.
Measured at 6-foot and 185 pounds, Bell is an explosive, fluid athlete who posted a 4.40 in the 40-yard dash at the Combine and brings elite yards-after-catch production, averaging 8.2 yards after the catch per reception in 2025 and forcing 15 missed tackles on the season. He is a smooth and twitchy route runner with sharp plants at the break point, good tempo manipulation through route stems, and the competitiveness to work the middle of the field against zone coverage on slants, crossers, and over routes. His screens and motion package work translate naturally to the NFL given his acceleration and open-field elusiveness, and his hands were markedly more reliable in 2025 after drop issues earlier in his career. His limitations include a thin frame that can be disrupted by physical press at the line of scrimmage and a production profile boosted significantly by screens, which evaluators will weigh against his deeper route contributions. Bell projects as a Day 2 to early Day 3 pick with an immediate slot role and the athletic profile to develop into a reliable starting receiver in a quick-passing NFL offense.
