Eagles Film Review: Markel Bell best summed up his game in one sentence

Markel Bell

A lot of what follows in this piece draws on Brandon Thorn’s film room session with Markel Bell on his Trench Warfare Substack, which I recently watched. If you are not subscribed, it is excellent! Thorn walked through Bell’s tape in detail, with Bell himself present to explain his thinking on specific reps, and it is one of the better prospect film sessions I have seen ahead of this draft. I will reference it throughout, as it was really cool to back up my own film with information from the player. There is a quote Bell gave in the first 10 minutes of that video (twice!) that has stuck with me and that I think frames this pick better than any analytical breakdown can. Asked about his style as an offensive tackle, Bell said: *“It ain’t gonna be pretty all the time, but I got the job done.”* That is Markel Bell in a sentence. He’s not polished, not refined, but physically equipped to do the work and self-aware enough to know that the technique has to catch up to the tools. The great thing about the NFL Draft is that I can’t lie! You can all go back and read where I stood before the draft. **Bell was in my Round 4 tier**. My pre-draft notes read: *“Overall: A massive, long tackle whose traits give him developmental value, but he is a long way away from contributing to an NFL team. Eagles Thoughts: If Bell falls to Day 3, I wouldn’t mind investing in him as a long-term project. However, I don’t see it for a Day 2 pick. He might just be too tall.”* The Eagles took him in the third round, which is earlier than I would have gone. Having watched more film on him since (including the Thorn session) I understand the decision more than I did. The Eagles needed an offensive tackle; this class ran thin quickly at the position, and Bell was arguably the last prospect on the board with a legitimate starter ceiling. At some point, you pay the premium on upside rather than wait for a safer pick who has no upside to pay for.

Strengths

**The Physical Profile**

Everything about Bell’s game flows from the sheer size of the man. He measures 6’9¼” and 346 pounds with an 87⅛-inch wingspan and 36⅜-inch arms in the 98th percentile. That frame changes pass-rush geometry in a way that cannot be taught or developed. Here is a really smart take for you all: defenders simply have to travel farther to reach the quarterback because he is massive. The path around Bell’s frame is longer than almost any offensive tackle in football. His sheer range and size make it mechanically difficult to rush him cleanly. For a man his size, Bell is shockingly light on his. He is not explosively quick off the ball, but his redirect ability, his footwork in space, and his lateral agility at 350 pounds are pretty rare. He is particularly dangerous on screen, as it’s hard for defenders to avoid him out in space. His work on the 2025 Indiana tape on screens is worth watching in particular. The athleticism is not elite, but at his size, it does not need to be. It just needs to be sufficient.

**Hand Usage**

This is the most interesting technical element of Bell’s game, and the Thorn session explains it well. Because his height makes natural leverage battles underneath defenders structurally difficult, Bell has developed a specific set of adaptations to compensate. Rather than committing to two-handed punches, he strikes first with his outside hand and keeps his inside hand in reserve. This enables him to protect his inside shoulder, avoiding vulnerability to various moves. It is a sophisticated workaround for a structural problem, and the fact that he has developed it relatively recently shows an above-average ability to be coached. His aiming points reflect the same adaptive thinking. Rather than fighting for traditional hand placement, he targets fixed points that do not move regardless of a defender’s moves, giving him a reliable anchor. Short, choppy steps rather than large sweeping kicks keep him balanced and allow easy redirection. These are not things you develop naturally; they are things you develop by working hard at your craft. It was cool to hear Bell talk about it. However, it is worth noting here that Bell has taken every college snap at left tackle. His outside-hand-first striking mechanic is built around that alignment, and if the Eagles move him to right tackle, which is the obvious long-term plan, he will need to rebuild those instincts from the other side. Bell acknowledged this directly in the Thorn session. It is a real developmental challenge, and the coaching staff will need to be patient with the transition.

**Run Blocking and Frontside Movement**

Bell’s run blocking is where you see the size and movement most clearly. On wide zone in particular, he generates a lot of movement on the frontside. I bet this is a huge reason why this staff liked him. He keeps his feet moving to wash defenders out of the play in a way that creates lanes rather than just filling gaps. His double-team work on feeds and kick-outs shows the same active feet, and when he gets it right, the combination of length and momentum is very difficult to deal with.

**Character and Accountability**

The interview element of the Thorn session is worth discussing separately, because it has impacted how I view this pick. I’m a sucker for a good interview, what can I say. Bell comes across as very self-aware, coachable, and prepared to do the work. He talks specifically about his weaknesses, names them precisely, and frames them as problems he is actively solving rather than things he hopes to paper over with his size. He looks like he studies film a lot and was able to name the pass rushers and how they win, specifically, in all the clips. He would speak about how he had to change how he plays depending on his opposition, which is good.

**Weaknesses**

**Leverage**

Bell’s height is his greatest asset and his most persistent limitation, and the leverage problem is a big issue. Bell knows it too, as he talks about it with Thorn a lot. His high center of gravity makes him vulnerable to speed-to-power rushes where defenders get into his chest before he can drop his hips and reanchor. The “forklift” technique, where defenders can get under his pads and move him backward, specifically targets what his frame makes structurally difficult to protect. He can recover, and he does recover on film, but he gives up initial ground in a way that a more compact tackle does not. The inconsistent knee bend is a related issue. There are run plays in the Thorn session where he fits too high and the defender is able to recover and disengage precisely because Bell’s pad level gives them a path back. Getting his hands lower in the run game is a constant coaching point, but the height makes it difficult to solve rather than simply a habit to correct.

**Footwork Inconsistencies**

His feet are better than they should be at his size, but they are not consistently reliable. Against sophisticated rushers who have some useful pass rush moves, Bell’s feet are occasionally a bit all over the place. His pass set angles need quite a bit of work. He sets at too much of an angle or steps out too wide rather than setting vertically, which gives rushers the space to operate on their own terms rather than forcing them to run through his frame.

**Limited Experience**

One full season as an FBS starter is a thin resume to project from. Bell only accumulated 21 career starts at Miami. The upward trajectory is visible on film, but there are situations he has not yet seen and techniques he has not had to develop because he has not consistently faced elite competition. The Eagles are betting on the trajectory and the ceiling rather than the completed product. That is fine, but it is a bet, not a certainty.

The Film

**Overall Assessment and Fit With the Eagles**

Markel Bell is a project. I had him in Round 4 before the draft. I said I would not do it on Day 2, and the Eagles took him in Round 3. Having spent more time on his film since, I understand the decision better than I did in the moment, even if I would still have waited a round. This offensive tackle class was strong early, but it fell off quickly. By the time the Eagles were picking in Round 3, Bell was likely the last prospect on the board with a starter ceiling rather than a career backup profile. Paying a third-round price for a player I had as a fourth-round prospect is not a catastrophic overpay when the alternative is getting nothing at the position at all. You can make that calculation and feel fine about it. This feels like a bit of a boom/bust pick. I don’t know how easy it is for someone that tall to ever win the leverage battle, and the RT transition from LT is a real challenge that will require rebuilding instincts if the Eagles want him to replace Lane Johnson. However, the ceiling is real. The frame, the movement, and the willingness to be coached all point toward a player who, given time and the right staff, could develop into a starting right tackle. The Eagles have Lane Johnson in the building for at least another season. If Bell can sit and develop behind him while the coaching staff works on the leverage, the stance, and the RT-specific technique, this pick could look very good in a couple of years. It ain’t gonna be pretty all the time. But he might just get the job done. *Thank you for reading! I’d love to hear your thoughts, so feel free to comment below and ask any questions. If you enjoyed this piece, you can find more of my work and podcast**here**.* *If you would like to support me further, please check out m*y Patreon here!