Miami left tackle Markel Bell is getting some late draft-cycle attention. In a new ESPN feature, Adam Rittenberg polled more than 30 college coaches for 2026 NFL Draft sleeper picks, focusing on under-the-radar prospects expected to come off the board outside the top 50 to 60 selections but still capable of succeeding at the NFL level. Bell was one of the offensive linemen those coaches highlighted.
What ESPN set out to do
The point of the ESPN piece was to identify the next layer of prospects beyond the stars, otherwise known as the players who might not hear their names called on opening night, but could still turn into productive pros. Rittenberg mentioned that coaches mostly pointed to their own players, though some also named opponents they believed were being undervalued.
ESPN listed Bell at No. 172 overall and No. 16 among offensive tackles in Scouts Inc.'s rankings.
Why Markel Bell made the sleeper list
ESPN's case for Bell started with the fact that he is enormous and has crazy workout stats. He measures in at 6-foot-9 and 346 pounds with more than 36-inch arms. He also logged a 5.36-second 40-yard dash and a 1.84-second 10-yard split. Those are rare dimensions for any tackle, and they are why coaches see upside with Bell.
Bell started all 15 games at left tackle for Miami's national runner-up team in 2025 after making five starts in 2024, which was his first season with the Hurricanes after transferring from Holmes Community College. He earned third-team All-ACC honors.
Bell arrived from Holmes CC as one of the nation's top junior college recruits, ranked by 247Sports as the No. 4 JUCO prospect overall and the No. 1 offensive lineman in that class. He might not be one of the first tackles off the board in the 2026 draft, but NFL teams certainly have him on their radar.
Full ESPN sleeper list
- QB: Luke Altmyer, Illinois
- QB: Haynes King, Georgia Tech
- QB: Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt
- RB: Jonah Coleman, Washington
- WR: Cyrus Allen, Cincinnati
- WR: Chris Bell, Louisville
- WR: Malik Benson, Oregon
- WR: Lewis Bond, Notre Dame
- WR: Deion Burks, Oklahoma
- WR: Will Pauling, Notre Dame
- TE: Dallen Bentley, Utah
- TE: Jack Endries, Texas
- TE: Matthew Hibner, SMU
- TE: Justin Joly, NC State
- TE: Tanner Koziol, Houston
- TE: Lake McRee, USC
- OL: Markel Bell, MiamiÂ
- OL: Enrique Cruz Jr., Kansas
- OL: Jaren Kump, Utah
- OL: Brian Parker II, DukeÂ
- DL: Zane Durant, Penn State
- DL: Bryson Eason, Tennessee
- DL: Deven Eastern, Minnesota
- DL: Aidan Hubbard, Northwestern
- DL: Darrell Jackson Jr., Florida State
- DL: Tyler Onyedim, Texas A&M
- DL: Wesley Williams, Duke
- LB: Kyle Louis, Pitt
- LB: Karson Sharar, Iowa
- DB: Jadon Canady, Oregon
- DB: Michael Taaffe, Texas
- DB: Cole Wisniewski, Texas Tech
- DB: Zakee Wheatley, Penn State
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