Philadelphia added another massive offensive lineman Friday night, taking former Miami tackle Markel Bell with the No. 68 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Bell joins the Eagles after two seasons at Miami.
No. 68 pick is in: #Eagles have selected Miami OT Markel Bell, per sources. pic.twitter.com/9WiIvP5Csw
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) April 25, 2026
Eagles draft Miami OT Markel Bell
Bell began his college career at Holmes Community College, where he became one of the top junior college linemen in the country before signing with the Hurricanes. He was a four-star junior college prospect, the No. 4 overall JUCO recruit and the No. 1 offensive lineman in the 247Sports rankings, while earning NJCAA All-Region honors after his 2023 season at Holmes.
In 2024, Bell played in 12 games and made five starts, stepping into a Hurricanes line that powered the nation's top offense in both scoring at 43.9 points per game and total offense at 537.2 yards per game.
By the end of the 2025 season, Bell had turned himself into one of Miami's most important linemen. He started all 16 games as Miami pushed to the College Football Playoff national championship game, and he was named to the All-ACC third-team.
The first thing everyone notices is the size with Bell. He measured 6-foot-9 1/4 and 346 pounds during the pre-draft process, with 36 3/8-inch arms and an 87 1/8-inch wingspan.
The second thing is that he was productive in pass protection. Bell allowed zero sacks on 558 pass-blocking snaps in 2025, and he surrendered only nine pressures all season.
The Eagles opened the draft by trading up for USC wide receiver Makai Lemon at No. 20 overall, then added Vanderbilt tight end Eli Stowers at No. 54. On Friday, they also traded for edge rusher Jonathan Greenard, giving up pick No. 98 and a 2027 third-rounder in the deal. Bell became the third drafted player added to that mix.
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