After making a number of trades during the 2026 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings ultimately ended up making nine selections during the three-day event, the most of any team in the NFC.
As such, the 19 undrafted free agents they quickly signed in the aftermath of the festivities in Pittsburgh will have a much more difficult time making their way onto the 53-man roster come August.
That said, however, the Vikings have found some success with UDFAs in the past, with Ivan Pace Jr. being a recent example, and there are undoubtedly a few among the 19 who could make life interesting for Kevin O'Connell down the line.
Vikings insider Alec Lewis recently took the time to break down each of the 19 players, and the one at the very top of his list was Georgia wide receiver Dillon Bell, who he seems to believe could get a real shot at the roster if Minnesota utilizes him correctly.
"You can see what the Vikings were going for here. Bell is a big-bodied offensive weapon who doesn’t just look like a running back. The 6-foot, 210-pounder averaged 7.3 yards per carry as a runner at Georgia.
The route running is the primary hurdle, but that’s precisely why the Vikings would make this type of bet.
How Minnesota uses the spring and summer to find the right role for him will be telling. His frame and traits are enticing."
Dillon Bell's versatility will be tough for the Minnesota Vikings to ignore
As Bell was never the No. 1 option for the Bulldogs, or even the No. 2 at times for that matter, his numbers certainly don't jump off the page, as he caught 119 passes for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns during his four-year run in Athens.
Those aren't terrible numbers by any stretch of the imagination, especially not in the SEC, but they're obviously not in line with the top wideouts from this 2026 draft class.
But as Lewis mentioned, his 6-foot, 210-pound frame is intriguing, and the fact that he averaged 7.3 yards per carry when asked to run the ball, which he did 51 times, makes his versatility extremely difficult to ignore.
If forced to compare him to someone, I'd call him an unpolished version of Deebo Samuel.
As Lewis brought up, Bell isn't the best route runner. And if you've watched any tape, you'd see that his hands aren't the greatest either, as he's more of a body-catching type of wideout.
I will say, though, that he looked better when Carson Beck was getting him the ball as opposed to Gunner Stockton. But maybe that's just me.
With Jalen Nailor out the door after inking a lucrative deal with the Las Vegas Raiders, the depth chart behind Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison is wide open.
Tai Felton is seemingly in line to take over the WR3 slot, but the 2025 third-rounder could almost be seen as a rookie himself, as he wasn't given much of a shot to shine last season, recording just three catches for 25 yards.
We're not saying that Bell can just slide in and take Nailor's spot instead of Felton, as he's nowhere near ready for something like that.
But if he can carve out a niche as a gadget receiver and display his athleticism and versatility in rookie camp and into training camp, if he makes it that far, he could very well set himself up for a WR4 or WR5 role to begin his professional career.
This is certainly something to keep an eye on over the next few months.
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