Jaheim Bell Scouting Report

By: Michael Higgins

(Image courtesy of Peter Joneleit/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

School: Florida State

Class: Redshirt Junior

Position: TE

HT: 6’2

WT: 241 lbs

Sideline Prospect Ranking: #76

Background: Jaheim Bell was a 4-star tight end recruit from Valdosta, Georgia. Bell played football for Valdosta High School and had a successful tenure there. He was the 17th ranked athlete in his graduating class. While he was injured in his senior year of high school, he still managed to total over 1,000 all-purpose yards. He helped lead Valdosta to the quarterfinals of the 2018 Georgia 5A state playoffs. Bell was a big recruiting target in the SEC and had plenty of schools to choose from. Jaheim Bell committed to play for South Carolina over Alabama and Florida amongst others.

College: Bell’s freshman season in 2020 was limited due to a combination of a COVID-shortened season and a knee surgery that sidelined him for 6 weeks. Despite those struggles, he was still able to maintain SEC Academic Honor Roll. In his sophomore season at South Carolina, Bell appeared in all 13 games, starting 5 of them. He made Second Team All-SEC and had 497 yards on the season. In 2022, Bell had a slight regression in receiving but proved to be a reliable blocking tight end. After his junior season, he transferred to Florida State for a year. Bell was, yet again, a top target for his offense in 2023. While he did not play in every game, he was still the most impressive tight end in the conference.

Strengths: Jaheim Bell is an athletic tight end who flashes quick feet and burst within close quarters. Bell also displays a rare burst for the position once he gets into open space. Bell is special with the ball in his hands. He has an elusiveness to him that makes him extremely difficult to bring down. He has excellent change of direction skills and will almost always make the first defender miss. Bell is a receiving tight end through and through. While he is a willing blocker, he is best utilized in passing downs as another weapon for the quarterback. Lining up in the slot or in the backfield to give the quarterback a safety net is where Bell profiles in the NFL. He would be perfect for a 12-personnel system where there is still an in-line tight end who can throw a chip block, allowing Bell to consistently line up in the slot.

Weaknesses: On the other side of the coin, Bell is not someone you want out there blocking on obvious running downs. He is a poor blocker with poor technique. The most effective way Bell will be used as a blocker is with chip blocks. However, he struggles to hold his own in the phone booth against the stronger edge rushers. Bell is pretty limited in his role in an offense due to the inability to block. While he can carve out a career strictly as a pass catcher, he will need to provide at least something as a run blocker.

Scheme Fit: 12 Personnel

Ideal Role: Slot TE

Best Team Fits: CIN, TEN, MIA

Player Comparison: Dalton Kincaid

Player Grade: 78.8