June 07, 2026
As we do every offseason, we'll be comparing each of the Philadelphia Eagles' rookies to current or former NFL players. Today we'll find a comp for third-round offensive tackle Markel Bell.
EAGLES ROOKIE COMP SERIES
Bell is a mammoth offensive tackle at 6'9, 346, with massive 36 3/8" arms.
He's not a guy opposing edge rushers are going to be able to run through, but logically speaking, he will probably struggle with speed guys at his height and weight, although Howie Roseman might disagree.
"Markel Bell was a passion player for us throughout the process," Roseman said. "Obviously, unusual size, unusual length, hard to find. When you watch the tape, he is hard to get around in pass pro. He had zero sacks allowed this year playing for Miami. This is a 21-year-old player who was the No. 1 junior college recruit coming out. Just watching the tape, this is one of those guys where you say, 'What would happen if he went back to school this year?'
"To have an opportunity to for him to learn from the guys that we have on this roster, and we spent a lot of time with him – we spent time with him here, we spent time with him in Miami – we had a lot of eyes on him. He’s a sponge. High character guy. This was a guy who is hard to find. When you watch him in pass pro and you watch his ability, it’s hard to run through him, it’s hard to run around him. He has good feet for a big guy. Unique guy."
Bell does have better movement skills than you would expect of a 6'9, 346-pound human, as shown below:
There aren't many players in NFL history who were as big as Bell. One who is pretty close is the Bengals' Orlando Brown Jr.
| Measurable | Markel Bell | Orlando Brown Jr. |
| Height | 6'9 | 6'8 |
| Weight | 346 | 345 |
| Wingspan | 87 1/8" | 85 1/8" |
| Arm length | 36 3/8" | 35" |
| 10 yard split | 1.84 | 1.88 |
| 40 time | 5.36 | 5.68 |
Brown had size coming out of college. His athletic measurables, ehhh, not quite as impressive:
His pure size makes him difficult to run through or around, and he has had enough functional athleticism to make it all work. Here are some highlights, when he played for the Ravens early in his career. Brown is No. 78, at LT.
Like Bell, Brown was a third-round pick. He made the Pro Bowl in four of his first five seasons in the pros -- his second and third seasons in Baltimore, and his first two seasons after the Ravens traded him to Kansas City.
Brown is probably the most obvious recent example of a player with a similar profile to Bell who has had success in the NFL.
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