We continue our summer “expectations” series by returning to the offense.
Today, we’ll focus on senior wide receiver Dillon Bell.
Bell has been a key part of Georgia’s offense for the past two seasons, where he has proven to be one of the team’s more versatile players.
His ability to help out in the backfield as a running back, along with his role as a key special teams player, has helped make Bell a key part of Georgia’s offensive plans.
In his own words
Bell loves the fact that he’s able to help the Bulldogs in different ways.
He sees it as a win-win situation. Not only can he help the Georgia team now, but he will also add more value to his draft potential.
“I feel like me being versatile, helping the team as much as I can … that was something that I wanted to do for the team. I'm a team player,” Bell said during the spring. “I'll do whatever it takes to win championships.”
A quick look at Bell’s results running the football shows that he’s been quite effective when given the opportunity.
In 34 attempts, Bell has rushed for 264 yards, an average of 7.8 yards per carry, with three touchdowns.
“At the end of the day, we're trying to win,” Bell said. “Whatever it takes, I'm going to put my guys in the positions best to help us win.”
Strengths
We’ve already touched on his versatility.
Not only can Bell slide in for the occasional rep at running back, but he’s also able to play both the Z and X receiver spots.
He has quick feet, a strong release, and plays a physical brand of ball.
The fact that he’s such a “Swiss Army knife” ensures he will play a huge role this fall.
Areas to improve
Consistency, mostly, but there are other areas he can also stand to improve.
One is separation, as Bell lacks the top-end speed you typically like to be able to consistently beat corners and create large gaps.
Drops were also an issue. According to Pro Football Focus, Bell’s drop rate of 12.2 percent was tops on the team.
His perimeter blocking could also stand better consistency.
What to expect
It’s all going to depend on whether Bell can finally put it all together on every snap.
His versatility, toughness after the catch, and contested catch ability are strengths.
However, his lack of separation, inconsistent blocking, and catch consistency are areas that will need to improve.
Assuming they do, Bell will take a step forward and is more than capable of having a career year. A bit more focus should go a long way.
