From No Star Recruit To 'Passion Player:' How Markell Bell Landed With The Eagles

PHILADELPHIA - From lightly regarded recruit out of a small Mississippi town to a "passion player" in the eyes of GM Howie Roseman and his staff, it's already been a remarkable journey for new Eagles offensive tackle Markell Bell.

A no-star prospect and late physical bloomer, the now 6-foot-9 Bell was academically qualified and received offers from smaller programs like Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State when kicking off his college career. However, he ultimately took the JUCO route, committing to Holmes Community College outside Jackson, Miss., where he developed what's been described as a father-son bond with offensive line coach Les George.

Bell started at left tackle for two seasons at Hokmes and earned first-team all-conference and all-region honors as a sophomore in 2023. By then a four-star JUCO recruit, major programs came knocking.

He committed to Miami over offers from Auburn, Houston, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, and others. By 2025, he had become a standout left tackle and second-team Academic All-American, surrendering zero sacks for a Hurricanes team that reached the FBS National Championship Game.

Selected 68th overall in the NFL Draft, Bell arrives in Philadelphia not necessarily as the heir apparent to future Hall of Famer Lane Johnson, but with that long-term goal clearly in mind.

Like many young offensive tackle, Bell already studied Johnson and Jordan Mailata closely before the Eagles starting showing interest during the draft process.

"They're good. They're the best," Bell said. "Not too much I can say to that question. I watch a lot of good guys, but them two for sure. And just to have them at my leisure - it's a blessing."

A Developmental Prospect

Bell's first adjustment will be transitioning from left tackle, his exclusive position in college, to right tackle in Philadelphia.

"I gotta give credit to Coach [Alex] Mirabal back at Miami," Bell said. "He had us training right and left, and I've been working that way ever since. So I'm ready to go."

Ironically, Bell already knew Johnson personally through his connection with offensive line development coach Duke Manyweather and the annual North Texas-based OL Masterminds program that Manyweather runs and Johnson helped develop.

"I actually met Lane at Duke's O-Line Mastermind he hosts in Texas almost every year," Bell said. "So I got familiar with him in person during that time."

At 346 pounds with an 87-plus-inch wingspan (7-foot-3), Bell presents a massive obstacle for any edge rusher. Speed moves take longer to execute around his frame, but his height creates a different challenge: staying low and avoiding being out-leveraged.

"You find different techniques that carry over to my game," Bell said when asked about keeping his pads low. "That's one of my focuses. I have good technique that can handle that."

Now Bell will begin the next phase of his development under new Eagles offensive line coach Chris Kuper, who was hired in February to replace franchise legend Jeff Stoutland.

At rookie camp on Friday Kuper was already hard at work with Bell and fellow rookie draft pick Micah Morris, a sxth-round guard out of Georgia, focusing on pad level, footwork, and technique refinement.

With Kuper's track record of helping develop tackles like Christian Darrisaw and Brian O'Neill in Minnesota, the Eagles believe they have the right coach to help Bell reach his ceiling as a player.

This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/eagles/onsi as From No Star Recruit To 'Passion Player:' How Markell Bell Landed With The Eagles.

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This story was originally published May 3, 2026 at 3:00 PM.