Four years ago, Joique Bell came to Wayne State an unheralded freshman from Benton Harbor.
He slipped further into anonymity after taking a redshirt year.
It’s safe to say, more that 5,400 all-purpose yards and 66 touchdowns later, that everyone is taking notice now – including the National Football League.
Scouts from the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions have requested credentials for home games this season (although the Lions scout was a no-show).
The Internet, once oblivious to his ability – Bell was nowhere to be found on Rivals.com or Scout.com’s rankings of the best in-state prospects of 2005 – is quickly becoming Bell-friendly.
Bell, a 6-foot, 223-pound redshirt junior, is pegged near the top of most small college running back rankings (he’s around the middle of the pack when including Division I backs) and is projected as a fifth-to-seventh round pick in some mock drafts.
He’s also clearly on the NFL radar despite a relative lack of national exposure.
“You can look at draft history and see that there’s no prejudice,” said a high-ranking NFL scout about Division II prospects.
“When you’re looking at players at a certain level of competition – take the Big Ten for instance – these are a high level of recruited players and athletes. The majority of rosters through the conference are going to be strong. That makes it easier to scout and evaluate.
“For a Division II player to truly get a look, you have to clearly dominate your level.
“And [Bell] ... is doing it on the field. He’s putting up the numbers.
“I can tell you, I’ve been keeping tabs on him and we’ll be down in the spring to fully evaluate him.”
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