Reevaluating the Pittsburgh Steelers 2013 draft class
Le’Veon Bell RB, Michigan State – Round 2, 48th overall
When the Steelers took Le’Veon Bell in the second round, he was not the back we all know today. Bell was drafted at 230 pounds, which is a little heavier than what he plays at now.
Bell was a bruising back at Michigan State who averaged 5.0 yards per carry and punched it in the end zone 33 times in three seasons. This was an impressive amount due to only being the starter and feature back in 2012, his junior year.
His receiving ability today is light years ahead of what it was in college as he only averaged 6.8 yards per catch and scored just once in three seasons. Bell was touted mostly as a big bruiser that excelled in ball security, rarely fumbling.
The knocks on Bell as a starter were his receiving ability and blocking ability coming out of college. The thought was he would need to improve on both to become a lead back in the league.
Bell did just that, as we all know, catapulting himself into stardom in Pittsburgh. After a few injuries in his rookie season, Bell exploded on the scene in 2014 having an MVP-caliber season in his second year.
The 2015 season started off badly for Bell as he was suspended for the first two games of the season. After playing in six games that season, Bell suffered a season ending knee injury against Cincinnati.
Bell came back for the 2016 season and was again suspended the first four games. He ended up still having a great 2016 in just 12 games.
In 2017, Bell had another great season running for over 1,200 yards and adding 655 yard receiving. Unfortunately, this would be Bell’s last season in Pittsburgh as a contract dispute caused him to sit out all of 2018.
Bell signed with the Jets this past offseason and will begin the next chapter of his career there in 2019. Even though he is no longer a member of the Steelers, the pick was still an excellent pick and great value in round two for a player of Bell’s talent level.