Kendrell Alexander Bell (born July 2, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. In his first year with the Steelers, Bell was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He later played for the Kansas City Chiefs before retiring following the 2007 season.
Early life
Bell attended Lucy Craft Laney High School in Augusta, Georgia. He was a three-sport star in football, basketball, and track & field. In football, he was an All-State selection and won Atlanta Journal All-South honors. In track & field, he was ranked fifth in the state in the shot put as a senior.
College career
Junior college years
Bell attended Middle Georgia Junior College for two years. He was a two-time Super Prep JUCO 100 selection. As a freshman, he played fullback and finished the season with 689 rushing yards. As a sophomore, he garnered six sacks and 132 tackles, and helped lead his defensive unit to a No.1 ranking in the nation.
NCAA college years
Bell attended the University of Georgia and was a Child and Family Development Major and a letterman in football. In football, he finished his career with 153 tackles (10 for a loss), four interceptions, seven sacks, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Professional career
Pre-draft measurables| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft 1+1⁄4 in(1.86 m) | 234 lb(106 kg) | 32 in(0.81 m) | 10+1⁄2 in(0.27 m) | 4.62 s | 1.60 s | 2.64 s | 4.50 s | 7.25 s | 38.5 in(0.98 m) | 10 ft 4 in(3.15 m) | 24 reps | |
| All values from NFL Combine23 | ||||||||||||
Pittsburgh Steelers
Bell started in all sixteen games for the Steelers during his 2001 rookie campaign. Bell would prove to be an excellent fit for the Steelers defense, notably due to his blitzing abilities. The Steelers finished the regular season with a 13–3 record, earning them the top seed in the AFC. Bell was voted the AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, having accumulated nine sacks on the season. The Steelers defeated the Baltimore Ravens 27–10 in the AFC Divisional round at Heinz Field. The following week they went on to face the second seeded New England Patriots. Bell recorded eight tackles, a sack, and two passes defended. Despite his stellar performance, and a late 4th quarter comeback, the Steelers wound up losing the game 24–17.
In 2002, Bell was injured in the first week of the season against New England. He missed the next four games before returning to play against the Indianapolis Colts. He finished the season with 50 tackles (33 less from his rookie year), and four sacks. The Steelers finished with a 10–5–1 record and went on to face the Cleveland Browns. In the 36–33 comeback win over the Browns, Bell recorded nine tackles but injured his knee in the final quarter and was listed as doubtful for the following week at Tennessee. He recorded just two tackles in the game versus the Titans before leaving due to injury in the loss. In 2003, Bell amassed 99 tackles and five sacks in a down season for the team. In 2004, knee troubles led to him not starting a single game on his way to making just nine tackles. In the 2005 off-season, the Steelers released him from the team. He signed with the Kansas City Chiefs and played three seasons with them, recording a total of 2.5 sacks.
Kansas City Chiefs
He then signed with the Kansas City Chiefs, where he played 3 seasons. Bell was released following the 2007 season, after which he retired.
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2001 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 82 | 69 | 13 | 9.0 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | PIT | 12 | 12 | 50 | 37 | 13 | 4.0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2003 | PIT | 16 | 16 | 100 | 81 | 19 | 5.0 | 17 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 61 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 2004 | PIT | 3 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2005 | KAN | 16 | 14 | 41 | 32 | 9 | 1.5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | KAN | 16 | 14 | 49 | 43 | 6 | 1.0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2007 | KAN | 11 | 0 | 8 | 6 | 2 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 90 | 72 | 338 | 274 | 64 | 20.5 | 62 | 1 | 61 | 0 | 61 | 6 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | ||
Playoffs
| Year | Team | Games | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | TFL | Int | Yds | TD | Lng | PD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | ||
| 2001 | PIT | 2 | 2 | 14 | 12 | 2 | 1.0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | PIT | 2 | 1 | 11 | 8 | 3 | 0.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2006 | KAN | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 3 | 25 | 20 | 5 | 1.0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | ||
References
"2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/2001/draft.htm ↩
"The challenge is real at the Combine". Steelers.com. Retrieved July 15, 2023. https://www.steelers.com/news/the-challenge-is-real-at-the-combine-20387582 ↩
"2001 NFL Draft Scout Kendrell Bell College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved July 15, 2023. https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=124&DraftYear=2001 ↩