Eagles chose former Holmes standout Markel Bell in third round of the NFL Draft
The Philadelphia Eagles made dreams come true for former Holmes Community College Bulldog Markel Bell when they called his name in the third round of the NFL Draft from Philadelphia.
With a pick acquired from the New York Jets, the Eagles selected Bell, a Cleveland native and Cleveland Central graduate, as the 68th overall pick in the draft. Bell played two seasons at Holmes before playing the last two years at the University of Miami, where his Hurricanes made it all the way to the National Championship before falling to Indiana on Jan. 19 in Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Fla.
Bell, a 6-foot-9, 346 pound offensive lineman, was a mainstay along with offensive line for the Holmes Bulldogs. He left Holmes as one of the nation's top-ranked junior college players before choosing to transfer to Miami over offers from Arkansas, Auburn, Mississippi State, and Ole Miss.
At Miami during his junior season, he played in 12 games and started five helping Miami become the No. 1 offense in the country in yards per game (537.2) and points per game (43.9).
As a senior, Bell had an outstanding season starting all 16 games and not allowing a sack in 558 pass block snaps. He was named Third Team All-ACC. He also played in the Panini Senior Bowl on Jan. 31 in Mobile, Ala.
After signing, Bell said, "I saw myself in Philly. I envisioned myself in Philly and it came to reality. It's no secret sauce. I just worked my tail off every day. I go against great players and I had a great coach behind me. I'm looking forward to doing the same thing in Philly."