The Buffalo Bills may have gotten the steal of the draft with their fourth-round selection of WR Skyler Bell from UConn. League insiders are, and have been, buzzing about what the talented pass catcher brings to the table. A potential huge win for the organization.
The Buffalo Bills had 10 selections in the 2026 NFL Draft, but one name in particular is making waves across NFL circles. With the fourth-round selection, the Buffalo Bills drafted UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell, and analysts are buzzing about the selection.Ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft, Dave Helman from The Athletic Football Show got “reckless” with his comparison for Bell. If he’s anything like what Helman compared him to, Bills Mafia will be talking about the selection for years to come."This is probably the most reckless thing I'll say on this show," Helman said. "This is Ja'Marr Chase lite. He's a freak athlete, he's explosive, but he's very powerful and strong. And watching him, I was just like, obviously, he's not Ja'Marr Chase. He's not going to be a top-10 pick. I doubt he's going to be an All-Pro caliber player as a rookie, but he does all that type of stuff. He can take it to the house, he can just body people out of the way. He can high point the ball. If I was trying to get Ja'Marr Chase's skillset on late day two or even into day three, I'm all the way in on this guy."
UConn WR Skyler Bell is just so sudden with his cutsGreat look at that here early on at @ShrineBowl practice. Simple out route but even after the catch the DB couldn't even get a hand on him despite having the sideline to help pic.twitter.com/jW08GE886t
It’s not just Bills Mafia that’s thinking that Bell could be a difference-maker in the offense, as former wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. had a lot to say about the young pass catcher.“The Bills just drafted my FAVORITE WR in the draft,” Smith Sr. wrote. “Skyler Bell is a serious playmaker that can make an immediate impact in Buffalo. BillsMafia make sure you give my guy a warm welcome.”
The Bills just drafted my FAVORITE WR in the draft. Skyler Bell is a serious playmaker that can make an immediate impact in Buffalo. #BillsMafia make sure you give my guy a warm welcome #nfldraft pic.twitter.com/Ck0zjvYJc5
“He has such a great skillset, in my opinion,” Steve Smith Sr. Said. “Really good, makes plays down the field, big plays down the field. Doesn’t make it easy for open field tackles, one on one, he’s going to route you up. He’s going to out-physical you, he’s going to run around you, he’s going to run through you. He jumps over the top, breakaway speed. Does a lot of great things.”
#UConn WR Skyler Bell takes a simple in-route 80-yards to the house for a huge touchdown. Continues to rise week after week in the 2026 NFL Draft's WR class. pic.twitter.com/Dr15zfkaUw
When you start hearing that kind of praise from both media voices and former players, it’s impossible not to take notice. And that’s where this pick becomes so fascinating for Buffalo.Bell wasn’t taken to be the face of the offense right away. He doesn’t have to come in and carry the load all by himself from Day 1. Instead, he walks into a situation where he can develop behind some established options in DJ Moore and Khalil Shakir. He can find his role and slowly carve out a bigger piece of the offense as the season goes on.But the traits? They’re undeniable.Explosiveness, physicality, the ability to win at every level of the field. Those aren’t things you typically find this late in the draft, which is exactly why so many people are circling this selection now that the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared. And it’s not just about what he is today, it’s about what he could become.If even a fraction of those comparisons hold up, the Bills didn’t just add depth to their wide receiver room. They may have added a legitimate difference-maker without having to spend premium draft capital to get him.That’s how steals are made.It might take time. It might not show up right away. But this is the kind of pick that has all the makings that Bills Mafia could be talking about for a long, long time.