Steve Smith Sounds Off on New Vikings WR
If you’re just checking into Minnesota Vikings football for 2026, it’s perfect timing, and you should get to know Georgia wide receiver Dillon Bell, an undrafted free agency find last weekend by interim general manager Rob Brzezinski. Bell still has a long way to go to establish himself, but it doesn’t hurt that he has five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Steve Smith’s blessing.
Minnesota may have a summer name worth watching at wide receiver.
Smith criticized Georgia head coach Kirby Smart earlier this month, saying his usage of Bell in college wasn’t exactly the greatest.
Bell Brings a Familiar Undrafted Angle to Vikings Camp
Bell could latch onto the bottom of the Vikings’ roster later this summer.
Smith on Bell
Earlier this month, Smith claimed the Bulldogs’ coaching staff had done Bell “a disservice” and that he was “straight up frustrated” by what he saw on tape.
Smith also criticized Georgia’s quarterback: “Let’s get right down to it. I don’t know the young man’s name, and I don’t want to because the way I watched him play quarterback, hell, I’m irritated just watching it. Goodness gracious. The quarterback play from the Georgia Bulldogs, uh, awful. Uh, Dog doo-doo. As a wide receiver, I’m going on strike, right? I’m not working or running a route until I get a better quarterback. And holler at your boy, when you get it, because I’m out of here.”
On Bell, Smith added, “This is a kid who you get him in the building, and you coach him up, he can really surprise you.”
It sounds like Bell is one of “his guys.”
Who’s Bell Anyway?
Bell, at 6’1″ and 210 pounds, with 4.50 speed, possesses a solid all-around physical profile. To establish himself in the league, he’ll need to be highly versatile. He projects as a jack-of-all-trades on offense, capable of playing multiple positions and filling multiple roles, whether on the Vikings’ regular-season roster or with another team. Think Josh Mettellus, but on offense.
SI.com‘s Jonathan Williams on Bell before the draft: “Coming out of high school, Bell was rated as a three-star prospect, the 452nd-best player in the country, the 68th-best wide receiver in the 2022 recruiting class and the 64th-best player in the state of Texas, according to 247 sports composite rankings. The first thing people need to know about Bell is his versatility.”
“During his time at Georgia, he played running back, slot, Z and X. During the 2023 season, Georgia was banged up at running back and needed some extra depth so Bell slid into the backfield. He finished the season with 25 carries, 157 yards and two rushing touchdowns.”
In recent years, the Vikings haven’t really wrapped their hands around offensive “gadgets,” so Bell would be a nice change of pace.
Williams continued, “He finished his career with 51 carries for 373 yards and five touchdowns. Over his four year career, Bell racked up 119 receptions for 1,269 yards and 11 touchdowns. Bell may not have the numbers or the resume of a day one or early day two draft pick at wide receiver, but he could end up being a very underrated addition in the middle rounds of the draft.”
“Whichever team picks up Bell is not only getting a solid receiver, but a Swiss Army Knife. Whatever position the offense needs him to play, he can go out there and do it.”
The Adam Thielen and Ivan Pace Jr. Blueprint
Minnesota is no stranger to onboarding impactful undrafted free agents. In fact, it has become a tradition, especially with Adam Thielen’s worldwide Cinderella story, which began in 2013. The Vikings also found Ivan Pace Jr. from the same process in 2023, and he’s back in the saddle for Year No. 4 this season.
Since Thielen’s emergence captivated everyone, all told, Minnesota has empowered these undrafted free agents for various periods:
- Matt Asiata (RB)
- C.J. Ham (RB)
- Anthony Harris (DB)
- Ivan Pace (LB)
- Jalen Redmond (DL)
- Marcus Sherels (DB)
- Andrew Sendejo (FS)
- Eric Wilson (LB)
- Ryan Wright (P)
So when you see folks pounding the table for Bell or a different UDFA, know that sometimes it does indeed work out.
Training Camp Will Have Answers
When will you know if Bell fulfills the forecast from Smith and lofty praise from Kirby Smart? Well, that’s about three months away.
Training camp kicks off at the end of July, and the Vikings will spend one month determining a 53-man roster, complete with a few preseason games for the full experience. It is already evident that fans will have big plans for Bell, and it’ll be up to him to secure a spot as the WR4, WR5, or WR6.
Let’s face it: if Smith sees something in him, there’s a decent chance that Bell fulfills his destiny with a regular season roster spot or lives on the practice squad at the very least. The guy sounds like he belongs in the NFL. He may also benefit from a thin WR spot around the aforementioned WR4-WR6 range.
Bell will turn 23 in November.
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