Chargers' final prospect visit would be a tantalizing fit for Mike McDaniel's offense

The Los Angeles Chargers have shown their intention to construct their roster around new offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel this offseason.

They addied Charlie Kolar, Keaton Mitchell, and Cole Strange specifically to suit his style of outside-zone heavy offense. On the one hand, McDaniel evidently has a clear vision for how to maximize Justin Herbert's talents and the weapons the Chargers have available.

On the other hand, offensive coordinators who find sustained success are quickly snatched up for head coaching roles. Even though McDaniel's tenure with the Miami Dolphins didn't go according to plan, he will quickly have offers in place for a promotion if he's able to resurrect the Los Angeles offense.

For better or worse, however, the Chargers have committed to delivering on his vision in the short-term.

Los Angeles' final top-30 visit of this cycle, which was held with Louisville wide receiver Chris Bell (originally reported by Arye Pulli), therefore creates an intriguing possibility on Day 2 of the draft.

Chris Bell could be the exact piece Mike McDaniel's offense needs

There's some important context to include here. The Chargers have drafted just one player whom they've invited for a top-30 visit in the last 11 years. Often, these visits are simply meant for teams to gather more information on prospects who they have doubts or uncertainties about, either health-wise or from a personality standpoint.

Bell's visit does indicate some measure of interest from Los Angeles, however.

With Keenan Allen still without a contract, there's a distinct possibility the Chargers could choose to add another young receiver through the draft to serve as competition for KeAndre Lambert Smith and Tre' Harris. Both players are expected to take on larger roles this season.

Here's what draft expert Lance Zierlein had to say about Bell in his scouting report for NFL.com:

"Possession receiver coming off of his most productive year and a late-season ACL tear. Bell’s scores frequently came as a move target across the hashes, where he was able to use impressive build-up speed to eliminate angles and outrun everyone in the secondary to the paint... Bell lacks dynamic qualities and his ACL tear could impact his draft slotting, but he's a big, physical target with room to improve." Lance Zierlein, NFL.com

Although an ACL tear ended his season early, Bell was still highly impressive in his senior season at Louisville. Across 11 games, he amassed 72 receptions for 917 yards and six touchdowns. 372 of those yards came after the catch, per Pro Football Focus.

At 6'1 7/8" and 222 lbs, Bell is the type of physical specimen that McDaniel would love to utilize as an underneath threat, especially if he proves to have the athleticism to operate as a power slot. McDaniel has stated his intention to earn easy completions for Herbert in 2026. While Bell doesn't have the elite hands of the top receivers in this class, he has the contested-catch abilities and the playmaking potential to immediately become a reliable weapon at the NFL level.

Given their needs at offensive guard and along the defensive line, the second round (where Bell is projected to be selected) will likely be a bit rich to select a wide receiver for the Chargers barring a trade down for additional draft capital.

But if the board falls the right way, Bell would be an intriguing option for Los Angeles.

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