Soft-spoken Bell lets his play do the talking. And he's speaking volumes

Shephard would send Bell videos of routes he wanted his prized recruit to run, asking him to video himself doing it. Bell would promptly send them back to Shephard, doing the routes exactly as the coach wanted.

"When he got here this summer, just seeing his movement and patterns and how he went about taking care of business, his knowledge of the playbook early on was spectacular. Great job retaining information," said Shephard.

Look at Bell now. With Rondale Moore out with a hamstring injury the last three games and counting, Bell has emerged as one of the top true freshman wideouts not just in the Big Ten--but in the nation. Just get the ball to No. 3.

"Well, David's been outstanding, and he played well," said Jeff Brohm. "Somebody that you know is going to have to be a playmaker for us with where we are at right now. Every game, we're going to have to utilize him and make sure we get others involved, as well."

And Bell has been involved a lot. How good has he been? Bell was named the Big Ten Freshman of the Week each of the last two weeks. The Indianapolis native caught 13 passes for a Purdue freshman single-game record 197 yards and a touchdown in a 26-20 loss at Iowa last Saturday.

Two weeks ago vs. Maryland, the 6-2, 210-pound Warren Central High product caught nine passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. Bell has 39 catches for 635 yards (16.2 ypc) and four TDs on the season. And he has 11 catches for 20 or more yards.

"He definitely makes the catch," said Brohm. "He definitely runs the route and gets open, and when he's guarded tight, he still makes the catch. And I think that's what separates him from the others, sometimes, is his ability to consistently make a catch, even when he's not wide open. And he definitely did that all game long (at Iowa)."

Brohm has gone so far as to compare Bell to Jerry Rice, the NFL's all-time leading receiver. Brohm doesn't think Bell's skills are at Rice's level, but he thinks the way Bell works so smoothly and isn't the most physically gifted wideout are reminiscent of Rice.

“David reminds me of a young Jerry Rice for the fact everything is smooth,” said Brohm. “He doesn't look like he’s gonna make the spectacular play, but he always makes the play. He’s solid and efficient, he runs good routes. Maybe it doesn't look like he’s running a 4.2, but he’s getting open … he’s going up and making the play when he has to. …”

Bell has made a lot of plays the last four games. He has 33 receptions for 505 yards (15.3 ypc) and three TDs in that span, averaging 126.3 yards per game over that stretch. Bell will look to stay hot this Saturday when Illinois (4-3 overall; 1-3 Big Ten) visits Ross-Ade Stadium for 12 p.m. ET kickoff.

"It took a little time in the beginning to get going, but he doesn’t celebrate too much," said Shephard. "Not very much of a talkative person, either. I like it that way. He just comes here and does his job."

Indeed, Bell didn't wow from the get-go. He missed practice time in training camp with a hamstring issue. Then, he hurt a shoulder vs. TCU in the third game of the season. But Bell has battled on.

“I had to be very patient because I know how hamstring injuries are,” said Bell. “It seems like a few NFL guys will have hamstring injuries and be out for the whole season because I knew they tried to rush back too quick. Just learn from their mistakes. I don’t want that to happen to me. So, I just took my time. The coaches worked with me and did a tremendous job getting me back on the field and I am very thankful for that.”

Bell arrived on campus with a raft of expectations. Rivals.com listed him as the No. 1 player in Indiana in the Class of 2019. He was a four-star recruit that everyone wanted and that Purdue just had to have. And, Purdue got its man, who was just 60 miles south of campus on I-65. Is there pressure to produce … right now?

“No, I don’t feel any pressure,” said Bell. “I have expectations for myself. Whatever the outside people have to say, I try not to listen to them. I just know what I can do and what I am capable of. I know if I put in the work, the talent will show on the field.”

Perhaps it's his maturity, which belies his years, that has allowed for his accelerated development. Bell is genuinely humble playing a position that notoriously has fostered bombastic personalities. Bottom line: Most receivers aren't team-first. They are get-me-the-damn-ball guys.

With the way this Boilermaker attack is configured to pass, pass, pass, Bell will need to keep making plays. The ground game? It has shown some life, on occasion. Still, the aerial game has proven to be the best way for the Boilermakers to travel--even with Elijah Sindelar (shoulder) and Moore out with injury and redshirt freshman quarterback Jack Plummer throwing passes.

“It’s a lot more comfortable," said Bell. "Because, at first, I didn’t really understand the playbook. Now, I’m getting the hang of it, so I can play at 100 percent speed every play.”

And Moore—who set the standard for Purdue freshman receivers last season when he became the first true freshman in Big Ten history to earn consensus All-American honors—is there to help … in many ways.

“We have game tests before,” said Moore. “But if he has a question about anything, he texts me and ask me what I have on that or what he has on this.”

How often does Bell text Moore?

“Pretty much every day,” Bell said. “Coach Brohm has a wide variety of plays that he has installed. So, there are new plays every week. I am trying to stay on top so I can be the best I can be on Saturdays.”

Moore likes what he has seen from Bell, who was the jewel of the four freshman wideouts signed in the 2019 recruiting class that also includes Milton Wright, TJ Sheffield and Mershawn Rice.

“From the summer, we knew he was gonna be a guy for us,” said Moore, who debuted in 2018 with 114 receptions for 1,258 yards with 12 TDs. “He does a great job of catching the go-ball for sure. He is good at tracking the ball. He works really hard. He’s getting stronger. I feel the more the offense he learns, the better he gets. He is getting more comfortable. He’s gonna be a good guy for us.”

Bell had just six catches through the first three games. But his first catch as a Boilermaker was memorable: A 49-yard touchdown reception at Nevada off a flea-flicker.

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Bell broke out with an eight-catch, 114-yard effort vs. Minnesota in the Big Ten opener, making his first career start with Jared Sparks out with injury.

"I thought David was outstanding," Brohm said after the Minnesota game. "It was great to see him. He's been coming back from some injury, as well. He played hard. He played tough. He made plays. That's kind of what we saw early on, and then he was out for camp for a very extended period of time. He's got some great play-making skills."

In Week Two vs. Vanderbilt, Bell began to emerge, making four receptions for 82 yards, averaging 20.5 yards per catch. That was the one game where Bell and Moore were both at their premium before injury first hit Bell (hamstring, then shoulder vs. TCU) and then Moore (hamstring vs. Minnesota.) Just imagine how much more difficult it will be for foes to defend Bell and Moore when both are healthy and in the lineup.

"You think about (Moore's return from injury) every day," said Bell. "You wish we could get him back today, but he's rehabbing, trying to get himself right so he can come back 100 percent."

Could defenses double-team Bell when Moore is back?

"I don't think a defense can put two people on me if you have an All-American on the inside playing slot," Bell said. "It's going to be very hard to try to double both of us."

For now, Bell waits for Moore's return. Until then, Bell will look to build an already glossy resume.

“Coach Brohm has a wide variety of plays that he has installed," said Bell. "So, there are new plays every week. I am trying to stay on top so I can be the best I can be on Saturdays.”

So far, so good.

"He gets a little more separation than I thought he would initially," said Shephard. "He actually catches the ball better than I thought he would. A lot of times with the body catching and stuff like that, you get a little concerned with that. We talked about it at length, he knows.

"I told him this spring, his butt is mine. We got some work to do. He knows it. He just feels like he is getting better and even more comfortable with what we are trying to ask him to do. He’s not even all the way there, where he wants to be where, where I want him to be and where Coach Brohm wants him to be. He’ll keep working at it and keep getting better."

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