UConn All-American wide receiver Skyler Bell is headed west.

The Buffalo Bills selected Bell with the 125th pick (fourth round) of the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh on Saturday. Draft analysts had projected Bell would be selected on the second night of the annual event, which started Thursday night with the first round.

Friday night saw 100 picks selected in the second and third rounds, including 17 wide receivers.

Bell was the 21st WR selected.

Bell moved up the draft board with his performance at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis two months ago, and he's been rumored since then to be linked to the Bills.

A native of the Bronx, Bell ran the 40-yard dash in 4.4 seconds with a 10-yard split of 1.53 seconds. His vertical jump was 41 inches, with a broad jump of 11 feet and 1 inch.

Bell played his high school football at the Taft School in Watertown, Conn., and earned a 3-star ranking from 247Sports. He was listed as the No. 124 wide receiver in the Class of 2021.

By 2025, he had evolved into one of the top receivers in the nation.

He spent a redshirt freshman season at Wisconsin in 2021, then played in 2022 and 2023 for the Badgers. He had an offer from UConn in 2020, and when he decided to enter the transfer portal, he wound up back in familiar territory in Connecticut with the Huskies.

As a redshirt junior in 2024, Bell played in all 13 games and led the team with 860 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He finished the season with four 100-yard games.

In 2025, Bell and quarterback Joe Fagnano were an efficient pair, to say the least. 

Bell caught 101 passes (third in FBS) for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns, both second in FBS. He totaled 100 yards in seven games, including an eight-catch, 149-yard day with three touchdowns on Nov. 1 in a 38-19 win against UAB.

In December, Bell became the first player in the history of the Huskies football program to be named a first-team Associated Press All-American. Joining him as first-team receivers were Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Makai Lemon of Southern California.

Smith is a junior and will be returning to the Buckeyes this fall. Lemon was selected in the first round with the No. 20 overall pick by the Philadelphia Eagles.

Bell also was a finalist for the 2025 Biletnikoff Award.

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