Sometime Friday night, Skyler Bell’s NFL dreams should come true.

Joe Fagnano will need to wait a bit longer.

All of the mock drafts are in, all the predictions made. Still, after the Las Vegas Raiders select former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza with the No. 1 overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft, no one really knows what will happen.

All we can do is check in with the mock drafters to see what they thought about the draft stock of UConn wide receiver Bell, and his quarterback, Joe Fagnano.

The NFL Mock Draft Database has made its predictions about the value of Bell and Fagnano in the draft, using hundreds of sources to come to its conclusions on its 2026 Consensus Big Board. Here, in the words of the database, is its methodology:

“The 2026 Consensus Big Board aggregates data from multiple sources for a balanced prospect ranking. It uses rankings from 180 big boards, evaluating talent across positions. It also incorporates 1,368 first-round mock drafts, showing team priorities for top prospects. Additionally, 1,423 team-specific mock drafts provide context on franchise-specific selections. This approach delivers a reliable, well-rounded projection for the 2026 NFL Draft.”

So where did Bell wind up in the aggregate drafts?

At pick No. 82 and the 16th wide receiver to be taken. The Minnesota Vikings own the No. 82 pick, squarely in the third round.

Of course, the real draft won’t fall in the same order as the mock drafts, but this is a good indicator of the ballpark of where Bell should be selected.

This is what Dave Helman, co-host of The Athletic Football Show, said earlier this month about Bell.

“This is Ja’Marr Chase light. He’s a freak athlete. He’s explosive but he’s very powerful and strong and watching him – obviously, he’s not Ja’Marr Chase … but he does all that same 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. I was just like, man. If I was trying to get Ja’Marr Chase’s skill set late on Day 2 or even into Day 3, I’m all the way in on this guy.” 

Helman probably knows a thing or two about Chase. Like the All-Pro receiver, Helman is an LSU alum.

A quick reminder of Bell’s 2025 season:

The seven-round draft has 257 total picks, and if the aggregate number on Fagnano is right, he will be getting calls from teams interested in him as an undrafted free agent.

His aggregate placement was No. 278 – beyond the scope of the draft picks – and he was listed as the No. 12 overall quarterback. 

Should Fagnano squeeze into the seventh round, all he has to do is flash back to the 2022 draft, when the San Francisco 49ers took former Iowa State quarterback Brock Purdy with pick No. 262. That was the final selection of the draft, giving Purdy the title of “Mr. Irrelevant.”

He turned out to be pretty relevant, however, when he was thrust into action as a rookie after injuries to quarterbacks Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. Purdy took San Francisco to the NFL championship game in 2022 and the Super Bowl the following season.

The Denver Broncos have the final pick in the draft.

A quick reminder of Fagnano’s 2025 season:

Round 1 will be held tonight in Pittsburgh beginning at 8 p.m. ET with ESPN, ABC and NFL Network, all providing coverage.

Rounds 2 and 3 are Friday, beginning at 7 p.m. ET. Rounds 4 through 7 begin at noon on Saturday.

Former UConn head coach Jim Mora, now at Colorado State, should be watching.

Remember to join our UCONN on ROUNDTABLE community, which is FREE! You can post your own thoughts, in text or video form, and you can engage with our Roundtable staff, as well as other Huskies fans. If prompted to download the Roundtable APP, that's free too!