Markel Bell

Offensive Tackle, Philadelphia Eagles · #72.

Player facts

Team: Philadelphia Eagles
Position: Offensive Tackle
Number: 72
Born: Jul 19, 2004 (age 22)
Birthplace: Cleveland, MS, USA
Height: 6' 9"
Weight: 346 lbs
College: Miami
Experience: Rookie
Status: Active

About

Markel Bell (born July 19, 2004) is an American professional football offensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Holmes Bulldogs and Miami Hurricanes and he was selected by the Eagles in the third round of the 2026 NFL draft.

From Wikipedia’s article on Markel Bell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.¹

Background

Early life

Bell was born on July 19, 2004 in Cleveland, Mississippi. He is the oldest of three siblings. Bell first began playing football during 7th grade. He attended Cleveland Central High School, where he played football and basketball. He later switched to football full time due to his size and on-field impact, growing to 6'7 and 285 pounds by his sophomore year. Despite his stature and ability, and the reception of offers from smaller, regional schools, Bell was drawn to Junior colleges rather than larger schools for developmental purposes, leading him to enroll at Holmes Community College in Goodman, Mississippi.

College career

Bell played at Holmes Community College in 2022 and 2023. He earned All-NJCAA All-Region honors in 2023. Bell was ranked as the number one offensive tackle junior college transfer in 2023 and transferred to the University of Miami. In his first year at Miami in 2024, he played in 12 games and started five in place of injured starter Jalen Rivers. He returned to Miami in 2025 as the full-time starting left tackle. After the 2025 season, Bell was named a second-team Academic All-American and attended the Senior Bowl.

From Wikipedia’s article on Markel Bell, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the full article.¹