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Home > Blogs > Dawging the Browns > Archives > 2008 > April > 27 > Entry
Bell tolls for Browns
Shortly after noon, the NFL draft finally started for the Cleveland Browns.
Trading their fourth- and fifth-round picks to the Dallas Cowboys, they moved up 18 spots in the fourth round to select Nevada-Las Vegas linebacker Beau Bell, a 6-foot-1, 250 pounder with injury issues.
Then they got together with the Cowboys again, dealing next year’s third-round choice for another fourth-rounder, which they used on Missouri tight end Martin Rucker.
The Browns, who did not have a pick in the first three rounds, entered the day with the No. 23 pick in the fourth. But General Manager Phil Savage coveted Bell and didn’t want to risk that he wouldn’t fall that far.
Bell mainly played outside linebacker in college, but the Browns are drafting him to play inside and were not deterred by the knee injury, a bone bruise, he suffered during practice for the Senior Bowl.
At his pro day, Bell ran a disappointing 4.9 in the 40-yard dash, but that was mainly because the injury cut into his training. Before hurting the knee, he ran in the mid 4.7s.
“I’d like to thank the whole organization for believing in me and choosing me,” the Mountain West Conference Defensive Player of the Year said on a conference call. “I can’t wait to get started and play some football.”
Bell described his style as “real physical at the point of attack. I like to run around and hit people.”
Browns starting cornerback Eric Wright, a second-round draft choice last year, was Bell’s teammate at UNLV for one year.
“He said it’s cold out there, but it’s real fun and the team’s on the rise,” Bell said. “I’m really excited to come to Cleveland. Being on the inside could really bring out the best in me.”
Rucker (no relation to Reggie) started all 14 games for Missouri as a senior and led the nation’s tight ends with 84 receptions.
One disquieting scouting report on Rucker: “Not physical, plays too tall and lacks functional strength.”
“Most of our blocking was done in space,” Rucker said. “I’m eager to prove to everyone that I can (block).”
Rucker, 6-foot-4, 251 pounds, is the brother of Mike Rucker, a Pro Bowl defensive tackle who recently retired from the Carolina Panthers after a long and productive career.
Rucker’s father is a member of Congress from Missouri, which led to this criticism by Pro Football Weekly: “Has a sense of entitlement coming from a very successful family and must learn what it really means to work.”
Rejecting that notion, Rucker said, “There’s going to be nothing but hard work out of me.”
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