In 1991, the Los Angeles Raiders selected running back Nick Bell in the second round (No. 43 overall) of the NFL Draft. The Las Vegas native played three seasons for the team, totaling 853 rushing yards, seven touchdowns, 21 receptions, and 213 receiving yards.
When asked about his fondest moments as a Raider, Bellās first and last touchdowns as a Raider were his most memorable.
āMy first touchdown,ā Bell said in a moment of reflection. āMy first touchdown was against Houston
He continued, āOne of the better moments I had was actually my last touchdown with Steve Smith, who is my very good friend. I pray for him every day. I just went behind him and he took me in and we won the game with no time on the clock. Itās one of the greatest games Iāve played in my life.ā
Itās been 26 years since a member of the Bell family played for the Raiders, but thatās all about to change.
On the final day of the 2019 NFL Draft, in the final round, and with their final pick, Head Coach Jon Gruden and General Manager Mike Mayock selected Nick Bellās nephew, Quinton Bell, with the No. 230 overall pick.
The Long Beach, Calif., native was a three-sport athlete growing up, participating in track, basketball, and football at Costa Mesa High School.
During an interview with Brantley Watson of The Orange County Register in 2013, Bellās high school football coach, Wally Grant, shared that Bell has the athleticism to be great at whatever he does, regardless of the sport.
āI donāt care what the sport is,ā Grant said. āIf you give him a baseball bat and give him a week, heād be good. Heās one of those kids that just has those gifts.ā
Growing up, Quintonās uncle and former Raider, Nick, knew he was athletically gifted because when young Quinton started playing football he was a natural at everything, but given his size, it was a perplexing situation for his coaches to figure out where to play him.
Originally, Quinton was asked to line up as a wide receiver, but prior to his final season in college, he was asked to make the transition to defensive end. Thatās not an easy transition to make for a number of reasons, but it was no big deal for the Southern California kid.
āIt really was kind of a decision I made for myself as well as for my team at the time,ā he told the media via conference call Saturday. āWe got a new coaching staff my senior year and they came in and they saw some potential in me that I didnāt see for myself. At receiver, I kind of wasnāt really doing too much. They came in and said, āLook, we think you have a chance to play at the next level at defensive end, pass rushing.ā So, at first it kind of sounded a little crazy to me, but looking back at it now, itās probably the best decision I ever made in my life.ā