San Francisco 49ers: Ranking 10 Best Players on Offense in 2016

No. 10 – Blake Bell

San Francisco fans haven’t had much of a chance to see what Blake Bell can do after he was taken in the fourth round last year, but what they have witnessed has been encouraging.

The ‘Belldozer’ is still learning the tight end position after transitioning from quarterback at Oklahoma but has shown glimpses of why the 49ers chose to invest in him.

There isn’t much to choose between the physical skill sets of Bell and fellow tight end Vance McDonald. Both are athletic for men of their significant stature and have good enough speed to make yards after the catch.

However, Bell plays slightly faster than McDonald and, from the evidence of the 2015 season, has considerably better hands. Bell caught 15 of his 25 targets for 186 yards, an average of 12.4 yards per reception.

McDonald caught 30 of his 46 targets for 326 yards and three touchdowns but, while he is a better blocker than Bell, continues to have problems with drops in key situations.

Bell needs to develop as both a blocker and a route-runner, however, he has already proven he can be depended on and – at 6’6″ and 252 pounds – has the size to be a threat in the red zone and the athletic ability to make big plays downfield.

Historically Kelly has not utilized tight ends much in his offense but he would be wise not to neglect a player in Bell who has what it takes to make further strides in 2016.

Next: No. 9