KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It's no secret Ronnie Bell is a force on the field.
A three-star recruit while playing for the Park Hill Trojans, he went on to hold third-team All-Big Ten conference honors and Offensive Skill Player of the Year while leading the Michigan Wolverines.
Bell's passion for football is a love he found thanks to his father, Aaron Bell, who coaches for Missouri Western.
“Being around my dad when he was coaching, growing up around the game, then the way it all went down in high school for me to get the chance to go play college football," Ronnie Bell said.
Bell and his siblings, including twin brothers Kendrick and Markquese, grew up playing sports, excelling in basketball and football.
The Bell family says it didn't matter what ball was in their hands as long as their family bond was one they could always lean on during the highs and lows, like in 2021 when an ACL injury sidelined Ronnie.
"I know it was tough, being hurt and everything, but God always has a reason for everything and his reasons are always right," Markquese Bell said.
And Ronnie's timing is coming full circle. After years of chasing his dream and months of training, the KC native is predicted to be drafted in the 2023 NFL Draft.
"When he tore his ACL, and I found out the draft was here in Kansas City, I was like, God works in mysterious ways," Aaron Bell said.
Bell is predicted to be drafted during round two or three of the draft, but potentially receiving the call to join the NFL in his hometown only makes the experience sweeter.
"I know he’s gonna exceed all expectations and prove everybody wrong because I know he has doubters out there and I know he's gonna prove all those critics wrong," Kendrick Bell said.
Now that his dream is becoming a reality, Ronnie says as long as his family is by his side, he doesn’t care what team calls his name.
"To be full circle with the draft being in Kansas City, like everything just is a surreal moment, but definitely something I've been working for my whole life," Ronnie Bell said.
Ronnie says he will be playing golf during the draft, once again relying on faith.
"He's done everything that he needs to do," Aaron Bell said. "It's out of his control, and hopefully someone just calls his name out of the 254."
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More coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft can be found below.
