Ronnie Bell, former Simone winner, taken in Round 7 of NFL Draft by San Francisco 49ers
Michigan wide receiver Ronnie Bell, once honored as Kansas City’s top high school football player, was taken in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft on Saturday by the San Francisco 49ers.
Bell won the Simone Award as the area’s top prep player while playing for Park Hill High. But his first choice of college, Missouri State, was to play basketball.
Bell changed his mind when he was recruited by MIchigan coach Jim Harbaugh. He turned in his best season in 2022 with 62 receptions and four touchdowns, including 135 yards and a score in the Wolverines’ CFP semifinal loss to TCU. He missed the previous season with an ACL tear.
Bell was the fourth and final player from a Kansas City-area high school to be selected during this week’s NFL Draft in KC:
- Felix Anudike-Uzomah, Round 1, No. 31 overall, Chiefs, Kansas State, Lee’s Summit High
- Adetomiwa Adebawore, Round 4, No. 110, Colts, Northwestern, North Kansas City High
- Eric Scott, Jr., Round 6, No. 178 overall, Cowboys, Southern Mississippi, Basehor-Linwood High
- Ronnie Bell, Round 7, No. 253 overall, 49ers, Michigan, Park Hill High