Former Michigan State RB Le'Veon Bell 'biggest athletic freak' at Pittsburgh Steelers minicamp
Former Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell is quickly shedding his too slow scouting report. (AP Photo)
By Gillian Van Stratt
on May 13, 2013
When former Pittsburgh Panther defensive back Andrew Taglianetti got invited to his hometown NFL team's rookie minicamp, he was living the dream.
But his wide-eyed state of awe didn't keep him from noticing the difference between his fellow rookies participating in their first NFL workouts with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the guys he used to play with at Heinz Field.
Following the camp, Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan asked Taglianetti, "Who was the biggest athletic freak you saw on the field?"
His answer: Former Michigan State running back Le'Veon Bell.
"I'll tell you what, Le'Veon Bell," Taglianetti said with no hesitation. "He's probably 230, 240 (pounds), I'm not sure about his weight, but he is really, really quick."
Quickness and breakaway speed, once considered Bell's weakness, seems to be his most surprising NFL attribute.
"There's a couple times I'd come up, and I was trying to establish myself, I tried to body some people and just like throw my shoulder into them," Taglianetti said. "But (Le'Veon) made me miss about three times."
Recently, ESPN's John Clayton reported that the Steelers believe Bell to be the next version of Chicago Bear's running back Matt Forte. Taglianetti had a comparison of his own.
"I told someone it was kind of comparible to a Ray Graham cut," Taglianetti said of his former Pitt teammate. Graham rushed for over 3,200 yards in his college career. "Ray Graham was always infamous for those jump cuts. Le'Veon has a little shake to him. I mean I was really impressed with him. I wasn't scared about getting run over, cause we didn't have pads on, but I think he has a lot of aspects to his game where he's going to be successful in the NFL.
"I really expect him to make a lot of plays next year for the Steelers."
[URL]http://www.mlive.com/spartans/index.ssf/2013/05/former_michigan_state_rb_leveo_3.html[/URL]
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