‘The Human Skyscraper’ Climbs His Way onto the Steelers 2026 Draft Board
The Pittsburgh Steelers began their pre-draft visits on March 6th, 2026, meeting with Miami Hurricanes offensive tackle Markel Bell, according to reports by ESPN’s Brooke Pryor and The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. Bell stands at six-foot-nine and weighs 342 pounds. His size earned him the nickname ‘The Human Skyscraper’ from Miami’s head coach, Mario Cristobal. Many believed the Steelers would focus on wide receiver and quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft. News that the former Hurricanes offensive tackle was Pittsburgh’s first pre-draft visit shocked fans, especially as this top-30 visit came before the New League Year began on March 11th. Bell is one of the most promising offensive tackles in this year's draft. He could help Pittsburgh’s changing offensive line and allow the team to save more than $19 million if they don’t pick up Broderick Jones’ fifth-year option by May 1st.
‘The Human Skyscraper’ is the tallest prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, standing half-an-inch taller than Memphis offensive tackle Travis Burke. Bell had an impressive NFL combine. He ran a 5.36-second 40-yard dash and logged a 1.84-second 10-yard split. His arms measure 36 and three-eighths inches, and his hands are nine inches. He received a score of 70 and an athleticism score of 72, ranking as the 17th-best offensive tackle this year. During his 2025 Miami campaign, the senior hurricane did not allow a single sack and gave up only nine pressures. He was named Third-Team All-ACC and played in the 2025 Senior Bowl.
Steelers beat writer Josh Carney noted Bell "wasn’t asked to do much traditional run blocking and driving in college. In pass protection, everything was pretty quick, keeping him from being on an island time and again. His feet are inconsistent in pass protection, too, and he’s susceptible to inside rushes." Most believed the Steelers would have an internal position battle at left tackle between Jones and Dylan Cook. Cook played well when Jones was sidelined with a neck injury. This neck injury is believed to be more serious than initially expected, which causes fears that Jones may not return in time for training camp. This situation could push Pittsburgh to take a chance on ‘The Human Skyscraper’ in the second or third round of the draft.
In previous years, the Steelers had built an offense based around former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s fast-paced, run-first scheme. They expected their offensive linemen to be fast, agile, and capable of moving laterally up to the second level, therefore creating gaps for explosive, short running backs such as Jaylen Warren and Kenneth Gainwell, who both stand under five-foot-ten. ‘The Human Skyscraper’ size prevents him from doing this, but as the Steelers brought in pass-heavy Mike McCarthy to be their next head coach, as well as the belief that the Steelers will bring back four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Bell may fit in perfectly with a revamped Steelers offense. He has size, strength, power, and length; with a new head coach and offensive coordinator, the philosophy of Pittsburgh’s offensive line may be changing, as this switch to an 11-personnel, pass heavy offensive attack could lead the ‘The Human Skyscraper’ to act just as that, a building that stands in the way of any edge rusher, striking fear into opposing teams as the ball is launched over their heads.
