B. J. Bello
Free agent | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: |
New Lenox, Illinois | October 31, 1994||||||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||||
Weight: | 229 lb (104 kg) | ||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||
High school: |
Lincoln-Way West (New Lenox, Illinois) | ||||||||||||
College: | Illinois / Illinois State | ||||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2017 | ||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||
Career NFL statistics as of 2017 | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at PFR |
Amin Babajide "B. J." Bello (born October 31, 1994) is an American football linebacker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Illinois and Illinois State.
Early years
Bello played high school football at Lincoln-Way West High School in New Lenox, Illinois. He recorded 81 tackles, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception his senior year in 2011. He also participated in track and field at Lincoln-Way West, earning All-State honors.[1]
College career
Bello played for the Illinois Fighting Illini of the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign from 2013 to 2015. He was redshirted in 2012. He played in four games in 2013 and recorded four tackle assists. He played in nine games in 2014 and totaled three tackle assists. Bello played in eight games in 2015, recording one solo tackle, five tackle assists and one pass breakup.[1] He transferred to play for the Illinois State Redbirds of Illinois State University in 2016.[2] He played in 12 games, starting 11, in 2016, totaling 72 total tackles, 6 sacks, 4 pass breakups and 2 forced fumbles.[3] Bello was named to the MVFC All-Newcomer Team in 2016.[2]
Professional career
Bello was rated the 45th best outside linebacker in the 2017 NFL Draft by NFLDraftScout.com.[4] Lance Zierlein of NFL.com predicted that he would go undrafted and be a priority free agent, stating that Bello "needs to be stronger and tougher to hold up as a 4-3 linebacker which is where he'll likely project. Teams could look to bulk him up and see if he could become a situational rusher off the edge, but he'll have to become a quality special teams player to make that a possibility."[5]
Ht | Wt | 40-yard dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert jump | Broad | BP | |||
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6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) |
228 lb (103 kg) |
4.56 s | 1.46 s | 2.46 s | 4.17 s | 6.71 s | 33 1⁄2 in (0.85 m) |
10 ft 9 in (3.28 m) |
10 reps | |||
All values from Illinois State and Northwestern Pro Day[4][6][7] |
Cleveland Browns
Bello signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2017.[8] He was waived by the Browns on September 1 and signed to the team's practice squad on September 4.[9][10] He was promoted to the active roster on September 8, 2017.[11]
Bello was waived by the Browns on September 1, 2018.[12]
Arizona Cardinals
On September 3, 2018, Bello was signed to the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad.[13] Bello was released by the Cardinals on September 18, 2018.
Personal life
Bello's cousin, Supo Sanni, played college football as a defensive back for the Illinois Fighting Illini.[2]
References
- 1 2 "B.J. Bello". FightingIllini.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- 1 2 3 "B.J. Bello". GoRedBirds.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "2016 Illinois State Football" (PDF). GoRedBirds.com. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- 1 2 "B.J. Bello". NFLDraftScout.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "B. J. Bello". NFL.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ Goss, Dick (May 10, 2017). "Pro football: Lincoln-Way graduate Bello rides strong senior season at ISU to NFL shot". TheHerald-News.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ Reinhardt, Randy (March 29, 2017). "Five ex-Redbird football players test skills at Pro Day". Pantagraph.com. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Browns agree to terms with 11 undrafted free agents". ClevelandBrowns.com. May 4, 2017. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Browns reduce roster to 65". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 1, 2017. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Browns claim OL Zach Banner". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 4, 2017. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ "Browns elevate LB B.J. Bello and DB Kai Nacua to the active roster". ClevelandBrowns.com. September 8, 2017. Archived from the original on October 9, 2017. Retrieved October 8, 2017.
- ↑ Gribble, Andrew (September 1, 2018). "Browns announce 53-man roster". ClevelandBrowns.com.
- ↑ "Cardinals round out practice squad with 3 defensive players". Cards Wire. USA Today. September 3, 2018.