A Buffalo Bills rookie who received quite a bit of hype this summer — and even in the early stages of training camp — is learning that things don’t get real in the NFL until the pads come on.

The Bills selected former UConn wide receiver Skyler Bell in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft.

Bell, who started his career at Wisconsin, is a speedy receiver who was extremely productive during his final season at UConn (101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns).

Some of the hype that Bell got before the draft was truly insane.

“This is probably the most reckless thing I’ll say on this show,” said Dave Helman from The Athletic Football Show earlier this year. “This is Ja’Marr Chase lite. He’s a freak athlete, he’s explosive, but he’s very powerful and strong. And watching him, I was just like, obviously, he’s not Ja’Marr Chase. He’s not going to be a top-10 pick. I doubt he’s going to be an All-Pro caliber player as a rookie, but he does all that type of stuff. He can take it to the house, he can just body people out of the way. He can high point the ball. If I was trying to get Ja’Marr Chase’s skillset on late day two or even into day three, I’m all the way in on this guy.”

That kind of praise is a lot to put on a young player.

And predictably, Bell is hitting a bit of a wall in training camp.

According to The Athletic’s Joe Buscaglia, Bell has “faded into the background a bit” as of late.

“An extremely popular sleeper heading into camp, he has faded into the background a bit as the pads have come on,” wrote Buscaglia of Bell. “His separation skills and his releases at the line of scrimmage are good, but his ball skills have held him back. At this point, the top four of the Bills’ receiver room clearly are DJ Moore, Khalil Shakir, Keon Coleman and Joshua Palmer. Bell is a roster lock, but his game-day role will be determined by how he finishes through the three preseason games. Especially if the Bills keep Mecole Hardman as a sixth receiver and their primary punt returner, it wouldn’t be stunning if Bell begins the regular season as a healthy scratch.”

It’s important to remember that Bell, despite being 24, is still early in his development as an NFL player. There are going to be some growing pains as he adjusts to life in the NFL. The fact that he’s “faded a bit” as we get close to the middle of August shouldn’t be reason for concern — it’s simply part of the development process.

Ultimately, it’s a reminder that big expectations for rookies right out of the gate aren’t wise. Sure, some players are stars from day one (though that’s rare), but most players need to go through some ups and downs at the pro level before becoming the best versions of themselves.