Park Hill’s Ronnie Bell, who scored first NFL TD on Thursday, will give ball to his mom

Being a sixth-round draft pick in the NFL Draft might rub some players the wrong way, but it wasn’t the first time Ronnie Bell had been overlooked.

Bell was a multisport star at Park Hill High School, but he received just one scholarship offer in football despite being the Simone Award winner. It came from Michigan and but only after Bell had agreed to play basketball at Missouri State.

“I just kinda hoped and prayed that somebody would take a chance on me,” Bell told the Star’s Sam McDowell in 2017. “I knew if anybody reached out, I was going to let them know that football is what I wanted to do.”

Bell got out of his basketball commitment and proved to be an impact player for the Wolverines. He had 145 receptions for 2,269 yards and nine touchdown receptions in his career.

In Michigan’s 2021 opener, Bell caught a 76-yard touchdown pass before suffering an ACL injury. That sidelined him the rest of the year, but he came back strong in 2022 and had his best season in Ann Arbor.

Bell, who is 6 foot and 192 pounds, caught 62 passes and had 889 receiving yards as a senior, and the 49ers grabbed him with the 221st overall pick in the draft earlier this year in Kansas City.

On Thursday night, Bell caught two passes, including a 9-yard touchdown throw from Brock Purdy in the second quarter. That broke a tie and put the 49ers ahead to stay as San Francisco won 30-12.

“It’s surreal, excited, blessed, beautiful,” Bell told NBC Sports after getting the touchdown ball. “Didn’t even know I got a little sticker, too. They got it all hooked up for me. Appreciate our EQ (equipment) guys. Best in the business.”

Bell said he knows just what he’s going to do with the keepsake.

“It’s going home for sure,” Bell said. “My mom’s gonna love it.”