Beau Bell is Cleveland-bound

Beau Bell said he had a feeling that the Cleveland Browns might draft him, even though the Browns didn’t have a draft pick until the fourth round on Sunday. So much so that the 2007 Mountain West Conference defensive player of the year didn’t even bother rolling out of bed until most of the third round had been completed.

And shortly after making some breakfast, Bell got the call he had been waiting for.

“They put (Browns head coach) Romeo Crennel on the phone and he said we’re about to pick you,” Bell said. “I didn’t even know they had just made a trade.”

Indeed, Cleveland negotiated a deal with the Dallas Cowboys for the fifth pick of the fourth round (No. 104 overall) to move up and select Bell.

“It’s still kind of surreal to me right now,” Bell said about an hour after the pick was made. “I’m still kind of in a state of shock.”

Bell said he had a good feeling about the Browns after taking a visit to Cleveland earlier this month.

“I just had a feeling it would be them,” Bell said. “I didn’t really know. When I was on my trip there they told me if I was still there in the fourth round that ‘we’re going to get you.’ And that’s what they did.”

It’s the second year in a row that Cleveland chose a UNLV player. The Browns drafted cornerback Eric Wright in the second round last year.

Bell said he did not see his old teammate during his Cleveland visit.

“In fact, I was just getting ready to call him when you called,” he said. “I’ve talked to him a few times but not recently.”

Bell said he will leave Thursday to attend the Browns’ mini-camp.