Former Montgomery prep standout Travis Bell became the first player from Kennesaw State chosen in the NFL Draft on Saturday.

The Chicago Bears selected the defensive lineman with the first choice of the seventh round in the 88th NFL Draft.

This year’s 218th draft pick played his high school football at Jeff Davis.

A 6-foot-1, 290-pound defensive tackle, Bell heads to the NFL after five seasons at Kennesaw State. During the 2022 season, Bell recorded 34 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks for the Owls.

Bell became the third defensive tackle drafted by Chicago, following Florida’s Gervon Dexter at No. 54 and South Carolina’s Zacch Pickens at No. 64.

At Jeff Davis, Bell helped the Volunteers reach the postseason in his final two seasons. In both 2016 and 2017, Jeff Davis’ seasons ended with losses to McGill-Toolen in the AHSAA Class 7A playoffs.

Jeff Davis alumnus Zyon Gilbert played in three games as a cornerback for the New York Giants in the 2022 season. He was the first former Volunteer in the NFL since cornerback Ladarius Gunter, who played from 2015 through 2017.

Jeff Davis’ most notable NFL player has been safety George Teague, who appeared in 133 regular-season and 12 playoff games from 1993 through 2001. Between Jeff Davis and the NFL, Teague played at Alabama.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.