He received Josh Allen’s stamp of approval in the pre-draft process, and now, he’s received a vote of confidence from ESPN. Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman has been listed as one of the outlet’s ‘best’ 100 picks of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The list, compiled by Matt Miller, is not a simple write-up of the top 100 selections of the draft; it instead explores each prospect’s ability, draft capital, and the situation they’re entering, with Miller ranking his favorite 100 picks based on these, and several other, factors. He included two of Buffalo’s 10 selections in his ranking, with Coleman, whom the Bills selected with the 33rd overall pick in the draft, coming in at No. 31 on Miller’s list.
“One of the most obvious picks in every mock draft was the Bills selecting a wide receiver,” Miller wrote. “Coleman was a solid value at No. 33 (after two trade-backs) with seven receivers off the board in the first round, and with his size and post-up ability, he’s exactly what Buffalo and quarterback Josh Allen wanted. Coleman’s ability to win on 50-50 balls and create yards after the catch will help the Bills replace Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.”
Miller had ranked Coleman as his ninth-best receiver and 38th-best prospect in the class predraft. He’s the seventh wideout included on this particular list, with Miller ranking Rome Odunze, Marvin Harrison Jr., Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, Malik Nabers, and Ladd McConkey as ‘better’ picks factoring in draft position and landing spot.
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It’s the fit that makes Coleman an exciting prospect for general football fans in addition to the Buffalo faithful; as Miller references, the Bills parted ways with Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis through trade and free agency, respectively, in the offseason, eliminating a combined 1,929 receiving yards and 15 touchdowns from their receiving corps. Though Khalil Shakir and the recently-signed Curtis Samuel are talented players, Buffalo’s receiving corps lacks a true alpha, an offense-driver whom offensive coordinator Joe Brady can craft a passing attack around.
Coleman—at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds—certainly has the build of a prototypical No. 1 wideout, and while some felt as though he best projected as a ‘big slot’ in the NFL, Bills general manager Brandon Beane has already indicated that he’ll start his professional career on the boundary. He’s been productive in the role in the past, catching 50 passes for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns as an ‘alpha’ for Florida State last year.
Though perhaps not the role best suited for his success, it’s one that Buffalo—and Allen—are confident he can succeed in. The quarterback had identified Coleman as a player he would like to play with during the predraft process; if Allen is excited to see him play, we should be, as well.
