The Buffalo Bills have selected wide receiver Keon Coleman with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Here are five things to know about the newest addition to the Bills offense.
1 — Team leader
While at Florida State, Coleman led the Seminoles in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, finding the end zone 11 times in 2023. He was the only receiver on the team with more than three touchdown receptions.
Coleman received First-team All-ACC honors for his work as a wide receiver, all-purpose player and special teamer, becoming the first FSU player to win all three first-team awards in the same season.
The year prior, at Michigan State, Coleman was the Spartans' team leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Coleman will look to find a role in the Bills wide receiver corps, including Curtis Samuel, Khalil Shakir and Mack Hollins, among others. His size, standing at 6-foot-3, 213 pounds, makes him difficult to take down and allows him to levitate above defenders to make contested catches.
Making his debut as a Seminole, Coleman was a key part in FSU's 42-24 win over No. 5-ranked LSU to open the 2023 season, making nine grabs for 122 yards and three touchdowns.
2 — Basketball prowess is evident on the football field
In high school, Coleman was a star basketball player in Louisiana, averaging 26 points per game in his junior season and earning Second-team All-State honors as a senior.
Coleman took his basketball talents to the next level, playing for Head Coach Tom Izzo at Michigan State as a freshman. While he only played a total of 10 minutes for the Spartans, Coleman scored five points, had three steals and had one rebound.
His basketball skills are put on full display on the football field, as Coleman can track down and secure a jump ball as if he's boxing out for a rebound. With a 38-inch vertical jump, Coleman secured 22 of 48 contested catches throughout his college career.
3 — Coleman starred as a returner in college
Coleman's athleticism was used beyond his work on the offensive side of the ball at FSU. The 20-year-old averaged 12 yards per punt return, with a long of 72.
When the big-bodied returner gets a full head of steam, his size and athleticism makes it difficult for opposing teams to take him down. Coleman put together several electrifying punt returns in college, including a 72-yard return that nearly ended in a trip to the end zone.
With Buffalo's release of wide receiver and punt returner Deonte Harty, Coleman could have an opportunity to work as a punt returner at the next level.
4 — His play speed outpaces his 40-yard dash time
Coleman's 4.61 40-yard dash doesn't necessarily jump off the charts, but in the gauntlet drill at the NFL Combine, Coleman reached a top speed of 20.36 miles per hour – the fastest speed by a receiver over the last two seasons.
"The 40 is no longer the most effective way to determine a player's speed," wrote ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques earlier this year. "The value it once had to teams has diminished in its 80-year existence, as clubs turn toward other means – such as GPS tracking and analytical data – to fully understand how fast a player can move in football specific situations."
With a quick burst at the line of scrimmage, Coleman can line up in the slot or on the outside. His size allows him to break tackles and his athleticism can lead to some highlight worthy plays, as seen in his incredible leap over a Southern Miss defender last season.
5 — Daniel Jeremiah's take on the Bills' newest wide receiver
NFL Network Draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah praised Coleman for his ability to win routes in different ways, often due to his size and ability to come down with the ball.
"He is a smooth and fluid route runner with some nuance to his game," wrote Jeremiah in March. "He understands how to use his body to keep defenders on his back and attack the ball in front of his frame."
Jeremiah said Coleman's highlight reel might be the best in this draft class and said that Coleman has the potential to thrive in the end zone.
"He also might have the best highlight reel in this draft class, with one-handed wow catches littered throughout his tape," Jeremiah wrote. "After the catch, he is competitive to fight for extra yards and will occasionally hurdle defenders. He's an excellent athlete."
Bonus: Coleman is the younger cousin of Cowboys star WR Ceedee Lamb
