Former Michigan State WR Keon Coleman Selected at No. 33 Overall in 2024 NFL Draft
After not being selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, former Michigan State wide receiver Keon Coleman was the first prospect off the board on Day 2, going to the Buffalo Bills at pick No. 33.
Coleman separated himself as one of college football's best receivers after transferring to Florida State for his final collegiate season. He was named to the 2023 All-ACC First Team, having helped lead the Seminoles to a 13-1 record with his team-leading 658 yards and 11 touchdowns on 50 receptions.
Coleman joined Florida State after two seasons at Michigan State, where he played a total of 22 games. He posted 848 receiving yards as a Spartan, 798 of which had come in the 2022 season, which marked a career-high. Coleman also recorded eight receiving touchdowns in those two seasons with Michigan State.
Despite having left the Spartans for his final season, Coleman still looks back on his time at Michigan State fondly.
"Every day at Michigan State I just enjoyed because coming in, I had a lot of work to do and just put my head down and worked," Coleman told me at the NFL Combine last month. "And I'm forever grateful; they jump-started my career there."
Even while preparing for the draft process, Coleman was still in contact with Michigan State wide receivers coach Courtney Hawkins.
“We just talked the other day,” Hawkins told reporters on Thursday, April 18. "He made a business decision, but I mean, we have a relationship bigger than this business of college football now. It’s [college football] so different. He took advantage of what he felt like was best for him. But from a coach-player standpoint, I mean, we’re [locked fingers]. I mean, he calls asking, ‘Should I do this? Should I do that?’ through this process right now that he’s going through with the whole draft approaching and all of that.
“So, we got a tremendous relationship. And I’m one of his biggest fans. I’ll be sitting in front of the TV like, ‘Gotta take my guy.’”
Buffalo traded one of the top receivers in the game, Stefon Diggs, to the Houston Texans this offseason. The WR1 spot in Buffalo will be up for the taking.
AIDAN CHAMPION