Bills rookie Keon Coleman earns comparisons to two Pro Bowl WRs

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Keon Coleman has been compared to multi-time Pro Bowl wide receivers Keenan Allen and Mike Evans.

Kyle Silagyi | Jul 13, 2024

Nov 11, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) celebrates a touchdown score against the Miami Hurricanes during the second half at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

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The Buffalo Bills did not select wide receiver Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft in hopes that he would be the next (insert name of notable pass catcher here)—they selected him to be the first Keon Coleman.

It’s a sentiment that’s rather obvious and is not necessarily in need of confirmation, but the rookie verified it anyway in a recent interview with CBS Sports, stating “I’m not Gabe, I’m not Stef, I’m just Keon.” The 21-year-old is, of course, referring to Gabriel Davis and Stefon Diggs, Buffalo’s previous leading wide receivers who left One Bills Drive in the 2024 offseason; their respective departures leave Coleman with an opportunity to carve out a significant offensive role in a revamped receiving corps rich in available targets.

And though player comparisons are largely futile (as no two competitors are exactly alike), they can be useful in allowing a fanbase to not only generate excitement, but also gauge an idea of a player’s potential impact. During a recent co-hosting spot on The Herd with Colin Cowherd, NFL Insider Jordan Schultz shared some Coleman-centric intel he’s gathered from around the league in recent weeks, comparing him to two former Pro Bowl wideouts before projecting a massive year-one breakout.

“Scouts [and] executives tell me he’s got Keenan Allen and Mike Evans type of ability,” Schultz said. “This is a 6-foot-4 punt returner, short area quickness. People criticize him for running a 4.60 [second 40-yard dash], he ran over 20 miles per hour in the gauntlet at the combine, that’s the fastest time over the last two years.

“Played football and basketball at Michigan State before going to the ‘Noles, this is a freak athlete. He’s going to make contested catches and he often makes the spectacular look regular and ordinary. He’s dynamic and I think he’s going to be an instant day-one big-time contributor for Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense.”

As Josh Allen and the #Bills prepare for life after Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, rookie receiver Keon Coleman has all the tools to become Buffalo’s next household name.

🎥: @TheHerd pic.twitter.com/QyBzWN4F9D
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) July 11, 2024

Allen and Evans are lofty comparisons for any prospect, as they’re two of the better wide receivers of their generation. Allen has caught 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns throughout his 11-year NFL career, earning six Pro Bowl nods along the way. Evans, meanwhile, has quietly been one of the league’s best wide receivers since entering the league in 2014, catching 762 passes for 11,680 yards and 94 touchdowns. He’s never finished a season with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards, an incredible feat for a player entering his 11th campaign.

Coleman certainly has a similar stature to both Allen and Evans, as they’re all big-bodied targets who use their frames to their advantage; Coleman measured in at 6-foot-3 at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine while Allen and Evans are listed at 6-foot-2 and 6-foot-5, respectively. What makes Schultz's comments a bit… interesting is the fact that he compares Coleman to both Allen and Evans, who were very different players in their respective primes; peak Allen was deployed from both the slot and out wide and saw the bulk of his targets in the short-to-intermediate game. Though Evans has seen his slot usage increase slightly in recent years, the vast majority of his snaps still come on the outside, and he’s long been one of the NFL’s best downfield, ‘big play’ pass catchers.

Regardless, if Coleman can transpose the sort of impact generated by either player onto Buffalo’s offense, the team will be more than satisfied. He’s a unique player with tremendous jump-ball ability and surprising agility; as Schultz mentioned, he returned punts in Tallahassee in addition to reeling in 11 touchdowns last season. It’s unfair to expect an Allen-or-Evans-like impact from Coleman immediately, but the Bills will give him every opportunity to make his mark offensively; the rookie currently projects as the team’s X wide receiver.

Keon Coleman buffalo bills wide receiver

Oct 14, 2023; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles wide receiver Keon Coleman (4) catches a pass over Syracuse Orange defensive back Jason Simmons Jr. (6) during the first quarter at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports / Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

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