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Many analysts saw a red flag when wide receiver Keon Coleman struggled in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, but Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane saw opportunity.
The Bills selected Coleman with the first pick of the second round, trading back twice in the first round to accumulate picks before snagging the Florida State wide receiver. This came after what CBS Sports analyst Jared Dubin called a “disappointing” performance in the 40-yard dash, where Coleman’s time of 4.61 seconds put him near the bottom of wide receiving prospects.
A newly released behind-the-scenes video from the NFL Combine showed that Beane was happy Coleman fell below expectations.
“I’m glad he ran that,” Beane told assistant general manager Brian Gaine and director of player personnel Terrance Gray, adding that the slow time would help Coleman fall to the Bills at the end of the first round.
Bills GM Got His Wish
This is not the first time that Beane has pushed for a wanted draft prospect to fly under the radar at the NFL Combine. Back in 2020, a video taken at the combine showed him rooting for wide receiver Gabe Davis to register a 40-yard dash time that wouldn’t make him stand out.
“It’s amazing how many good receivers there are in this thing,” Beane told then-assistant general manager Joe Schein and head coach Sean McDermott in a video clip aired on Bills: Embedded 2020. “I like Davis. I hope he doesn’t run too fast, because he plays faster — you know what I mean? Just be 4.58 or something, he’ll be fine.”
Davis ended up running a time of 4.54 seconds and Beane grabbed him in the fourth round that year. Davis went on to play four seasons with the Bills, making 163 receptions for 2,730 yards and 27 touchdowns before leaving in free agency this offseason.
Keon Coleman Learning His Role
Coleman got his first taste of real NFL football this week, participating in the team’s rookie minicamp that started on May 10. The former Florida State wide receiver said he has been working closely with wide receivers coach Adam Henry on the team playbook and concepts to get up to speed.
“Coach Henry has been helping me a lot,” Coleman said, via Nick Sabato of the Niagara Gazette. “We’ve been Zooming the past week or so and just breaking it down into pieces, understanding the terminology and within each play, what they’re to get done with the read. That makes it very, very simple, because there are so many concepts you can run.”
Coleman added that he’s learning about what the Bills value most in wide receivers, which is a deeper understanding of the game.
“(The Bills) require you to have more of an IQ,” Coleman said. “… The defense dictates what you’re really trying to accomplish. So being able to check things at the line, know multiple positions, that’s the baseline of baseline. But once you get into the complex part of football within routes, moves, motions, and attacking certain defenses with leverages and stuff, I think that’s the biggest adjustment and it’s a lot.”
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