Getty The Kansas City Chiefs were advised not to target wide receiver Keon Coleman in round one of the NFL draft.
After an exuberant start to his tenure with the Buffalo Bills, rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman admitted things got a bit more serious when he put on a helmet and hit the field for the first time.
Coleman won over fans with his big personality shortly after the NFL Draft, including an introductory press conference where he joked with reporters about his bargain shopping at Macy’s. The rookie receiver said it was a much different feeling when he hit the field for the start of the team’s rookie minicamp on May 10.
“A bunch of jitters,” Coleman told reporters on Friday, via 13WHAM reporter Dan Fetes on X.
But Coleman managed to push through the nerves, turning heads with a strong performance at minicamp.
Keon Coleman Hits the Field
Coleman ran routes at Friday’s minicamp, earning some praise from reporters in attendance. Syracuse.com reporter Matt Parrino noted in a post on X that the former Florida State receiver made a “very nice first impression” in person.
Pro Football Focus shared a video of his workout on X, suggesting in the caption that he could become the team’s new No. 1 wide receiver after the trade that shipped Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans.
Keon Coleman: new WR1 in Buffalo? 👀
(🎥 @BuffaloBills)
Coleman told reporters that once he got past the initial jitters, he felt comfortable on the field.
“Once I grabbed the helmet and put it on, it kind of shook me back to real life, like this is reality now,” the rookie said, via reporter Parrino on X.
Keon Coleman said getting back on the football field today was the best feeling in the world. He admitted he had a bunch of jitters but it’s an exciting time.
“Once I grabbed the helmet and put it on, it kind of shook me back to real life, like this is reality now.” #BillsMafia
Bills GM Addresses Pre-Draft Concerns
Though Coleman was projected as a first-round pick before the Bills took him with the first selection of the second round, some analysts raised concerns over his performance at the NFL Combine. Coleman ran a 4.61 in the 40-yard dash, one of the slowest times among the top receiving prospects, leading Pro Football Focus analyst Sam Monson to label him a “risky” pick with high upside but some red flags.
“Ultimately, Coleman is going to be a risky prospect — it’s not a flawless, clean profile — but the positives are obvious from his tape,” Monson wrote.
Bills general manager Brandon Beane addressed the pre-draft concerns surrounding Coleman, telling reporters this week that the 40-yard dash is just one measure of speed and does not always translate to real-game speed.
“He’s a guy whose got play speed, he’s got short-area quickness for a big guy,” Beane said, via Jared Dubin of CBS Sports. “We all know, some guys, they can run the track time, but that’s where the mental part comes into it, too. I always say if you run 4.3 but you’re not smart, you’ll never play 4.3.”
The Bills passed on the chance to grab other top receiving prospects, trading back twice in the first round and watching the Kansas City Chiefs take the speedier Xavier Worthy ahead of Coleman.
But the Bills placed value on Coleman beyond his combine stats. Prior to the draft, head coach Sean McDermott said the team also looks at players who stand out during pre-draft interviews.
“We need our young players to come in and be ready to play and able to play,” McDermott told reporters last week. “And so I think that’s an important piece of it for us here that these interviews, we really get to the bottom of who these players are not just as players but who they are as people in their DNA.”
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