When Kevin Coleman Jr. met with the Chicago Bears at the NFL Combine, the Missouri wide receiver didn’t hide his excitement about a potential pairing with quarterback Caleb Williams.
“That’d be crazy. The Heisman winner years ago? The way he throws the ball, the way he makes plays, the way he extends the play. I’d love playing for Caleb, for real,” Coleman said.
For a Bears team at a potential crossroads in its wide receiver room, that kind of enthusiasm stands out.
Why the fit makes sense
GettyMizzou WR Kevin Coleman Jr.
The Chicago Bears’ receiver room isn’t exactly lacking talent. Rome Odunze, Luther Burden III (another Mizzou product), and DJ Moore make up one of the best groups in the league. But the situation around DJ Moore has gotten… Interesting.
With his cap number climbing and the front office facing bigger picture roster decisions, Moore’s contract has quietly become one of the biggest decisions of the offseason… That’s where Kevin Coleman Jr. becomes intriguing.
At 5’11”, 180 pounds, scouting reports peg him as primarily a slot receiver. In 2025 at Missouri Tigers, he led the team with 732 receiving yards on 66 catches with an absurd 375 of those yards after the catch. Add in 189 punt return yards and a touchdown, and the picture becomes clearer.
“I’m electric,” Coleman said. “I’m a ‘dawg.’ Don’t let this size fool you. With the ball in my hands, anything can happen.”
That description feels tailor made for a quarterback like Caleb Williams. One of Williams’ defining traits is his ability to extend plays outside structure. When protection breaks down, he thrives in chaos by turning broken plays into explosives.
Receivers who uncover late, find soft spots, and turn quick touches into chunk gains become key in that environment.
The journey that shaped him
GettyMizzou WR Kevin Coleman Jr.
Kevin Coleman Jr.’s path to this moment hasn’t been straight. He played for four college teams in four years, a journey that began at Jackson State with Deion Sanders and ended at Missouri.
Along the way, he produced everywhere: SWAC, ACC, SEC. He learned four different offenses.
“I learned every single playbook,” Coleman said. “Never had trouble soon as I got there. And I also had to earn everyone trust. Couldn’t just talk. Had to show my work ethic.”
For a Bears offense still evolving under head coach Ben Johnson, versatility and mental processing matter. Chicago’s scheme requires receivers to move around, motion, block in space, and adjust routes based on leverage. Coleman has lived that life already.
“I understand everything we doing is rented, it’s not owned,” he said. “So I’m gonna do the small things.”
He’d be asked to:
- Win underneath
- Create after the catch
- Work scramble drills with Caleb Williams
- Contribute on special teams
- Block when called upon
Coleman embraced that last part in 2025, taking pride in Missouri’s “no block, no rock” mentality under receivers coach Jacob Peeler.
“I took steps forward in the blocking game,” Coleman said. “My mentality got stronger. I physically got stronger.”
That growth matters. Johnson’s offense demands receivers who are willing to dig out safeties and spring perimeter runs. Coleman knows opportunities are earned.
When April arrives, Coleman will hear his name called somewhere, most likely in the 4th to 5th round. Whether that’s the Chicago Bears remains to be seen.
But after one meeting in Indianapolis, an electric Missouri playmaker may have just planted the seed.
Electric Mizzou WR May Have Just Spoken a Bears Pairing Into Existence