Buffalo Rumblings
Keon Coleman continues to open eyes early in his NFL career
When the Buffalo Bills selected rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman 33rd overall as the top pick of Round 2 in the 2024 NFL Draft, predictably, many in Bills Mafia wondered if general manager Brandon Beane and company had made the right move. The questions most wanted answers to revolved around Coleman’s ability to absorb the same sort of role that either Stefon Diggs or Gabe Davis held as key targets for quarterback Josh Allen.
Draft analysts and those covering the Buffalo Bills were sure to caution fans that Coleman’s rookie season might involve a lot of learning, and less production. Plenty of people were certain that it would take Coleman a fair bit of time learning to create the requisite separation as an NFL wide receiver — this despite Coleman being known as a proficient contested-catch receiver in college. Coleman was going to need to add more to his toolbox to find success in the NFL.
Through eight games of his rookie season, Keon Coleman has 21 receptions (34 targets) for 396 yards (18.9 y/r) with three touchdowns, per Pro Football Reference. When quarterback Josh Allen looks his way, passes have gone for first downs 15 times, and traveled 10.3 air yards before reaching him. Proving to be every bit the yards after catch (YAC) merchant, Coleman has 180 YAC, which works out to 8.6 YAC per reception. Coleman also only has two drops on the season.
Those are impressive beginnings for a player many were hesitant to see as an ideal fit for a Bills team minus a WR1 and WR2. From the first moment Coleman was introduced to Bills fans, he endeared himself to a fan base that sees every member of the team like chosen family. His sense of humor and good-natured attitude immediately won fans and the media over.
Coleman’s work ethic and commitment to be great regardless of the task handed to him have now taken center stage, perhaps never more evident on the field than in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks. Coming off a four-receptions, 125-yard effort in Week 7 against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, it was anyone’s guess what was in store for a follow-up.
Coleman delivered again, catching five passes for 70 yards and a touchdown. But it was the way he operated on the field against a premiere cornerback in Tariq Woolen, confusing him after the catch in traffic more than once to gain healthy YAC; other times leveraging tight positioning to make highlight-reel back shoulder catches for big gains and touchdowns.
But there’s another aspect to Keon Coleman’s game that had yet to garner proper attention: his prowess as a run blocker. Coleman decided it was time to get down to business in Seattle, and plenty of people took notice. On one particular run play, Coleman was so committed to blocking his defender that things continued out of bounds, and into the Bills’ bench. It was...
