The Bills traded back twice Thursday night, eventually falling out of the first round. Still, with the first pick of the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, Buffalo hits on a position of need, drafting Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman.
Coleman was one of college football’s top transfer targets after a strong sophomore season at Michigan State in which he caught 58 balls for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. In Tallahassee, he failed to eclipse the yardage he’d had as a Spartan, but he still led the Seminoles in receptions (50), receiving yards (658) and receiving touchdowns (11).
It was expected that Coleman would put up bigger numbers on an offense that went undefeated in the regular season and ranked 19th in the country in points per game, but his 11 scores demonstrate exactly the type of receiver he’s expected to be in the NFL. In Buffalo, Coleman faces a tall task, filling the shoes of the departed Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis. The team returns Khalil Shakir and brought in Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins, but as an early second-round pick, Coleman will be expected to step up as perhaps team’s WR1 as a rookie.
Despite his inability to produce big yardage numbers at Michigan State and Florida State, Coleman was an outstanding red-zone target. At 6-foot-4, 220 pounds, Coleman establishes a daunting presence that the AFC’s best will have to counter.
More must-reads: