Buffalo Bills Unfazed By Rookie Wide Receiver’s Slow 40 Yard Dash Time

The Buffalo Bills have been giving their roster a complete makeover. They have had to shed a lot of veterans due to the salary cap. The biggest move was trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans which left quarterback Josh Allen with few weapons. They attempted to remedy the situation by drafting Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman with the first pick of the second round. One of the reasons he fell in the draft was his slow 40-yard dash time. The Bills didn’t see this as a concern.

Buffalo Bills Don’t Care About Keon Coleman’s 40 Time

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported that the Buffalo Bills like the other skills Keon Coleman has. Speed is great but not the end all be all for wide receivers in the NFL. The Bills consider him to be an elite athlete in many other aspects despite him posting the second-slowest 40 time at the NFL Combine.

“That’s considered slow, but this is a major athlete,” Fowler said. “I even saw the other day some of his basketball high school highlights. Crazy athlete. They believe his contested catch ability, his size, that Josh Allen just kind of tossing 30-40 yards down field he can muscle people, cornerbacks, and get those extra yards. They believe that they’ve got something here.”

The Buffalo Bills are counting on him as a receiver who can overpower opposing defensive backs. His ability to catch the ball in traffic and high point the football will make up for any deficiencies in the speed department. The team will likely lean on him a lot now that Diggs is gone. They do not have a true WR1 on the roster and Coleman could easily step into the role quickly.

Speed Isn’t Everything

I have to say that I agree with the Buffalo Bills here. If you look at the history of the fastest 40-yard dash times, it isn’t populated with Hall of Famers. The biggest name is former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson who had a couple of seasons where he had over 2,000 yards from scrimmage. Before Xavier Worthy broke the record this year, wide receiver John Ross held the record. He had a fine NFL career but nothing spectacular.

Keon Coleman can be a productive receiver in the league despite his slow time. Playing wide receiver in the NFL is so much more than outrunning the opponent. In some cases, receivers have to use other skills to come down with the catch. The Buffalo Bills have high expectations for Coleman, and it will be fun to see the connection between him and Josh Allen develop.