Things didn't go according to plan for Buffalo Bills second round wide receiver Keon Coleman in his rookie campaign last year.
Drafted as a vertical deep threat who could eventually grow into something more, Coleman struggled to both stay healthy, and make a major impact on the Bills offense for much of the 2024 season.
Coleman recorded 29 catches for over 500 yards, and four touchdowns during his rookie season. While those numbers aren't anywhere close to the kind of production that many expected, there's reason for hope.
Ben Solak of ESPN feels that given Coleman's rookie flashes alone are good enough to see he can take a major jump in his sophomore season.
"The big-bodied, contested-catch expert from Florida State was exactly that for the Bills in his rookie season — a big-play ball winner who saw 39 of his 57 targets against man coverage, " Solak writes," Though he typically wins with physicality, Coleman showed enough wiggle in his routes and surprising shiftiness after the catch such that there's an exciting profile in there.
"He'll get a bigger route tree and more opportunities in Year 2, and he should continue earning quarterback Josh Allen's trust."
Earning trust, as Solak explains, should be easier to come by for Coleman with a full offseason to work with the league MVP.
That doesn't mean he'll automatically jump in as the leader in the receiver clubhouse. Buffalo has added several receivers in free agency to the rook including Los Angeles Chargers star Joshua Palmer.
Coleman has plenty of work to do moving forward. But there's reason to believe he can take a major step in his shophomore campaign.