When the Buffalo Bills made the decision to trade back (and eventually out of) in the first round in the 2024 NFL Draft, it was a major head-scratching decision by Brandon Beane. As the general manager of the Bills, Beane has done a great job at building up this team but this draft was not one of these moments to brag about (for now anyways).
After giving up the chance to pick in the first round, the Bills finally made their first selection at No. 33 overall and drafted wide receiver Keon Coleman. Coming out of Florida State, Coleman was brought to Buffalo to serve as a big receiver who had a wide catch radius. The Bills were lacking a true big receiver who could win the 50/50 jump passes. Sometimes it works, and sometimes it doesn’t.
Coleman started to show signs of true potential as the season progressed. His breakout game came in Week 7 when he had four receptions for 125 yards. The following week, he followed up that performance with a 5 catch, 70 yards, 1 touchdown performance. Things were starting to look fantastic for Coleman.
Unfortunately in Week 9 against the Miami Dolphins, former Bills safety Jordan Poyer had a pass interference call on Coleman which ultimately hurt his wrist and Coleman missed the next four games. In his last seven games of the season (both regular season and playoffs), Coleman’s production completely fell apart as he had no more than 3 receptions in a game and no more than 64 yards in a game.
Keon Coleman has strong chance to have major breakout season in 2025
Tyler Sullivan from CBS Sports listed Coleman as an “under-the-radar star” for the Bills heading into 2025 and Sullivan couldn’t be anymore right. Here’s a bit on what Sullivan said about Coleman:
"Coleman showed his big-play ability, averaging 19.2 yards per reception last season. Given that Allen has one of the best arms in the NFL, this duo could make some serious splashes."
Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports
While the 19.2 yards per reception is impressive, the consistency is not there and that’s what needs to improve. The good news for Coleman is that even though the Bills brought in guys like Joshua Palmer and Elijah Moore, he will continue to be the big-time receiver that the Bills are hoping he can be.
The coaching staff has already stated how much they are impressed with how Coleman has grown in the offseason. Now, it’s a matter of making it count during a live game.
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