The Buffalo Bills traded down twice on the opening night of the 2024 NFL Draft, eschewing opportunities to select a wide receiver in the first round. General manager Brandon Beane sat tight at the top of Round 2 and nabbed his pass catcher.
The Bills selected Florida State wideout Keon Coleman at No. 33 overall on Friday night.
At the tail end of the second round, they went defensive by selecting Utah's Cole Bishop with the 60th pick, one of the first safeties off the board in this year's draft.
Buffalo traded Stefon Diggs to Houston and watched Gabe Davis sign in Jacksonville this offseason, opening a massive hole in the receiver corps. In steps Coleman to a wideout room headlined by Khalil Shakir, Justin Shorter, Curtis Samuel, Mack Hollins and K.J. Hamler.
At 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, Coleman brings needed size to the Bills receiver unit. His high-upside ball skills should pair well with Josh Allen off the bat. Coleman aggressively attacks the pigskin, using size to his advantage, particularly when matched against smaller corners.
After spending his first two collegiate seasons at Michigan State, Coleman transferred to FSU in 2023. He earned first-team All-ACC honors and generated 11 touchdowns and 658 yards on 50 catches. Coleman shined in his first game with the Seminoles, generating a whopping nine catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns in a win over LSU.
The massive season that the opener seemed to portend never really materialized. In 12 games, he broke the 70-yard mark three times and fell under the 25-yard mark five times. His sputtering down the stretch might have given some evaluators pause when it comes to his transition to the pros.
Coleman owns physicality with an athletic twitch to be a go-to target, but his average speed and lack of nuance on routes allow him to be blanketed for stretches. In between, however, he boasts the ability to make jaw-dropping catches that make onlookers howl.
Luckily, Coleman joins a quarterback who doesn't need a ton of daylight to thread the ball. The rookie must prove to Allen early on that he's trustworthy at the catch point. If so, he's in for a boatload of targets from the big-armed quarterback.
Coleman's physical ability as a blocker should also benefit Joe Brady's offense, which leaned more on the ground attack down the stretch in 2023.
The Bills had a glaring need in the receiver room entering the draft. They traded down on Day 1 to improve their draft standing elsewhere before snagging a physical pass catcher to open Day 2. It wouldn't be a surprise if Beane added at least one more wideout before the selection process is over.
