Bills rookie Keon Coleman deserves comparisons to two Pro Bowl WRs

The Buffalo Bills did not select wide receiver Keon Coleman in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft in hopes he would be the next (insert name of notable wide receiver here)—they chose him to be the first Keon Coleman.

It’s a pretty obvious sentiment and one that doesn’t necessarily need to be confirmed, but the rookie verified it anyway in a recent interview with CBS Sports, saying, “I’m not Gabe, I’m not Stef, I’m just Keon.” The 21-year-old is, of course, referring to Gabriel Davis and Stefon Diggs, Buffalo’s former top receivers who left One Bills Drive in the 2024 offseason; their respective departures leave Coleman with the opportunity to carve out a significant offensive role in a revamped receiving corps that’s rich with available targets.

And while comparisons between players are largely futile (because no competitor is), Exactly (similarly) they can be useful in allowing a fan base to not only generate excitement, but also gauge a sense of a player’s potential impact. In a recent co-hosting spot on The Herd with Colin CowherdNFL insider Jordan Schultz shared some Coleman-centric tidbits he’s been collecting from around the league in recent weeks, comparing him to two former Pro Bowl receivers before projecting a massive breakout in his first year.

Related: VIDEO: Bills WR Keon Coleman explains why he can’t play golf with Josh Allen

“Scouters and executives tell me he’s got the same talent as Keenan Allen and Mike Evans,” Schultz said. “He’s a 6-foot-4 punt returner, quick over the short end. People criticize him for running a 15-foot-10 (second 40-yard dash), he ran over 20 mph in the glove at the combine, which is the fastest time he’s had in the last two years.

“He played football and basketball at Michigan State before going to the Noles, he’s an exceptional athlete. He’s going to make contested catches and he often makes the spectacular look regular and ordinary. He’s dynamic and I think he’s going to be a big contributor from day one for Josh Allen and the Buffalo offense.”

Allen and Evans are high-profile comparisons for any prospect, as they are two of the best receivers of their generation. Allen has caught 904 passes for 10,530 yards and 59 touchdowns over his 11-year NFL career, earning six Pro Bowl nods along the way. Evans, meanwhile, has quietly been one of the league’s best receivers since joining the league in 2014, catching 762 passes for 11,680 yards and 94 touchdowns. He has never finished a season with fewer than 1,000 receiving yards, an incredible feat for a player entering his 11th campaign.

Coleman certainly has a similar stature to Allen and Evans, as they are both tall targets who use their frames to their advantage; Coleman measured 6’3” at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine, while Allen and Evans are listed at 6’6” and 6’5”, respectively. Which makes Schultz’s comments a bit… interesting It’s the fact that he compares Coleman to Allen and Evans, who were very different players in their respective primes; Allen, in his prime, was deployed both from the slot and outside and saw most of his targets in the short to intermediate game. While Evans has seen his slot usage increase slightly in recent years, the vast majority of his snaps still come outside, and he’s long been one of the NFL’s best deep and “big play” pass catchers.

Regardless, if Coleman can translate the type of impact either player has to Buffalo’s offense, the team will be more than satisfied. He’s a unique player with a huge leaping ability and surprising agility; as Schultz mentioned, he returned punts in Tallahassee and scored 11 touchdowns last season. It’s unfair to expect an Allen- or Evans-type impact from Coleman right away, but the Bills will give him every opportunity to make an impact on offense; the rookie is currently projected as the team’s X wide receiver.

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