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As Bills fans return to the Stefon Diggs era, expectations soar for rookie Keon Coleman

Gillberg
As Bills fans return to the Stefon Diggs era, expectations soar for rookie Keon Coleman

BUFFALO, N.Y. – Motorists along Hertel Avenue hit the brakes for Keon Coleman.

It’s one of the few places that seems to be happening around here. The Buffalo Bills’ energetic and affable rookie wide receiver made a striking first impression with fans and media. Coleman already has them eating out of the palm of his trusty hands before he sees them catch a football.

His oversized personality even helps people get over Stefon Diggs.

On the corner of Wellington Road and Hertel Avenue, on the red brick exterior wall of the Moor Room bar, was a mural of Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Diggs, two tough guys standing side by side in full uniform – dark visors for added threat. – and watch all the passers-by in North Buffalo.

Then came April 3, when the Bills reached their breaking point with Diggs and traded him to the Houston Texans. Gone in a flash was the four-time Pro Bowler, who amassed 365 catches for 4,623 yards and 30 touchdowns in four years. But he wanted to leave and his behavior became too intolerable to keep him.

The fresco could not stay.

“It was a discussion we had,” Moor Room owner Mike Shatzel said. “We had to get rid of Diggs.”

Within three weeks, Coleman arrived in Orchard Park, creating viral content and making everyone in his presence laugh. His introductory press conference included a discussion of his yellow winter jacket, purchased at Macy’s two seasons in advance at a discount. The Bills released video of his preliminary interview and fans swooned even more.

This man is downright charming.

This gave artist Rory Allen an idea for the Moor Room mural: wallpaper on diggs.

“He’s just a football player with a uniform and a helmet,” Allen said. “If you had just replaced the number, no one would have really cared, but the yellow jacket showed up.

“To say it was a disagreement with Diggs or that Keon Coleman will replace or be Diggs’ equal is impossible to know. But we’re Bills fans. We’re crazy.”


The mural depicting Buffalo Bills rookie WR Keon Coleman and quarterback Josh Allen can be found outside the Moor Room bar in Buffalo. (Tim Graham / Athleticism)

Rory Allen, born and raised in Buffalo, is known throughout the city for his Bills-inspired public art. He created the (Josh) Allen-Diggs 2020 campaign signs that dotted many lawns and the caricature of Josh Allen obstructing the Hertel Avenue street sign.

A few hours earlier this week, using vinyl applied to all surfaces, Diggs was off the wall. Granted, the original Carl Cordes-designed Diggs remains underneath, but that yellow jacket is unmistakable. It’s Coleman now.

The symbolism is cathartic.

“We felt like we broke up,” Rory Allen said of the Diggs trade. “We think he really wanted to get out. We don’t expect Keon Coleman to step in as Stefon Diggs, but from a fan perspective, it’s not too hard to move on from Stefon Diggs.

The hype around Coleman needs to die down, and he seems to realize that. After his first practice at rookie minicamp Friday, he spoke like someone who realizes he hasn’t proven anything yet.

Coleman was drafted 33rd overall, the eighth receiver off the board. The Bills had a glaring need at the position. General manager Brandon Beane also added veteran receivers Curtis Samuel, Chase Claypool and Mack Hollins this offseason, but, unfair or not, Coleman will be seen as Buffalo’s primary acquisition to respond to Diggs’ departure.

As entertaining as Coleman has been on the mic, the mood will change drastically if he doesn’t produce.

“I’m aware of it,” Coleman said when asked about the buzz around him. “But I’m happy to keep the main thing: getting back to playing ball. The hype can be there all it wants, but I still have to make plays on the field, and I want to help win, so we have to win to make our fans happy.

“A jacket won’t be enough.”

If Coleman ever forgets that feeling, then all a Bills staff member will have to do is direct him to Claypool’s locker for a chat. Claypool, a second-round pick out of Notre Dame four years ago, turns just 26 in July and is on his fourth NFL team in a year and a half.

Moor Room could have stated that it’s Claypool on the side of the building now. He’s going to wear Diggs’ number 14.

“No,” Shatzel said, although he is an avid Notre Dame fan, “I wasn’t putting Chase Claypool on the wall.”

During Claypool’s rookie season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he caught 62 passes for 873 yards and nine touchdowns. He followed with 59 receptions for 860 yards but only two touchdowns. Although he played in 27 games over the past two seasons with the Steelers, Chicago Bears and Miami Dolphins, he only had 54 catches for 528 yards and two touchdowns.

So even successful rookies offer no guarantees, and the list of second-round burnouts is long.

As strange as it may seem, Coleman is the eighth receiver selected by Buffalo since the NFL’s joint draft began in 1967. This is mainly due to founder Ralph Wilson’s fascination with the running back, even though the NFL has transformed into a passing league and they already had good rushers. the list. The only Bills receivers drafted earlier than Coleman were JD Hill, Sammy Watkins, Jerry Butler, Haven Moses, Lee Evans, Perry Tuttle and Eric Moulds.

Some superstars are in this group, but others also selected in the second round include Josh Reed, Zay Jones, Eric Richardson, James Hardy, Robert Woods, Chris Burkett, Byron Franklin, Peerless Price and Roscoe Parrish – a mixed bag, well on.

Coleman will have plenty of opportunities to make his mark. He has big play qualities, even if he is not coveted by elite speed teams. That’s why he was still available when the Bills fell behind twice and out of the first round. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.61 seconds at the NFL Scouting Combine, but he’s 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds. He made tough catches look easy at Michigan State (where he also played basketball for Tom Izzo) and in one season at Florida State. Drops for Coleman are rare. Josh Allen will look for him in the red zone.

That said, it will certainly take time for Coleman to become a consistent threat and for his production to match his incandescent personality. So let’s give him a chance to grow into this role.

The rookie easily caught our attention. Paper on Diggs won’t be so simple.

But that doesn’t mean Coleman can’t turn out to be the perfect fit.

(Top photo of Keon Coleman: David Jensen/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

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