Keon Coleman, WR Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Coleman was a four-star recruit from Opelousas Catholic School in Opelousas, La. in the class of 2021

Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman burst onto the national stage against LSU. The Michigan State transfer is building momentum in his case for a first round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft. Coleman projects as a top 40 selection.

Visit my Twitter account @Sam_Teets33 for more opinions on prospects, clips, and the latest football content.

Keon Coleman, WR Florida State: 2024 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Junior wide receiver from Opelousas, La.

Background: Coleman was a four-star recruit from Opelousas Catholic School in Opelousas, La. in the class of 2021. He was the No. 377 recruit according to 247Sports and No. 368 for On3.com. Coleman was an unranked three-star recruit for Rivals and an unranked four-star recruit for ESPN with an 80 grade out of 100. He originally committed to Kansas before flipping to Michigan State. Coleman transferred to Florida State for the 2023 season. He earned All-State honors from the Louisiana Sports Writers Association (LSWA) in 2020 and was the team MVP. Per 247Sports, he made 28 receptions for 600 yards and eight touchdowns in 2020. He was a First Team All-State Class 1A selection for the LSWA in 2019 when he made 35 receptions for 1,143 yards and 22 touchdowns. Coleman also intercepted seven passes on defense as a junior. He was a three-sport athlete who also excelled at track and field and basketball. Coleman’s single-game career-high on the hardwood is 63 points. He earned the MVP of the 2021 Louisiana High School Coaches Association All-Star boys’ basketball game. He averaged 26 points per game as a junior and 23.1 points per game as a sophomore. The LSWA selected Coleman for a Second Team All-State basketball spot in 2020. He received some Division I offers for basketball and appeared in six games for the Michigan State basketball team in the 2021-22 season.

Injuries & Off-Field: Fought through a partial muscle tear near his hip flexor near the groin in 2022

Awards: 2022 Third Team All-Big Ten (Media)

Pros: Tremendous size, arm length, long and tall frame, good density, productive at all three levels, red zone threat, catch radius, ridiculous confidence in his ball skills, gets low to digs throws out of the turf, tracks the ball over his shoulder downfield, downfield ball tracking, dominant in contested catch situations, basketball background is evident at the catch point, plays above the rim, mid-air adjustments and body control, physical and aggressive at the catch point, strong hands to maintain catches through contact, comfortable operating in crowded air space, balance going up and coming down from catches, foot fire and two-handed swipe in his release package, fights through early contact in the route, mixes route tempo, decelerates quickly for comeback routes, clean and efficient footwork on comebacks, physical with corners at the top of the stem, big time plays on posts and fades, flashes of downfield burst on fade routes, enough agility to cut and make the corner miss one-on-one in space, good contact balance to bounce off low tackle attempts

Cons: Committed three penalties in 2022, enters 2023 with limited special teams experience, limited experience in the slot, lacks elite speed or twitch, big target for press coverage, not a natural separator, not a nuanced route runner, needs to sink hips more at the top of the stem, loses speed going into and out of sharp in-breaking cuts, feel for zone can improve, generally won’t threaten corners in off-man coverage, doesn’t generate much vertical separation, relies heavily on contested catches for downfield plays, some body catches, some bobbles at the catch point, unlikely to string consecutive cuts or jukes together, not a significant YAC threat, hoping to see him power through more tackles, effort and impact as a blocker are hit-or-miss

Overview: The first things that jump out about Coleman are his tremendous size and arm length. He has a long and tall frame with good muscle density. While he isn’t an elite route runner, Coleman possesses the skill set to be productive at all three levels and terrify defenses in the red zone with his catch radius. The junior exudes confidence in his ball skills to dig throws out of the turf or high-point balls over smaller defensive backs. He is dominant in contested catch situations, playing the ball like he’s going up for a rebound. Coleman’s basketball background is evident in his elite ball tracking, mid-air adjustments, body control, and ability to play above the rim. He is physical and aggressive at the catch point with strong hands to maintain catches through contact. Coleman is comfortable operating in crowded air spaces and maintains his balance going up for and coming down from catches. He tracks the ball over his shoulder well on downfield routes. The Michigan State transfer uses a foot fire release and two-handed swipe in his release package. He fights through early contact in the route and mixes tempo to lull the defensive back. Coleman decelerates quickly and uses clean and efficient footwork on comeback routes. He is physical with corners at the top of the stem. The Louisiana native makes game changing plays on posts and fades. He flashes downfield burst on fade routes despite not possessing elite speed. Coleman has enough agility to cut and make the corner miss one-on-one in space and displays contact balance to bounce off low tackle attempts. He accelerates quickly and is a smooth athlete but lacks a threatening top speed. Coleman won’t threaten quality corners in off-man coverage. He doesn’t generate much vertical separation and relies heavily on contested catches for downfield plays. Coleman isn’t twitchy or a natural separator. He represents a big target for aggressive press-man corners and isn’t a nuanced route runner capable of shaking sticky defenders. The All-Big Ten selection needs to sink his hips more at the top of the stem. He loses speed going into and out of sharp in-breaking cuts. Coleman’s feel for zone is developing as he still drifts into coverage or fails to sit in holes. He occasionally falls back on body catches or bobbles the ball at the catch point. The former four-star recruit is unlikely to string consecutive cuts or jukes together and isn’t a significant threat after the catch. He needs to break more tackles with his power. His effort and impact as a blocker are hit-or-miss. He only has limited special teams and slot experience. Coleman has a wide range of potential draft positions next spring. It seems unlikely he will reach the heights of Drake London (eighth overall), who possessed similar contested catch skills, but the first round is within reach. Coleman’s floor is the top of the second round, where players like Michael Pittman Jr. (34th overall) and Courtland Sutton (40th overall) went in recent years.

Overall, Coleman’s size and ball skills make him a big play threat downfield and in the red zone, but he generates limited separation with his route running and speed. It’s always difficult to tell if a receiver who relies on contested catches will succeed at the next level, but Coleman’s DI basketball background is a rarity and could lead to sustained production above the rim in the NFL.  

Role & Scheme Fit: X receiver in an 11 personnel heavy scheme

Round Projection: Late First to Early Second

Size: 6'4", 215 lbs. (Unofficial)

Submitted: 09-05-23