Buffalo Bills don’t care about Keon Coleman’s poor 40-yard dash

A wise scholar who happens to be a human rhinoceros with a cannon strapped to his right shoulder once said eloquently: “Statistics are for losers”; the Buffalo Bills borrow that phrase and twist it a bit about rookie wide receiver Keon Coleman: “tests are for losers.”

Coleman, a former Florida State receiver who had 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in Tallahassee last season, hurt his draft stock a bit with a generally disappointing performance at the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. The 6-foot-3 aerialist with great ball skills saw the hype around him diminish with a poor outing in the 40-yard dash, completing the routine in 4.61 seconds – the second slowest time among all gaps in the Combine.

The era, while worrying for some clubs, had no impact on Buffalo’s opinion of the prospect; the team selected him with the first pick in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, with Coleman eyeing an immediate role in a Bills receiving corps now without Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis.

Buffalo has already put its money where its mouth is when it comes to Coleman’s 40 time, but it remains humorous about its overall thoughts on his performance. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler discussed the team’s reaction to the wideout’s 40-yard run on Sunday’s edition of SportsCenter, saying they “really don’t care” about the time.

“He’s considered slow, but he’s a major athlete,” Fowler said, according to Bleacher Report’s Joseph Zucker. “I even saw some of his high school basketball highlights the other day. Crazy athlete. They believe his contested catching ability, his size, that Josh Allen just throws 30-40 yards downfield of the field, he can muscle people, cornerbacks and get them extra yards. They believe they have something here.

Related: How rookie WR Keon Coleman is learning the Bills’ ‘different’ offensive playbook

Fowler’s comments match what fans have seen from the Bills brass; The team’s official YouTube channel recently highlighted Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane’s reaction to Coleman’s 40-yard dash, with the veteran running back even appearing excited after hitting a 4.61.

“I’m glad he led that,” Beane told assistant general manager Brian Gaine and director of player personnel Terrance Gray after Coleman’s run. “It will help to have it.”

What made the team more confident in its initial evaluation of Coleman was his outing in the gauntlet drill, where he hit a high of 20.36 miles per hour, according to the group. NextGen Statistics.

Coleman may not be a good athletic screener, but his athleticism shows up time and time again on tape. The Bills hope his athletic abilities translate to the field in Orchard Park, as the 20-year-old immediately projects as the team’s “X” wide receiver.