Josh Allen says Bills rookie Keon Coleman has ‘the tools needed’ to be a great WR

A franchise’s hope when it invests a premium draft pick in a player is that he will become a cornerstone of the franchise, a pillar who will be with the team for the foreseeable future and help it find a constant success in the field.

That’s certainly the kind of hope the Buffalo Bills have in Keon Coleman, a 6-foot-4 wide receiver they selected with the 33rd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft . A team, generally speaking, always has high aspirations for its second-round picks, but the ones Buffalo holds for Coleman are perhaps a bit more imposing than the average second-rounder given that the 21-year-old projects as the immediate centerpiece of the team’s receiving corps.

Buffalo parted ways with 1,929 receiving yards a year ago this spring by letting Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis leave One Bills Drive; Coleman, alongside free agent signee Curtis Samuel and third-year player Khalil Shakir, is expected to make up a significant portion of the vacated field, currently projecting as the team’s X receiver. Although the wideout is extremely talented (catching 50 passes for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns for the Florida State Seminoles last season), it will take time – and repetition – for him to learn how to win consistently at the professional level.

Related: WATCH: Rookie WR Keon Coleman catches Josh Allen’s first passes

However, he’s already working to lay the groundwork, developing a relationship with former All-Pro quarterback Josh Allen during the team’s ongoing OTA practices. Allen spoke to reporters about the rookie after Tuesday’s practice, praising his work ethic before insinuating that he has the makings of a potentially special receiver.

“He’s a talker, I don’t know if you knew that, but he’s a very smart player,” Allen said. “He’s getting into his playbook, he already knows it very well as a rookie. Constantly study, constantly ask questions. He loves football, I think that’s the first thing we learn about him, he loves the game, he loves the nuances of it.

“It’s fun to be there. You have a young, enthusiastic guy – who just turned 21 – who has a lot to learn in this game, a lot to learn to be a good player in this league, but I think he has the tools to do it and I hope we can use his abilities.

Allen delved a little deeper into Coleman’s skillset and was pretty blunt about what sets him apart from other wideouts.

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“He can move and jump,” Allen said. “He’s 6-foot-4, I thought he could run some routes pretty well. You put him in a room with Mack (Hollins) and (Marquez Valdes-Scantling) and Khalil and Curtis, and some other guys that we have, to be able to learn from those guys. Guys that have had experience in the league, again, just having pretty good vet leadership, vet presence in this room right now.

Coleman has already made an impact on the Buffalo faithful with his charismatic personality, capturing fans’ hearts with his smart shopping advice and enthusiasm for chocolate chip cookies during his introductory press conference. Allen has gotten to know Coleman’s unique personality, but he’s happy to report that when it comes to football, the rookie is all business.

“He has lofty goals as a rookie, and that’s a really good thing,” Allen said. “He wants to come help this team win football games. Every day on the field, he is the complete opposite (of his light nature). He’s very focused and he does what he needs to do to try to become a better player.