Bills WR Keon Coleman named realistic NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidate

Keon Coleman’s already decorated resume grows longer by the day.

Its college sports production spans multiple universities and sports. He is a renowned artist and financial savings specialist. He’s even a talented comedian and generally a good guy.

There’s seemingly nothing the 21-year-old can’t do, and if one media outlet is to be believed, he could soon add another prestigious honor to his resume.

CBS Sports writer Chris Trapasso recently wrote an article ranking the eight most likely NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates for the 2024 NFL season, with the Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver ranking eighth on the list. Although the author notes that Buffalo’s revamped receiving corps is a bit crowded, Coleman’s situation is simply too advantageous to overlook.

“Even if I wasn’t drugged by Coleman during the pre-draft process, I can’t ignore who will throw him the ball,” Trapoasso wrote. “Allen is as aggressive as any passer in football with preternatural arm talent. Coleman better be ready to have rockets thrown his way, especially in the red zone. Because of his size, athletic ability, and Allen’s brilliance, Coleman will be able to make an impact as a rookie in Buffalo. There will simply be too many targets aimed at his teammates for him to generate any real hype as Rookie of the Year.

Related: Bills blend into crowded AFC field in 2024 NFL rankings

Trapasso believes seven players, four of whom are wide receivers, have more realistic paths to NFL Rookie of the Year honors than Coleman, which isn’t too bad considering the former Florida State Seminole was a second-round selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, with seven players coming off the board ahead of him.

Coleman, as Trapasso notes, will have to fight for targets in a new Bills receiving corps that lost Stefon Diggs and Gabriel Davis in the offseason. The team plans to lean on rookie third-year contributor Khalil Shakir and recently signed Curtis Samuel to fill the 241 targets vacated by Diggs and Davis, with second-year tight end Dalton Kincaid also projecting to play a leading role in the air sector. attack.

And while the competition will be tough, Coleman certainly has the talent to play an important role in the receiving corps. He caught 50 passes for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in Tallahassee last season, serving as a big target who, while perhaps a bit sketchy, showed he had the tools to be the focal point of a passing game.

Buffalo general manager Brandon Beane said the team will immediately give Coleman the opportunity to play as an X wide receiver, with the rookie already having a positive impact on quarterback Josh Allen. If the two can translate their budding relationship into live game action, NFL Rookie of the Year honors could reasonably be in Coleman’s future.