Khalil Shakir is the answer at receiver for the Buffalo Bills

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When the Buffalo Bills finally decided to make a fresh start at receiver and trade Stefon Diggs, it raised a lot of questions about the position. The main one being who would fit in and become Josh Allen’s new top target? The answer to that question is very simple.

Many people expected Keon Coleman to be their first pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. That won’t be the case, as the player who will be their answer at receiver is Khalil Shakir.

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Coleman is a rookie, so he’ll have to go through the typical rookie learning curve. Additionally, Coleman isn’t dynamic enough to be the top receiver in an offense. His route running isn’t necessarily smooth, and his speed isn’t top-notch either. Coleman has the size to be an X-receiver and will make an impact, but it won’t be at the level that many would, especially considering his struggles against press coverage. In college, he had a 55.2% success rate against that type of receiver, which is below average for top-tier X-receivers in the NFL.

For Shakir, he’s the real answer for the Bills. Shakir is entering his third season with the Bills, and that’s key because it allowed him to build a connection with Allen. Looking specifically at last season, it once again started slowly for Shakir, but in the nine games toward the end of the season and the playoffs where he played 50% or more of the snaps, he finished with 536 yards and a touchdown while catching 31 of 35 targets. Overall, he finished 2023 with 686 yards and four touchdowns.

Shakir may have worked primarily out of the slot, but he has the speed and separation ability to make the real impact Buffalo needs. His skillset has allowed him to average 15.7 yards per reception. At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Shakir has the size to excel on the outside and the skills to really emerge on the scene in 2024. The Bills need someone on offense to take over for Allen, and that will be Shakir.