2024 NFL Draft: What Would Keon Coleman Bring to the Jaguars?
The 2024 NFL Draft season is upon us.
Among the 32 teams building their rosters to compete for the next Lombardi Trophy is the Jacksonville Jaguars, who hold nine picks in this season’s draft -- including the No. 17 overall pick.
As we march closer and closer to April’s draft, we will look at individual draft prospects and how they would potentially fit with the Jaguars. Instead of looking at any negatives, we are going to look at what the players do well and if they could match what the Jaguars need at the specific role or position.
Next up: Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman.
Overview
A Louisiana native, Coleman was rated a four-star recruit in the 2021 class by 247Sports. Ranked the No. 377 recruit nationally, No. 61 wide receiver and No. 12 receiver in the state, Coleman drew offers from Michigan State, Kansas, Arkansas State, Auburn, Baylor, Boston College, Coastal Carolina, FIU, Florida A&M, FSU, Georgia, Grambling State, Houston, Indiana, Jackson State, Kentucky, Louisiana, Louisiana Tech, Louisiana-Monroe, Lousiville, McNeese State, Memphis, Miami, Nicholls State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Ole Miss, Penn State, South Alabama, South Carolina, Southern University, TCU, Syracuse, Texas, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Tulane, USC, UTSA, Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Wake Forest.
Coleman played in 10 games as a true freshman in 2021, catching seven passes for 50 yards and a touchdown. After the season, he spent time with the school's basketball team and appeared in six games.
Coleman led Michigan State's offense in 2022, appearing in 12 games and starting 11 while recording 58 catches for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. Coleman transferred to FSU in 2023, ending his career with 12 starts for the Seminoles and 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.
What Keon Coleman Does Well
Listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, Coleman looks like a throwback X receiver. He has plenty of length and size and plays to it, too, frequently getting physical with cornerbacks during the route, with the ball in the air, and with the ball in his hands. Coleman isn't the sharpest route-runner in the world, but he should slot right into an outside role for any offense.
Coleman is at his best with the ball in the air, which makes plenty of sense considering his basketball background. Unlike some bigger receivers who struggle to use their frame and length to attack the ball in the air, Coleman does a great job of plucking the football instead of letting the play simply come to him. He can be a true ball-winner at the next stage considering his frame, length, leaping ability, and legit ball skills downfield.
Coleman is also better with the ball in his hands than you would expect for a bigger receiver, which is a big reason he was a successful punt returner for FSU. He shows more agility and flexibility in space than one would think from a bigger receiver, and he is physical enough after the catch to force broken tackles in the screen game.
How Keon Coleman Would Fit With the Jaguars
Other than Laquon Treadwell in 2021, Trevor Lawrence has never really had a big-bodied receiver who can win in contested situations downfield. And considering Treadwell is a practice squad/bottom of the 53-man roster type player, that says quite a bit about the type of receiver rooms the Jaguars have built.
If the Jaguars are going to add to their receiver room this year, it likely needs to be a bigger outside receiver like Coleman. They have two slot types already in Christian Kirk and Parker Washington, and they have a route-runner who can win with speed over the top or over the middle if they re-sign Calvin Ridley, What they don't have, though, is a receiver with size who can help Trevor Lawrence thrive downfield.
Lawrence is a gunslinger at heart and is at his best when he can push the ball downfield and isn't simply trying to get it out of his hand quickly. With a receiver like Coleman on the outside, Lawrence could tap into his special traits a little more often.
Verdict
Whether the Jaguars should consider a wide receiver at No. 17 or not entirely depends on how the Calvin Ridley situation unfolds. Zay Jones will likely be back, so taking a receiver at No. 17 simply doesn't seem like something the Jaguars would do if Ridley is back. If Ridley signs elsewhere, though, wide receiver likely becomes the Jaguars' No. 1 need.
In the latter scenario, I can see where arguments could be made for Coleman. His blend of size, ball skills, and yards after catch ability is enticing, and he could even remind some Jaguars fans of Allen Robinson in many ways. The Jaguars' offense could use a physical ball-winner on the outside, too.
Still, injuries and other factors make Coleman look like a risky value at No. 17. He is likely more of a 25-30s level of pick. There is a high ceiling there, but a lot of factors are at play to determine whether he is a smart option at No. 17.
For all of our 2024 NFL Draft profiles, click below.
