Wide Receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. Goes from St. Louis to Mizzou to NFL

Kevin Coleman Jr. was already an inspiration for his area of the south area of St. Louis with his college career. But now, he's taken that further, as he's been selected by the Miami Dolphins with the 177 overall pick in the 5 Round of the 2026 NFL draft.

“It makes the younger kids think, ‘Well, if he can go there, I can definitely go there,’” Coleman's high school coach, Corey Bethany, said in an interview with Missouri On SI in September of 2025. “(He’s) changing the mentality of kids going to a certain school, and transcendent athletes are capable of doing that.”

Coleman is the second St. Louis product who played at Missouri under Eli Drinkwitz to be selected in the NFL draft, following wide receiver Luther Burden III in the 2025 draft.

Coleman was a key figure in leading his high school, St. Mary's, to its first state championship in 2021. His success there led to significant recruiting attention. His top recruiter was Travis Hunter, his former 7v7 teammate, to Jackson State, where Coleman spent his first season.

Over the next three years, Coleman would have transfer from Jackson State to Louisville, then Mississippi State, and finally his home state of Missouri. Across all four of his spots, he was a dynamic slot receiver and punt returner.

With transition as a constant task for Coleman throughout his college career, he feels prepared to now make the transition to the NFL.

"I learned every single playbook," Coleman said at the NFL Scouting Combine. "Never had trouble soon as I got there. And I also had to earn everyone trust, couldn't just talk. Had to show my work ethic - and that's one thing I love to do - I'm a guy that loves talking, but first I got to prove myself. I got to prove myself to my players, my team, my coaches, and to myself. "

Mississippi State's wide receiver Kevin Coleman Jr. (3) smiles after scoring a touchdown during the Egg Bowl game against Mississippi at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. | Lauren Witte/Clarion Ledger / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Across his four years, Coleman racked up 199 catches for 2,536 yards and 12 touchdowns. His most productive year was his sophomore season at Mississippi State, where he caught 74 passes for 932 yards and six touchdowns.

He also returned 62 punts for 511 yards, an average of 8.24 yards per return.

"I'm electric," Coleman said. "I'm a 'dawg.' Don't let this size fool you, with the ball in my hands, anything can happen from catching a short pass to a deep pass, anything can happen, including on special teams."

Coleman is the fifth Missouri player off the board in the 2026 NFL draft, following four former Tigers being selected on Day 2 of the selections — Zion Young (selected by the Baltimore Ravens), Josiah Trotter (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Chris McClellan (Green Bay Packers) and Keagen Trost (Los Angeles Rams).

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