You can make a strong case that Keon Coleman is one of the most important players of the 2025 season. Not just for the Buffalo Bills, but for the entire NFL. The Bills selected Coleman with the No. 33 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft and that move came after they traded out of Round 1, allowing the Chiefs to come up and snag Xavier Worthy.
Coleman and Worthy will always be tied together as they landed with the top two teams in the AFC and the fact that Buffalo had the chance to pick either player with their first pick. Worthy had a fantastic rookie season and ended up leading all the Chiefs’ receivers in receptions, yards, and touchdowns.
Meanwhile, Coleman had a much quieter rookie season, catching only 29 passes. However, he did average a whopping 19.2 yards per reception and scored four touchdowns during his first year in the NFL. However, Coleman was a complete non-factor in the postseason, catching just 3-of-8 targets for a combined 22 yards.
It’s worth noting that Coleman dealt with a wrist injury that caused him to miss four games in the middle of the season. When he finally returned to the lineup, he averaged just 22.7 yards per game over the final eight games (including playoffs), according to Pro Football Reference.
Coleman wasn’t the difference maker the Bills were hoping to get with their top pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, but they were always banking on his age and upside. Coleman will turn 22 this weekend (May 17th) and is younger than most of the wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft. So there is still plenty of time for him to turn his career around.
But Buffalo doesn’t have much time to wait. They are in a Super Bowl window right now, and they desperately need Coleman to develop as a reliable X-receiver on the outside. If he takes a big leap in Year 2, he could be the type of player who could help Buffalo get over the hump. With his size and ball skills, an improved Coleman would make the Bills nearly impossible to defend.
Can Keon Coleman step up big-time in 2025?
In a recent article by Ben Solak of ESPN, he wrote about Coleman heading into Year 2 and wondered if a big step forward is in the cards for the former Florida State star. Here is what he had to say about Coleman going into the 2025 season:
"The big-bodied, contested-catch expert from Florida State was exactly that for the Bills in his rookie season -- a big-play ball-winner who saw 39 of his 57 targets against man coverage. Though he typically wins with physicality, Coleman showed enough wiggle in his routes and surprising shiftiness after the catch such that there's an exciting profile in there. He'll get a bigger route tree and more opportunities in Year 2, and he should continue earning quarterback Josh Allen's trust."Ben Solak, ESPN
With Mack Hollins leaving in free agency, the Bills are counting on Coleman to take that next step. We know what the upside could be if he does it, but what if it never happens? The Bills don’t have a receiver on their roster who threatens defenses vertically, and that would put more pressure on the middle of the field and players like Khalil Shakir and Dalton Kincaid.
While it might be an overstatement to say that the Bills’ Super Bowl chances are dependent on Coleman’s development, it’s not far off. How he progresses this season will be a harbinger for what the Bills ultimately can accomplish this year. Here is to hoping that Coleman can have the breakout season that the Buffalo Bills desperately need him to have.