Keon notes from MNF...

[msw2112]

11 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

I haven’t given up on Keon, but I think he has much to prove. We all knew he didn’t have great speed, but the lack of separation on film is eye opening. I believe in him as a contested catch receiver, but can you consistently rely on that? I also think he must learn how to do matchup against NFL level talent. I realize he played at FSU, but many of his biggest college games seemed to be against lesser opponents. 

 

I think his biggest game at FSU was against LSU.  I also saw him torch Michigan (my alma mater) when he was at Michigan State.  So he has played well against top teams in college.  That doesn't mean that he doesn't have a lot of progress to make at the NFL level.  He's proven to be an NFL-level contributor as a rookie and has made a few big plays (sideline catch vs. Cardinals, long TD versus Texans, a couple of big grabs Monday night).  To my mind, he's met or exceeded where one would expect a 2nd round rookie to be at this stage of the game.  He's got some work to do if he wants to be come the star he was in college at the NFL level.

Edited 4 hours ago by msw2112

[Royale with Cheese]

24 minutes ago, balln said:

Professional athletes… practice….. how do we have guys pulling Hammys and calves w how LITTLE they do

 

You don't think this is all they do...do you?

 

How do you think most of the skilled position players are ripped?

[buffblue]

2 minutes ago, Mat68 said:

Dude is 21.  Not known for his route running.  Takes time to develop.  I think he is a better athlete and better with the ball in his hand than his draft profile would lead you to believe.  I think he needs the ball more and needs to be on the field more.   

Agreed. Keon has actually been better than I was expecting. His performance thus far is totally respectable given his age and lack of polish. He probably has limitations to his upside but Coleman has demonstrated the talent to become a good receiver in this league.

[RoyBatty is alive]

22 minutes ago, Miyagi-Do Karate said:

He also had a huge block on Sauce on Josh’s last run…. Although it remains unclear whether Sauce actually tries to tackle runners. 

Sauce is being exposed league wide imo.  He is as grabby as Kair Elam is.

[HurlyBurly51]

1 hour ago, Coach Tuesday said:

These are your notes?

[Big Turk]

54 minutes ago, SirAndrew said:

I haven’t given up on Keon, but I think he has much to prove. We all knew he didn’t have great speed, but the lack of separation on film is eye opening. I believe in him as a contested catch receiver, but can you consistently rely on that? I also think he must learn how to do matchup against NFL level talent. I realize he played at FSU, but many of his biggest college games seemed to be against lesser opponents. 

 

Great to know you haven't given up on a player 6 games into his career.

 

[Prospector]

1 hour ago, Augie said:

CliffsNotes. 

Cliff sucks at taking notes

[SirAndrew]

58 minutes ago, msw2112 said:

 

I think his biggest game at FSU was against LSU.  I also saw him torch Michigan (my alma mater) when he was at Michigan State.  So he has played well against top teams in college.  That doesn't mean that he doesn't have a lot of progress to make at the NFL level.  He's proven to be an NFL-level contributor as a rookie and has made a few big plays (sideline catch vs. Cardinals, long TD versus Texans, a couple of big grabs Monday night).  To my mind, he's met or exceeded where one would expect a 2nd round rookie to be at this stage of the game.  He's got some work to do if he wants to be come the star he was in college at the NFL level.

That’s a good take, I’m just cautious about this unspoken idea that Coleman is going to be a star. He might become a decent contributor, but I don’t see the elite talent. I might be reading the room wrong, but I think people had some lofty expectations for him. 

[somnus00]

1 hour ago, Bangarang said:

I still think Keon would be most effective playing out of the slot. 

So does Steve Smith Sr. apparently. He feels the Bills are using Keon incorrectly. And he does know a little something about playing WR.

[NewEra]

1 hour ago, Bangarang said:

I still think Keon would be most effective playing out of the slot. 

As are Shakir, Samuel and Kincaid

Edited 3 hours ago by NewEra

[Jon in Pasadena]

2 minutes ago, NewEra said:

As are Shakir, Samuel and Kincaid

 

All we need is someone to figure out how to design a formation with four slot positions, and we're golden. 

[Mark Vader]

2 hours ago, Coach Tuesday said:

These are your notes?

He said they were "Keon notes", not his notes.

[notpolian]

Fair warning: I'm not Mr. Rose colored glasses.  I look at Coleman as a first round pick, which isn't fair to him, he was a (very early) second rounder. 

 

I'm somewhere between disappointed and not surprised.  He is what they said he was, although I don't see the great hands / contested catch savant enough.  He has trouble getting open. This is a BIG problem for a pro receiver.  

 

I'm not an expert.  But I don't buy the "he's a rookie excuses".  WR translates pretty well from college to pros.  WR is not QB, safety, OL, or LB.  It's basically the same job with maybe some additional emphasis on blocking.  If you look back on all the high level receivers Buffalo has drafted over the years (Butler, Reed {4th round}, Evans, Moulds, Watkins, I may be forgetting some and I'm ignoring the 60s and 70s), you could tell almost immediately "wow this guy is special".  At least that's what my foggy memory is.  I don't see that with Coleman.  Contributor I hope.  That's why Cooper really could be key for this year.

[strive_for_five_guy]

1 hour ago, balln said:

Professional athletes… practice….. how do we have guys pulling Hammys and calves w how LITTLE they do

[HappyDays]

1 hour ago, notpolian said:

If you look back on all the high level receivers Buffalo has drafted over the years (Butler, Reed {4th round}, Evans, Moulds, Watkins, I may be forgetting some and I'm ignoring the 60s and 70s), you could tell almost immediately "wow this guy is special". 

 

Moulds is the quintessential example of a WR that took a couple years to reach his potential. For more recent examples, Davante Adams and Nico Collins. Coleman was known to be raw and young even for a rookie. Expecting him to be #1 WR caliber right out the gate was never fair to him. You can see all the physical tools that made him a highly graded prospect. Now he needs to learn how to use those tools to separate and he needs to come down with downfield catches in tight coverage more frequently.

[JohnNord]

3 hours ago, eball said:

Sorry if I missed this elsewhere...been out of the country and not visiting the site as much.  Got a chance to re-watch the MNF game yesterday and noticed that Keon made two key catches on the GW drive in the 4th quarter.  That was nice to see and hopefully means more to come...particularly with Cooper now occupying the D's attention.

 

He’s showing some progress.  Just wish he came down with the 50/50 ball by the endzone.  Josh threw a beautiful ball that he couldn’t hang on to.

[Augie]

1 hour ago, Prospector said:

Cliff sucks at taking notes

 

When you slept thru class, you take what you can get. 

 

Really. Trust me. This is subject matter where I could serve as an expert witness. You see, I was in this dart league, and, well……it went late. 

[notpolian]

15 minutes ago, HappyDays said:

 

Moulds is the quintessential example of a WR that took a couple years to reach his potential. For more recent examples, Davante Adams and Nico Collins. Coleman was known to be raw and young even for a rookie. Expecting him to be #1 WR caliber right out the gate was never fair to him. You can see all the physical tools that made him a highly graded prospect. Now he needs to learn how to use those tools to separate and he needs to come down with downfield catches in tight coverage more frequently.

I hear you.  I hope you are right.  I'm probably just taking out my frustration unfairly on Coleman that we didn't trade up or draft multiple WRs this year.  

 

It's too bad when a high draft pick has to learn such a basic skill to their position in the pros.  (Maybe my ID should be flame bait 😁)

Edited 1 hour ago by notpolian

[loyal2dagame]

3 hours ago, eball said:

Sorry if I missed this elsewhere...been out of the country and not visiting the site as much.  Got a chance to re-watch the MNF game yesterday and noticed that Keon made two key catches on the GW drive in the 4th quarter.  That was nice to see and hopefully means more to come...particularly with Cooper now occupying the D's attention.

 

Did you causally notice?  Or,  were you really concentrating?

[Jon in Pasadena]

43 minutes ago, notpolian said:

I hear you.  I hope you are right.  I'm probably just taking out my frustration unfairly on Coleman that we didn't trade up or draft multiple WRs this year.  

 

It's too bad when a high draft pick has to learn such a basic skill to their position in the pros.  (Maybe my ID should be flame bait 😁)

 

Here are the draft positions and receiving stats (games, rec, yds, yds/rec, TD) for all the first and second round WR in the 2024 draft:

 

4   mhj                     6   17   279  16.4   4

6   malik nabers      4   35  386  11.0    3

9   rome odunze     6   17   246  14.5    1

23  btj                      6   25  424  17.0    3

28  xavier worthy    5   12   179  14.9    2

31  ricky pearsall     0   0    0      0        0    [season ending injury in preseason]

32  xavier legette    6   16  174   10.9    2

 

33  keon coleman    6  12  201  16.8     2

 

34  ladd mcconkey  5  19  219  11.5      2

37  ja'Lynn polk        6  10   78   7.8       1

52  adonai mitchell  6   8    79   9.9      0

 

 

Still a fairly small sample set but based on production so far, nothing here screams out to me "we should have taken that other guy at that spot or sold our future to move up and snag that dude!"

 

Yeah, trading up to grab BTJ would likely have worked out pretty well (so far) and I wouldn't have been opposed to it in principle if the compensation was sensible, but I think Keon is producing just fine compared to his peers so far. It remains to be seen if he can continue to level up his skill-set to get open vs NFL corners.

 

Edited 1 hour ago by Jon in Pasadena