Keon Coleman Lands at FSU – Draft Stock Impact

First Round Mock’s Garrett Hearl took a long look at the Seminoles’ newest weapon, wide receiver Keon Coleman.

I expect the NFL to be high on a guy who is 6-foot-4 215 pounds and has the vertical leap to get up higher than any corner in football.

Michigan State WR Keon Coleman entered the transfer portal on April 30, 2022 and he landed at Florida State University officially yesterday.

Coleman was projected to be the WR1 entering this fall for an MSU team that seemed to be looking to rebound after a substandard 2022 campaign.

He instead entered the transfer portal and looked to become a top dog in a receiver room elsewhere and now he will get that chance to shine in The Sunshine State.

What went south?

Coleman did, literally and figuratively.

When diving into Coleman’s film with the Spartans last season, receiving teammate Jayden Reed, who was taken with pick 50 in this past 2023 NFL Draft, jumps out quickly. Quarterback (QB) Payton Thorne had chemistry with Reed dating back to high school.

For Coleman, that lack of chemistry with Thorne was evident.

Missed timing out of route break points was a common occurrence between the Thorne-Coleman connection. Combining that with Reed as the main focal point, Coleman seemed to grow agitated with the scarcity of opportunities in this system. To boot, Thorne did not have the natural arm strength and quick release to get Coleman the ball in tight windows; an area Coleman excelled.

Basketball into football

Coleman initially enrolled at Michigan State as both a member of the football and the basketball team. After his freshman year, Coleman dropped basketball to focus on football.

However, the basketball roots never left him.

Coleman is an elite jump ball receiver, who can turn 50-50 balls into 75-25 balls (his favor) with ease. This receiver is excellent at boxing out smaller corners and using his frame and vertical leap to win on contested catches.

Coleman won every back shoulder catch or drew a penalty when targeted.

This is a skill that will always be there for an offense to take advantage of.

As a football player, Coleman is still raw in his receiving ability. He needs to become more fluid as a route runner. His movements are often not decisive enough to create separation.

Coleman also ironically turned 20 years old the day his transfer was announced.

No question, he showed great improvement from his freshman to his sophomore year.

I expect that same kind of improvement in his third season.

Coleman definitely lacks the straight-line speed. That is not to say he cannot be a deep threat because he is capable of running past corners every once in a while.

However, he really wants to play up in the air more than he does in stride.

Blocking for him is a plus, which is something else that will be coveted from a player his size.

Who does he compare to?

I would compare him to WR Cedric Tillman in this past draft.

Another thing to like is Coleman has run after the catch, which will only progress as his route running does.

What to expect at FSU?

Coleman hooking up with Seminoles’ QB Jordan Travis should make a world of difference for the receiver compared to when he was at Michigan State. He will finally have a QB who can make all the throws and get him the football.

Coleman choosing the Seminoles over a number of other schools, probably had a lot to do with Travis.

Now this will be a duo to watch.

Projecting to the NFL

It is hard to project his position in the 2024 NFL Draft as it stands right now until we get a chance to see him actually play at FSU.

However, Coleman does have coveted traits.

Becoming quicker, faster, and a more complete receiver at all three levels will be the ultimate factors of him being a day two pick versus a first round draft pick.

We will circle back to Coleman a little less than year from now when we dive deeper into the 2024 class, but to exemplify a guy now who could fly up boards quickly is always fun.

Grade – Third Round | Expectation – Rise Into Early Second Round

As it stands right now, Coleman is a third-round receiver on game film. I project Coleman to grow into an early second-round talent. Maybe he’ll even make his way into the first-round in 2024 depending what kind of season he has.

2022 Michigan State Game Film Reviewed (Jersey #0): Wisconsin, Washington, Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State

Garrett Hearl is an aspiring NFL Draft Writer with a unique passion and love for scouting and player evaluation. Continuously wanting to learn more about football than he knew yesterday, he is currently attending Michigan State University where he is working to a degree in Journalism and Sports Journalism. Garrett lives for watching game film, learning more about the game, and is driven by his ultimate goals. Garrett writes for FirstRoundMock.com and he can be found on Twitter @garrett2hearl.