Brandon Beane's message to KC is clear: Bring it on.
The GM was fearless at the top of the draft. Keon Coleman was the pick — not Xavier Worthy — and, now, the 2024 Buffalo Bills need to follow his lead in the cutthroat AFC.
Into the wee hours Friday morning at One Bills Drive, it was time for general manager Brandon Beane to put his constituents at ease. Again. One month after the Buffalo Bills delivered Stefon Diggs to an AFC contender, they had apparently gift-wrapped the Fastest Player in NFL Combine history to this team’s arch-nemesis via the 28th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
A national holiday — Draft Day — became a horror show.
Visions of Xavier Worthy peace-signing to the end zone with a cloud of smoke behind him immediately gave this Chiefs-tortured fan base ulcers. Because if Kansas City could win back-to-back Super Bowl titles with wide receivers prone to blooper themselves into memes, Lord knows what Patrick Mahomes could do with Worthy and free-agent pickup Marquise “Hollywood” Brown. On cue, the greatest player in the sport dropped a shades emoji. Brown warned all: “We lit.”
Beane took a seat and, first, doused freezing-cold water all over the hottest pre-draft talking point. No, Buffalo never tried to trade up. The GM also didn’t have 28 first-round grades, which is why he traded down. Up on a TV screen, over his left shoulder, breathtaking highlights of Worthy at Texas began to loop on NFL Network. Then, his 4.21 in the 40. Ironically enough, it was right then that Beane correctly explained that if the Chiefs truly wanted Worthy, they’d find a way to get Worthy. There’s no “preventing” this from happening.
“It’s more ‘What’s the best move for the Bills?’” he added.
Translation: The Bills did not give a flying bleep if the Chiefs saw Tyreek Hill in the 5-foot-11, 169-pound Worthy.
At No. 33 overall, on Day 2, they instead selected the 6-foot-3, 213-pound Keon Coleman. Thee of 4.61 speed at the Combine.
Size was valued over speed. Armageddon doom is natural. This is a Chiefs team that stole the apple of Terry Pegula’s eye — Mahomes — with their own draft pick in 2017. A Chiefs team that leapfrogged Buffalo in the 2022 draft to select one of the best pound-for-pound players in the sport: Trent McDuffie. (Buffalo chose Kaiir Elam.) This latest decision could backfire in spectacular fashion. I like Worthy. Many scouts like Worthy. There’s also a chance he is too fragile. What’s undeniable is that the Bills executed the top of this draft devoid of fear, and that’s a positive psychological step. Fear has too often choked out the Bills in this one-sided rivalry.
Beane and his scouts stuck to their scouting, their 1-on-1 interactions with both prospects.
Nobody is worried about the big, bad Chiefs monster underneath the bed at night. That’s exactly how the Bills need to approach this matchup — and every AFC matchup — if they intend to smash open that Super Bowl window.
This has been a team that flinches and recoils in the face of the Chiefs for too long. Most notably by booting a touchback through the end zone and directing starting safeties to line up in another zip code during those 13 fateful seconds because OT in that playoff game was considered OK. This time, Buffalo did not flinch. Beane knew hysteria would follow but if the Bills will ever overcome this beast, an attitude adjustment is needed. The decision to call a fake punt to Damar Hamlin in the latest Chiefs playoff loss wasn’t the problem, rather the Bills need to get to the point where such bold decisions don’t feel out of character.
They need to become a team of action. Not reaction.
From constructing a roster with guts, to coaching with guts, to matching their own offensive evolution with the obvious evolution of the sport itself.
Everyone inside of this building needs to flip the script: Force the Chiefs to fear the Bills. Force all opponents to fear a roster built around its Monstar of a quarterback. That’s how Coleman, the team’s newest wide receiver, accurately described the man throwing him passes: “Like having a guy from Space Jam. He can do everything.”
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Mahomes is ecstatic, but he’s not alone. Josh Allen told Beane ahead of the 2024 draft that Coleman was one receiver he’d love to have. The Bills didn’t care what plans the Chiefs had for Worthy because they’ve got dreams of their own. Taking personnel advice from the starting quarterback is always a balance. Aaron Rodgers makes Matt Millen look like Tex Schramm. But if the QB prefers throwing to a 6-foot-3 “X” wideout (who’s covered) over the 169-pound speedster (who’s getting behind a corner), that opinion matters. A lot. The Bills need to see the game through Allen’s eyes. That’s how you Let Josh Be Josh. Six of the team’s eight captains from last season aren’t on the roster. And even if the Bills were living in salary-cap bliss, not $41.3 million in the red, this roster could not afford to stay stagnant and “run it back” as teams love to say in March. Aggressive personnel changes were a must.
Beane again called this a team in transition after the draft. The Bills hunted for both dependable leaders and players with a nasty on-field disposition. The GM said you cannot field a team full of “choir boys.” It’s a violent game. The Bills’ 10 picks are a healthy blend.
Coleman is the centerpiece. This class — this whole transition — will ultimately be judged by the decision to roll with the Florida State wideout.
While Beane was careful not to bestow such massive expectations upon a rookie’s shoulders, the GM also admitted there’s no blockbuster trade coming. The No. 1 wide receiver job, 100+ targets, the chance to catch touchdowns in blizzardy playoff games. It’s all Coleman’s if he can seize it. That’s quite a burden for someone who doesn’t even turn 21 years old until next month. OTAs and minicamp carry a lot more significance this spring and Allen will be getting a group together before training camp.
No wonder the GM referenced the wide receiver’s wiring multiple times. Character always matters with draft picks, but especially with whoever Buffalo made its selection at wide receiver. Especially after the Diggs split.
There’s a chance Worthy rubbed the Bills the wrong way when he sat down with the team. This team, from the owner on down, greatly values pre-draft interactions. It’s obvious that several teams were spooked by the other talented wide receiver available in the second round. Adonai Mitchell fell all the way to the Indianapolis Colts at No. 52 overall, which prompted Colts GM Chris Ballard to go on an F-bomb, expletive-laced rant directed at us. Like Beane, this GM is often a breath of honesty in a profession that typically lacks such honesty. But, no, Mitchell was not the 11th wide receiver selected because anonymous scouts were a bunch of meanies. Teams knew exactly what Bob McGinn reported. The goal here is to bring you a true representation of the sport, not to censor… and buff… and present all prospects through glistening rosy-colored glasses. If the reports critical of a prospect are such “bullshit,” as claimed, why have a robust scouting department? Like it or not, this is exactly how many people in the NFL viewed Mitchell.
Buffalo took a close look at Mitchell’s talent, the potential headache and passed. They weren’t alone. Last week, I received an unprompted text storm from one of the brightest offensive assistant coaches in the NFL.
“You want to stay away from Mitchell,” he wrote. “He’s not into football for the right reasons. Big wild card.”
And…
“None of us liked his film and his pro day he basically mailed it in after he dropped one ball.”
And…
“High maintenance. Into fame. Needs a care-taker. Lacks motivation. Will cut corners.”
And…
“You can take a bad character kid in the first round if his talent outweighs what he will put you through. His talent is not first-round worthy. Every wide receiver can run, jump and catch.”
And…
“Has diabetes but doesn’t pay attention to his numbers. Real immature.”
Ballard said Mitchell is a good kid. Maybe his bet pays off. But he knows as well as anybody that the NFL is a high-stakes business. People get fired for drafting players with this many red flags all the time. As the coach told me: “Fans and Twitter have no idea how the real NFL works.” Amen. Whatever devolved between Diggs and the Bills was far more complicated than the winds blowing the social-media sails. This assistant coach heard what we reported, that Diggs grew tired of his head coach. He also cited a disconnect between WR1 and QB1. If Allen reached a breaking point with the wide receiver, that matters.
Post-Diggs, the Bills needed to walk this fine line at football’s most mercurial position. Swing too hard the opposite direction, the choir-boy direction, and you’ll be relegated to the UFL.
The Bills know Coleman will still need to learn how to be a pro.
But there’s no questioning his motivation. They love his sharp edge.
“It’ll take him a little time, but I think it’s that fine line of staying on him but letting him have his personality,” Beane said. “Receivers come in a lot of different flavors and personalities and he brings a tough dog: ‘The ball’s in the air, I’m going to get it. This man’s trying to press me. I’m going to physically work my way through him.’ Some guys are more finesse. I would say Keon is the complete opposite of finesse.”
Ballard placed his bet, and so did these Bills and Chiefs.
KC’s gamble is that Worthy will withstand the physical rigors of the NFL.
Buffalo’s gamble is that Coleman is able to get separation vs. NFL cornerbacks.
Where some scouts worry he won’t be able to beat man coverage, others point out a slew of top wideouts who also ran slow 40s at the Combine: Keenan Allen (4.71), Cooper Kupp (4.62), Allen Robinson (4.60) and Davante Adams (4.56). The key is finding subtleties in a receiver’s game that hint he’ll render such a time worthless. Allen’s masterful route running, Kupp’s suddenness. Beane believes that Coleman is able to get off of press much better than the other bigger receivers in this year’s class. Others were “stiffer,” he said. Coleman was quick to defend his speed. He said he’s never been caught from behind, nor has he seen defensive backs squat in off coverage.
Still, Beane admitted: “Is he going to run away from people? Probably not. That’s probably not his No. 1 strength.”
The Bills needed to investigate closely. Citing GPS readings, Beane said Coleman’s game speed is faster than his 40 and the numbers back him up. Coleman reached a top speed of 20.36 MPH during the Combine’s gauntlet drill, per NextGen Stats, the best time for any receiver the last two seasons. The Bills see upper-body torque. They liked how Coleman was able to twist back for the ball on back-shoulder throws. And, of course, there’s the basketball roots. Before catching 50 balls for 658 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2023 at Florida State, Coleman spent two seasons at Michigan State where he also played on the basketball team. He even received an offer to play basketball at Kansas. As a senior at Opelousas Catholic in Louisiana, Coleman averaged 33.5 points per game (Highlights here.)
Multiple times, Beane referred to Coleman as a receiver who plays “above the rim.”
The first time the GM saw Coleman in person was Florida State’s 45-24 season-opening win over LSU last fall, and it wasn’t only the nine catches for 122 yards with three touchdowns that intrigued him. This 6-3 wideout caught punts in pregame, a clear indicator of athleticism to him. Beane pointed to a slant route that night vs. LSU when Coleman deftly hit the brakes to waste a DB en route to the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown. (“So, he’s not just a big guy that catches the ball and goes down.”) He cited a one-handed catch vs. Syracuse over the middle and a remarkable TD catch vs. Clemson in overtime. On the latter play, he shakes cornerback Jeadyn Lukus loose at the line of scrimmage with a basketball-like first step.
Offensive coordinator Joe Brady will line Coleman up out wide but the Bills do view him as shifty enough to slide inside. Beane expects Coleman to be a target in the red zone on fades and back-shoulders. Only reps… and reps… and reps… get a receiver on the same page as a quarterback freelancing outside the pocket. It took Adams a long time to reach such synergy with Rodgers. The Bills do see a player capable of improvising with Allen. Coleman did it often with Jordan Travis in Tallahassee.
“He’s got a great feel. Instinctual feel,” Beane said. “That comes from even his basketball background. This guy’s not just a high school basketball player, like he could have played major college hoops. So that shows you his athletic ability and we like guys that play multiple sports. He’s 20 years old. So still an ascending talent. I would say he’s the hungry dude. He’ll talk a little bit. He’s a confident kid. He’s a dog. He’ll bring some attitude and energy to our room.
“He’s got a lot of bravado for personality.”
Allen obviously will not care if Coleman is covered.
He’ll give him a chance to make those NBA Dunk Contest-like plays in traffic. As he should.
Said Coleman: “Having the ability to go up there with the confidence to come down with the ball every time is an amazing plus. Especially when you have the quarterback with the arm he has and the ball placement he has, it’s going to be like pitch and catch. … Basketball translates a lot. Side to side movement. Lateral movement. Vertical jumping. Speed. Quick first step. And then having firm hands, being able to go up and high-point the ball.”
If Coleman clocked in the 4.4 range, he probably would’ve joined that upper tier of Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze as Beane suggested. So much of Coleman’s future success hinges on making up for 0.2 of a second.
On his top-30 visit to Orchard Park, it was clear Coleman wanted to catch passes from Allen. And after the pick, Allen texted the receiver to tell him he’s been watching a lot of receivers and Coleman was the guy he wanted. (“And I’m like, ‘I’ve been saying the same thing. I want to go play with the guy that wears No. 17,’” Coleman said.)
The kid replacing the vet with the two most accomplished seasons in Bills history sure does not seem remotely worried about the weight of expectations. Coleman began his press conference by saying he got quite a deal on his poofy yellow jacket — $79 at Macy’s. He wants to go back and buy red and blue ones. Afterward, he couldn’t wait to snag a Wegmans chocolate chip cookie from a jar at a nearby table in the media auditorium.
This is not an individual lacking in the self-belief department.
“If you don’t have the confidence in yourself, how is anybody else supposed to believe in you?” Coleman said. “The confidence comes from putting in work. God blesses you with some things, but the rest you’ve got to contribute yourself. So the work I’ve put in and the results that come from that — staying humble but also there’s a certain level of confidence you’ve got to have to play the wide receiver position.”
This year’s draft was rich with reminders that the sport is rapidly evolving. The first 14 players selected were on the offensive side of the ball. Commissioner Roger Goodell spammed the country again with more flag-football propaganda moments before the Bills went on the clock to pick Coleman. Right there on stage were a row of kids in flag uniforms, a sign to all. This is where the NFL is heading. Last year, the league tried to dull the instincts of defensive players with bizarre roughing the passer penalties.
This year, the “hip-drop tackle” was banned.
Next year, it’ll be something else.
So on, so forth. We’ll scream at the clouds each time.
Passing on Xavier Worthy won’t necessarily doom the Bills, but cockamamie calculations of Power Rushing + Defense within this harsh NFL reality can. Brady has a full offseason to figure out how to weaponize a completely reshaped offense: Coleman, Curtis Samuel and Khalil Shakir at wide receiver, Dalton Kincaid and Dawson Knox at tight end, James Cook and Ray Davis at running back. Draft grades are the drunken uncle of mock drafts. It’s silly to pigeonhole anyone into a role. But if we’re going to critique this year’s draft, another wide receiver (or two) sure would’ve been nice. They should’ve loaded up. If the Bills do plan on slipping into a time machine and remaking the ’24 Bills into their ’15 Panthers, that would be unwise. Both the Commish and NFL owners offer PSAs at every turn that defense as we’ve known it is being killed off. Those old-school linebackers central to McDermott’s defense on that Super Bowl team — Luke Kuechly and Thomas Davis — are “disappearing,” one scout said, “from the game.” Let’s take a deep breath and see what becomes of this offense first.
After Beane’s unflinching decision, it’s now on McDermott to coach equally fearlessly.
Ball-control math gets you into the playoffs, the 44 Percent Club.
Unleashing your “Space Jam” quarterback is what’ll win a Super Bowl.
This season doesn’t need to be a reset. The Bills have enough firepower to play a breakneck game. It’s not quite time to fear Worthy catching 50-yard bombs for KC. Or that track team in Miami. (Mike McDaniel added Jaylen Wright, and his 4.3 speed, to De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.) Or the Houston Texans loading up around C.J. Stroud’s rookie contract. Or Joe Burrow’s return. Allen remains the primary energy force around here. Letting him run and throw and play freely can still elevate Buffalo above any team in the AFC.
Changing the well-documented tightness was always most important.
Buffalo still used its most premium draft asset on a wide receiver.
With the rest of their picks, Beane and McDermott made a concerted effort to fill the locker room with players who’ve been in leadership positions. Utah safety Cole Bishop is described as a “cerebral” player by scouts. That should help him pick up McDermott’s defense quickly and the Bills clearly needed to get younger and faster at safety. His 4.41 was best amongst the top 10 safeties. He’ll be the top trying to prevent Worthy from going deep. Not only did Bishop cover Kincaid all of those practices at Utah — Kincaid admitted to Beane that the safety won most of those 1-on-1 battles. Duke defensive tackle Dewayne Carter was a three-time captain and a finalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, a la the academic Heisman. He should bring juice to the pass rush. And the running back Davis rushed for 1,000+ yards in back-to-back SEC seasons. “He runs hard as shit,” one scout told Go Long. “He’s a f--kin’ load.”
This run style is no doubt an extension of Davis’ harrowing childhood. Both of his parents spent time in prison. The 5-foot-8 ½, 208-pounder from San Francisco grew up in homeless shelters and foster care for eight years. After the Bills drafted him in the fourth round (128th overall), Davis said he learned to attack problems head-on.
“I had to become a man at 12,” Davis said. “I think just having to adapt to my situation and my environment, understanding that I have to raise myself, and not only my decisions affect me but they affect others. … That’s the biggest thing I lived by was just surviving, surviving. That’s what made me the man I am today.”
The Davis Blast that Beane kept coming back to was actually in pass protection vs Vanderbilt. He absolutely leveled a blitzer off the edge. (“He plays the game violent,” the GM said.)
Keep an eye on the team’s pick at No. 160 overall, Washington linebacker Edefuan Ulofoshio. “His instincts are a little bit off,” one scout said, “but he’ll die trying.”
Only time will tell if the Bills should’ve gone more wide-receiver heavy in this draft. That was the Green Bay Packers’ approach when money was tight. Buffalo is counting on Samuel staying healthy as an ubiquitous threat and Coleman picking up a complex offense and don’t be surprised if Kincaid is this group’s No. 1 receiving threat in 2024. Shakir looked special at times late last season. Either way, there’s no Deebo Samuel Pot ‘o Gold waiting at the end of the rainbow.
They chose the rookie in that Macy’s jacket. Buffalo and Kansas City will play each other in the regular season this season. Probably again in the playoffs. Only then can anyone truly judge Brandon Beane’s decision-making on April 25, 2024.
Coleman may make the catch that Stefon Diggs could not in the fourth quarter.
Worthy may flash the deuces.
We know this much: The Bills aren’t scared anymore.
ICYMI:
Smash the Window, Part I: ‘Don’t ever stop’
Smash the Window, Part II: The Super Bowl Plan
Really enjoy your writing style. Old-school!
Ballard's rant may be the sign of a GM knowing that his window of employment may be closing with Jim Irsay. He's rolling the dice on potentially an impactful player who's a character risk. If it all crashes/burns, the next Colts GM can clean that up.