ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — A day after improving the Buffalo Bills’ NFL draft positions, general manager Brandon Beane opened the second round Friday by addressing his team’s two most obvious needs.
Beane resisted any lingering urge to trade back in the order for a third time to instead select Florida State receiver Keon Coleman with the No. 33 pick in the wake of the Bills trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans last month. He followed up by selecting Utah safety Cole Bishop at No. 60, to address a position in transition from the starting tandem of Jordan Poyer (cut) and Micah Hyde (considering retirement).
“Our board was getting thin as we went down and we just didn’t want to take a chance,” he said, acknowledging Coleman was among the few available receivers the Bills had been targeting since moving back from their original No. 28 pick. “Everyone in the draft room kind of knew without me saying who we wanted today.”
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds, the 20-year-old Coleman brings size and adept catching ability to a Josh Allen-led offense that traded Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans earlier this month and lost fourth-year player Gabe Davis to free agency.
In his only season at Florida State last year, Coleman earned All-ACC honors in leading the Seminoles with 50 catches for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. He earned All-ACC honors and also doubled as a return specialist. Coleman spent his first two college seasons at Michigan State, totaling 65 catches for 848 yards and eight TDs.
Though not considered speedy, Coleman’s best attribute is using his size and big hands to make difficult catches in tight spaces. It’s a skill he adapted from playing basketball, and something he’s confident will complement Allen, who isn’t afraid of attempting passes into tight coverage.
“I’ve been a fan of his game, man, since watching him at Wyoming,” Coleman said of Allen, who played his final two college seasons with the Cowboys. “He can really throw the ball. He can spin it. He has pretty much everything you would want out of a quarterback.”
And Coleman is unaffected by whatever pressures he might face in being the newest member of a post-Diggs receiver room that includes Khalil Shakir, coming off a promising second season, and free agent additions Curtis Samuel and Mack Hollins.
“I’m really just trying to come in and work hard to establish myself as a guy they can trust, win over the locker room, man, and then let the on-field stuff take care of itself,” Coleman said.
The 21-year-old Bishop was a three-year starter at Utah, and coming off a season in which the team captain had 6 1/2 tackles for a loss, three sacks and two interceptions. Bishop is reunited with tight end Dalton Kincaid, Buffalo’s first-round pick last year.
Buffalo closed the day by selecting fifth-year Duke defensive tackle DeWayne Carter at No. 95. The 23-year-old Carter was a four-time team captain and fills a backup need on a line that does not return Jordan Phillips, Tim Settle and Linval Joseph.
The Bills currently hold seven more selections through Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, and are next scheduled to pick at 128.
The Bills had been on the clock for some 17 hours after trading their way out of the first round with a pair of deals.
The first trade with the Chiefs led to Buffalo moving back from 28th to 32nd, and drew criticism from the fanbase. Beane was questioned for helping a conference rival in Kansas City that has eliminated Buffalo in three of the past four playoffs.
Worse still in the eyes of Bills Mafia was the Chiefs using the pick to select Texas receiver Xavier Worthy, who some believed would be a fit with the receiver-needy Bills.
Buffalo then traded back a spot to No. 33 in a deal with the Panthers, a deal in which the Bills moved up 59 spots in the order, swapping their 200th pick for Carolina’s 141st.
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