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Cincinnati Bengals: Could Corey Coleman be the best fit?

By Kevin Parvizi

Dec 5, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Corey Coleman (1) leaps over a Texas Longhorns defender during the second half at McLane Stadium. The Longhorns defeat the Bears 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 5, 2015; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears wide receiver Corey Coleman (1) leaps over a Texas Longhorns defender during the second half at McLane Stadium. The Longhorns defeat the Bears 23-17. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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Now that the Cincinnati Bengals have lost Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu to big roles and big contracts with the Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons, respectively, the consensus is that they will draft a wide receiver with the 24th overall pick.

Like the past two years, this wide receiver class is stocked with depth, and the Cincinnati Bengals should be able to find themselves a great No. 2 receiver for Andy Dalton and A.J. Green in the first round. However, with so many options ranging from Josh Doctson to Laquon Treadwell to Will Fuller to Core Coleman, it is an overwhelming tasks for draftniks to predict the Bengals likely pick at 24. They could even draft a player at a different position, as CBS Sports’s Will Brinson gave the Bengals edge rusher Noah Spence.

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I’ve already discussed the idea of the Bengals drafting Treadwell, so let’s take a look at another “Big Four” wide receiver prospect who makes plenty of sense for Cincinnati: Baylor Bears product Corey Coleman.

The most explosive wide receiver prospect in the draft class, Coleman has “playmaker” written all over him. Few people can cut on a dime like he can, and his change-of-direction skills are the best in the class. Coleman embarrasses defensive backs after the catch, and he’s pretty darn good before it. Although he ran a somewhat limited route tree at Baylor, Coleman, like TCU star Doctson, showed that he knows how to get open and how to diagnose weak spots in coverage.

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The Bengals figure to target Green has heavily as ever in 2016 with both Jones and Sanu out the door, so, ideally, the team’s new No. 2 receiver would be a different type of player. Coleman is as different as it gets from Green when you look at the wide receivers in this class, since he’s a smaller wideout who wins with pure speed and agility. Although Green is fast and excels on deep throws, Coleman is a true speed demon who makes up for his subpar work at the catch point by getting more open than most receivers.

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Coleman isn’t my No. 1 receiver in this class (Doctson is), but he could conceivably be the first receiver off the board. Teams covet the speed he has, and he combines suddenness and smoothness to make himself one of the highest-upside prospects in the class.

Dalton could greatly benefit from the work Coleman does with the ball in his hands, and pairing Green with Coleman as a dynamic partner makes plenty of sense. After all, there’s a reason why the Houston Texans are targeting Coleman, as per the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain, and that’s because he’s the type of playmaking, field-stretching, ankle-breaking WR2 who could take pressure off of DeAndre Hopkins in the best way possible.

Bill O’Brien‘s praise for Coleman should be common around the NFL, and the same reasons why Houston covets him should lead the Bengals to be equally enthralled by this wide receiver prospect. Since the Texans are on the clock two spots before Cincinnati, the Bengals might not have a chance to draft Coleman, but, well, we can still keep him in mind as a strong option, along with other impressive receivers in this class like Michael Thomas, Fuller, Doctson, and Treadwell.

Nov 5, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) against the Cleveland Browns at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-10. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

What makes Coleman a particularly interesting fit for the Bengals is the fact that he can be a playmaker both in the Fuller deep-threat sense and the Braxton Miller YAC sense. Dalton could make use of both, because Coleman has the ability to make up for the losses of Sanu and Jones, since Tyler Eifert can continue to eat up even more of the TDs and contested catches (as can Green, of course) that are on the table after Jones’s departure to Detroit.

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Of course, Coleman is a touchdown machine in his own right, as the man with sub-4.4 wheels had a college football-leading 20 receiving touchdowns last season. That’s pretty insane, and it speaks volumes to the 5’11” receiver’s playmaking ability. Let’s just say, there’s a reason why Coleman looks at Steve Smith Sr. as a player he models his game after.

The Bengals would be wise to take a long look at Coleman. Treadwell can challenge defenses vertically, but he’s more of a possession-type No. 1 guy, which means he’s Green in a best-case scenario. Doctson would be an amazing pick, but I think he will be off the board in the top 20. As for Fuller, he’s good, but why would you draft him when you could get a better fit in Coleman? Fuller is an excellent deep threat who gets easy separation with his underrated lateral agility, but Coleman is even more agile and is more polished player with better hands and moves with the ball in his hands.

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