Cincinnati Bengals: Corey Coleman vs. Josh Doctson

Conventional wisdom states that the Cincinnati Bengals will draft a wide receiver in the first round, as opposed to a defensive back or defensive tackle, after losing both Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu in free agency, and they should be able to land a game-changer to an offense that already includes stars A.J. Green, Tyler Eifert, Jeremy Hill, and Giovani Bernard.

There appears to be a favorite for the Cincinnati Bengals at pick No. 24, and it’s former Baylor star Corey Coleman, who is the most explosive weapon in the class with the ball in his hands.

If I had to make my official Bengals prediction today, I'd say they draft Baylor WR Corey Coleman at 24.
— Goodberry (@JoeGoodberry) April 25, 2016

Those takes come from two respected NFL analysts, and Coleman does check off the boxes for what the Bengals are looking for at the position. He’s a playmaker in space who is a threat to take the ball to the house on any given play, which means Andy Dalton won’t have to go through much effort to put Coleman in a position to notch points on the board. All he has to do is deliver the ball accurately, and Coleman can take care of the rest with his ludicrous agility and noteworthy tenacity.

Sanu was never a huge part of the Bengals offense, but one nice wrinkle he provided to former offensive coordinator Hue Jackson was his versatility. No, Coleman won’t be throwing touchdown passes to Green in the NFL, but he can get yardage on those little dump-offs and jet sweeps. Moreover, Coleman is much faster and more explosive than Sanu, and that’s even more important.

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On the surface, Coleman makes so much sense for the Bengals that it’s hard to see them going in a different direction. Other popular selections at No. 24 include ace possession guy Laquon Treadwell and silky deep threat Will Fuller, but if the Bengals were to draft a different receiver in the first round, Josh Doctson would make more sense than either Treadwell or Fuller. Michael Thomas definitely deserves a shout, but I think the Bengals will want to go for someone with better tools.

Doctson is the best receiver in the class, and while that is debateable, there should be no debate that he is the best in the class at the catch point. He makes difficult battles in the air look routine, coming up with passes in the end zone and on the sideline with ease, adjusting to poorly-thrown balls, and showing off more strength than his wiry frame would indicate. Doctson is “just” 6’2″, but he has a 41-inch vertical.

Contrast Doctson’s work at the catch point to Coleman’s, and you’ll see why the pendulum could swing. Many people criticize Coleman for his ability to run routes, but that should not be a problem at all. If you see how quick and agile he is- and then look at his solid long speed- you’ll see that getting separation is not a problem for him. In fact, only Ohio State’s Michael Thomas does a better job of beating DBs one-on-one.

Unfortunately, unlike Doctson and Thomas, Coleman is not as good at winning in the air. He does not understand how to shield his body, he drops passes he should haul in, and he does a poor job of gaining leverage, which hurts his ability to win vertically despite his speed. In fact, he’ll be a better short and intermediate threat in the NFL initially, because he is more of an after-the-catch playmaker as this juncture. His work as a deep threat will develop, but winning in the air is the nuance he needs to learn; not winning before the ball is thrown.

Nov 29, 2015; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Andy Dalton (14) against the St. Louis Rams at Paul Brown Stadium. The Bengals won 31-7. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports /

Beyond the fact that Coleman is an electric playmaker who is the best big-play threat in the class, he also has something else working in his favor. According to Cincy Jungle’s Connor Howe, the Bengals are more inclined to draft 21 and 22-year-old players. Doctson is 23, whereas Coleman is 21. That might not seem important, but youth does preclude higher upside at the wide receiver position, and you can look at Donte Moncrief and Brandin Cooks as recent examples of that.

Doctson is exceptionally quick, particularly for his height, and has more layers to his game. I view him as the superior prospect, but because Coleman is more versatile, more explosive, younger and better at generating overt separation (Doctson compensates for this by being much better at winning in crowds), I’m inclined to think that the Bengals would prefer to draft him.

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There’s no guarantee both will be available, and the Houston Texans are favorites to draft one of those two top receivers at pick No. 22. If both are on the board, either would be a fantastic addition, but weighing the trade-offs here, I think the Bengals will want to go for the splashy Coleman, whose route-running has been criminally underrated by some of the mainstream takes.

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