Brandon Coleman signs with New Orleans Saints
Brandon Coleman participates in a pass catching drill during the 2014 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
The New Orleans Saints added a high-impact rookie wide receiver in the first round of the draft by trading up to the 20th pick to draft open-field playmaker Brandin Cooks, thus making their wide receiver corps even more crowded. Tough cuts are on the way for the Saints, as Nick Toon, Joe Morgan, and Robert Meachem can all consider themselves on the roster bubble, with Meachem seemingly on the outside looking in due to his age and the youth of the other receivers.
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Yesterday, the Saints decided to pick up another intriguing wide receiver in undrafted free agency, as the National Football Post’s Aaron Wilson reports that the team has signed former Rutgers Scarlet Knights star Brandon Coleman, who finished his career tied for the most touchdowns in the school’s history.
I was surprised to see Coleman go undrafted, because he has excellent physical tools and has the upside to become an Alshon Jeffery-type long strider. His rookie year will definitely be as quiet as Jeffery’s, because he is one of the most raw receivers in the entire class. Coleman doesn’t really understand the nuances of the game at the position, so he’s squarely a project player. I expect him to make the practice squad due to the Saints overwhelming depth at receiver, and that’s actually a great situation for him. The Saints are one of the best teams for a developing, young receiver to go to, and I think they managed to get some really nice value here. Coleman was also probably hurt a bit by the awful quarterback play from Gary Nova last year, and the wide receivers that fall on draft day (see Jared Abbrederis and Joel Stave, as well as Marqise Lee, who also had injury concerns, and his carousel at USC) usually fall because of inconsistent QB play.