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NFL Coach: Keon Coleman Is 'Good. He Just Can't Run. He Doesn't Have Any 0 to 60'

Adam Wells

After a lackluster showing in the 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman has had to deal with questions about how his speed will translate to the next level.

An offensive assistant coach currently in the NFL told Bruce Feldman of The Athletic that Coleman is a "good" player who "just can't run."

"He doesn't have any 0 to 60," the coach added.

Coleman clocked a time of 4.61 seconds in the 40 at the combine. It ranks in the 17th percentile of wide receivers, per MockDraftable.com.

The Seminoles star did fare much better in the gauntlet drill. He reached a top speed of 20.36 miles per hour, which was the fastest for any receiver in the past two seasons.

This comes back to the debate between game speed vs. timed speed. One player who Coleman has been compared to is Allen Robinson, who ran a 4.6 in the 40 coming out of Penn State in 2014.

Robinson was a second-round draft pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He has had a successful NFL career with three 1,000-yard seasons and a total of 7,028 yards in 10 seasons.

Florida State thought Coleman had enough speed to use him as a punt returner in 2023. He averaged 12.0 yards per return on 25 attempts.

Coleman also has well above-average size at just under 6'4". He ranked in the 83rd percentile in broad jump (127 inches) and 79th percentile in vertical jump (38 inches), so he's got plenty of athleticism.

It might take the right offensive system to maximize Coleman's strengths, but his athletic traits at least suggest he can be a productive wide receiver in the NFL.

   

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