Florida State wide receiver Keon Coleman is an appealing draft prospect for the Dallas Cowboys

It would be wise for the Cowboys to add another weapon at the wide receiver position this offseason

The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft takes place on Thursday, April 25. The Dallas Cowboys have yet to get the performance they want with their first selection in last year’s draft, Michigan DT Mazi Smith at 26th overall. Prior to selecting Smith, the Dallas front office had struck gold in their previous three first-round selections.

In 2020, they selected WR CeeDee Lamb with the 17th overall pick. Lamb has been selected to three Pro Bowls in just four seasons and is coming off a career year where he racked up 135 receptions for 1,749 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2021, the team selected LB Micah Parsons with the 11th overall pick. The Cowboys hit the lottery by selecting Parsons. He has been arguably the best player from that class regardless of the position, totaling 40.5 sacks and three All-Pro selections in each of his three seasons in the league. In 2022, the front office selected OL Tyler Smith with the 24th overall pick. A once controversial pick has aged like fine wine for the Cowboys, with Smith being selected as an All-Pro in his sophomore season this past year.

The Cowboys once again hold the 24th overall pick in this year’s draft. This time, the team can’t afford to miss on their first-round pick as they are looking to contend for a Super Bowl in the 2024 season. The Cowboys could use another explosive wide receiver in their offense. While Lamb was dominant throughout the season, veteran WR Brandin Cooks was inconsistent throughout the year and WR Michael Gallup continued to struggle as he did in the 2022 season. Dallas needs to get younger and more explosive to complement Lamb for the future, and the best way to do that without spending a lot of money is through the draft.

The 2024 draft class is absolutely loaded with wide receiver talent. Ohio State Buckeyes WR Marvin Harrison Jr. is widely considered the best receiver prospect in recent memory, and is considered likely to be a top-three pick in the draft. A realistic name at the receiver position who could still be on the board for the Cowboys when they are selecting is Florida State Wide Receiver Keon Coleman. At just 20 years old, Coleman stands at 6’4” and was the Seminoles best receiver the past two seasons. In 2022, he had 58 receptions for 798 yards and seven touchdowns. He followed that up in 2023 with 50 receptions for 658 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Coleman is built like a true X receiver. He has the ideal size for the position without sacrificing elusiveness and explosion after the catch. He has tremendous ball skills and is great at coming down with 50/50 balls. Because of his size and strength, he is tough to tackle after the catch and is able to break tackles and extend plays down the field.

One negative to Coleman’s game is he does not have elite deep speed. He isn’t necessarily a true burner down the field. Frankly, the Cowboys don’t need a burner at the position. Lamb and Cooks are both more than capable of getting past the third level of the defense and providing big plays for QB Dak Prescott. What the Cowboys truly need, is a consistent 50/50 guy with athleticism to come down with the tough catches in the redzone. Since Gallup’s injury, he hasn’t truly been able to be the guy he once was in Dallas and the Cowboys have suffered from it. The Cowboys could benefit tremendously from selecting Coleman in the draft as he could be an immediate complement to an offense that is looking to win now.