Kevin Coleman Prospect Profile

Background

Kevin Coleman Jr. grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended St. Mary's High School. It was a program on the South Side that had gone 1-10 the year before he arrived and had little history of sending players to major programs. A drive-by shooting took the life of his younger brother, Rashaad, when he was five. Coleman witnessed it, and has worn a #3 jersey and a necklace with Rashaad's photo ever since. The number representing God, family, and angels. For years, people considered him and Luther Burden III the top two players out of St. Louis, as they grew up competing against each other from the age of nine. At St. Mary's, Coleman played on all three sides of the ball, accumulated 179 catches for almost 4,000 yards and 56 touchdowns in his career, and earned Missouri's Gatorade and MaxPreps Player of the Year honors. He garnered the attention of Eli Drinkwitz at Missouri before choosing to follow Travis Hunter, his 7-on-7 teammate, to Jackson State to play for Deion Sanders. He earned SWAC Freshman of the Year honors, and his receiving total in 2022 surpassed Hunter's. After that, he transferred to Louisville when Sanders departed for Colorado. After a year in Louisville, he left for Mississippi State in 2024, where he led the SEC in receptions with 74 catches for 932 yards and six touchdowns and earned Third-Team All-SEC honors. Finally, entering his senior year, he came home, stepping into Burden's number at Missouri for his senior season, leading the Tigers in receptions and yards, and declaring for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Physical Attributes

Most of Kevin Coleman's physical attributes look that great on paper. 5'10", 180 lbs, 4.49 40 with a 1.62 ten yard split are lackluster, while his two jumps save him with solid showings. On the field, though, it is a different story. Coleman just looks different out there than most other athletes. He has breakaway speed, quick twitch agility, and small area acceleration to rival anyone in this class. He is still very light in the ass and his strength lets him down, but do not let the testing numbers fool you into thinking he is not a top-level athlete on the field.

Data and Tape Analysis

If you are unfamiliar with my WR radar charts, you can find more information here

I love when radar charts make a picture like that. It is so satisfying to see that even in the randomness of nature, structures and beauty can occur out of its inherent chaos. Though that's enough poetry, you can find that on my other newsletter or around the site intermittently.

Kevin Coleman Jr. is a game-breaker with the ball in his hands. His YAC numbers are impressive, but those missed tackles forced numbers are elite. Defenders look like they are trying to grab an eel; the way he slips past them and leaves them grasping at air, flailing on the ground.

Because of this, he is a genuine threat on any throw short or in the intermediate range. When running those routes, I could not tell if it was coaching or a lack of awareness, but I never saw him come to a stop against zone. Maybe the idea was to keep Coleman on the move, but weird.

His lack of strength and reliable moves make life for Coleman very difficult against press coverage. He does not have to deal with it too often because he is in the slot, but if he one day dreams of being on the outside, he will need a ton of improvement.

Speaking of needing improvement, Coleman's hands fall in that category as well. He uses his body to catch most balls, and does not seem to trust himself to put his hands outside his frame and make catches. You might point to his contested catch numbers, and I would scream back, "VARIANCE," having caught 52% of contested catches throughout his career. A coin flip.

Grade and Outlook

I love Coleman when the ball is in his hands. He has great upside as a returner and manufactured touch player in the NFL. I worry that his lack of refinement and mediocre hands could hold him back from reaching his high end potential. A safe bet to contribute, and with a bit of hoping and squinting, maybe something more one day.

Grade: 5.4 (3rd Rounder)