In his "final" first-round 2016 NFL mock draft of the year, ESPN's Mel Kiper has projected Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman to the Buffalo Bills with the No. 19 overall pick.
"They need another talented weapon in the passing game, and this is a little early for the next pass-rusher I'd have coming off the board," Kiper writes of the prediction. "I know defense is a need, but Coleman would fill a clear need."
Kiper does not project an edge rusher going off the board until No. 30 overall (Kevin Dodd to Carolina), but he also leaves the likes of A'Shawn Robinson, Karl Joseph, Jarran Reed, and Robert Nkemdiche on the board, bypassing players the Bills have long been linked to in favor of the speedster from Baylor.
In a way, it makes sense; Coleman is the best deep-threat receiver available in this draft class (if not simply the best receiver, period), and he'd make sense for a Bills offense that wants to roll coverage away from Sammy Watkins on occasion, and which starts a talented deep-ball thrower in Tyrod Taylor under center. Still, it's fair to wonder how much value Coleman would truly bring to Buffalo's offense, which is a low-volume passing attack with few targets to spare already, and which could fairly easily draft a speed receiver in the later rounds for this role (they brought in TCU's Kolby Listenbee, a player with that quality).
Is anyone else expecting the Bills to seriously consider Coleman if he's available when they pick tonight?