2026 NFL Draft: One fast-rising star wide receiver prospect should be the target for every NFL team
Kevin Coleman (WR, Missouri) should be a highly coveted NFL Draft prospect following impressive four-school career and Senior Bowl week
The NFL Draft process is well underway for hundreds of top prospects trying to prove they’re worthy of a shot at the highest level of professional football. The Shrine Bowl and Senior Bowl weeks have wrapped up, and NFL Combine is now just a few weeks away. Every single year there are a few players who see their stocks soar around this time, but none have risen faster this cycle than Kevin Coleman, a star wide receiver who finished up his college career at Missouri.
Every NFL team should be targeting Kevin Coleman in the 2026 NFL Draft
For those unfamiliar with Kevin Coleman, he is a former Top 100 overall recruit in the nation from St. Louis, Missouri. He isn’t always credited for this, because Shedeur Sanders and Travis Hunter got all of the attention at the time, but Kevin Coleman was the other highly rated recruit that shockingly followed Deion Sanders to Jackson State back in 2022. And it was Coleman, not Travis Hunter, who won SWAC Freshman of the Year honors in 2022 — Coleman caught 32 passes for 475 yards and three touchdowns.
From there Coleman transferred to Louisville in 2023, where he immediately asserted himself as the starting slot wide receiver alongside Chris Bell (a possible top 50 pick in this draft) and super-senior Jamari Thrash. He decided to move on to another new school after that, joining Jeff Lebby at Mississippi State. Coleman became the team’s undisputed WR1 in Starkville, more than doubling the receptions (74) and yards (932) of any other wide receiver on the team in 2024. Then finally, Coleman transferred one more time ahead of the 2025 season — this time to Missouri, his home state.
Coleman once again asserted himself as the team’s lead wide receiver from day one, more than doubling the receptions (66) of any other teammate, racking up over 700 yards last season (despite poor QB play).
Playing for four schools in four years, then heading straight to the NFL, is hardly a conventional route, but it’s hard to argue with just how impressive Coleman has been throughout his college career. He became a starter for four different programs. He won all-conference honors, even as a true freshman. This circuitous route to the pros has certainly led to some analysts and media lagging behind in recognizing just how special Coleman could be in the NFL, but he fixed that at the Senior Bowl.
Not only did he dominate practices (and we’ll get to that shortly), but he also showed well in interviews. I spoke with Coleman on multiple occasions while there in Mobile, Alabama. When I asked him about what it takes to earn a significant role at new programs like he did, and how that might prepare him to be a pro, this is what he had to say (full video in post below):
“Oh that definitely prepared me [for the NFL]. But you’ve got to come in and earn the coach’s trust. You’ve got to come in and work hard. But first you’ve got to learn that playbook. You’ve got to build that connection with your teammates. You’ve got to build that chemistry with your quarterbacks. Really just show coaches that I’m mature, I can play, and prove that I’m a dedicated player…My last two years [are how I want scouts to see me], but definitely that Mississippi State year. That was the year I really popped. Coach Lebby used me all around, from outside to inside — jet game, to deep game, to intermediate game.”
Coleman may project to be more of a slot wide receiver to many NFL teams, but like he said, when he was at Mississippi State he proved he could do it all. And that’s exactly what he did throughout Senior Bowl practices to wrap up January as well.
Coleman dominated one-on-ones against cornerbacks from every pre-snap split, utilizing a variety of routes at every level of the field (as you can see in his highlight touchdown play in my post below). When it came to team periods, he forced his way open all day long, especially on underneath breaking routes where he could set himself up for yards after the catch. By the end of the week, Coleman had clearly proven he was among the best NFL Draft prospects participating in the Senior Bowl.
Coleman finished his college career with 200 catches, over 2,500 receiving yards, and plenty of experience against tough competition in three different conferences. Prior to the Senior Bowl practices, many in the media assumed that Coleman was a Day 3 NFL Draft pick, at best. After his dominant performance on and off the field, the scouts and media I spoke to throughout Senior Bowl week now expect to see him come off the board much earlier than originally thought — possibly as early as round three.
Every single NFL team should be targeting this speedy versatile wide receiver weapon. He’s already proven he can learn a completely new playbook, earn a starting role, and produce — he’s done it four times. Now he’s proven he stacks up against the best of the best at the Senior Bowl. If Coleman performs well at the NFL Combine, then several teams will likely be targeting him in the later portion of Day 2 if he’s still there.
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