Who Should I Start? Josh Allen or Ian Thomas

Wednesday, May 1, 2:52 PM

Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane said that quarterback Josh Allen really liked wide receiver Keon Coleman before the team selected him in the second round of this year's draft at No. 33 overall. Coleman said that after he was drafted, Allen texted him to say, "You're the guy that I wanted." The 20-year-old big-bodied wideout from Florida State was as impressive as any of the team's top pass-catchers in this year's draft with his ability to make tough, contested catches down the field. That will be useful when working with Allen and his gunslinging ways, but Coleman's weakness is that he doesn't generate much separation from defensive backs. Outside of his 11 touchdowns in 2023, Coleman had just 7.3 yards per target and isn't a burner. Despite his weaknesses, he should have plenty of opportunity in Buffalo in his rookie season.

Sunday, April 7, 1:31 PM

The Athletic's Bruce Feldman predicts that the Arizona Cardinals will trade down to pick No. 11 in a swap with the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of this year's NFL draft to take LSU wide receiver BrIan Thomas. The 21-year-old pass-catcher has been in the shadow of fellow wideout Malik Nabers, but he was terrific at the scouting combine in February to raise his draft stock tremendously. He also had 68 receptions for 1,177 yards and led the FBS with 17 touchdowns in 2023. "Potentially, I think can be really good in the NFL. He was a red zone nightmare. Even if you were in great position, he could still win those 50-50 balls. But he didn't scare you with (yards after catch) like Nabers did," one coach said. Adding another receiving weapon for quarterback Kyler Murray makes a lot of sense, especially when considering Arizona's top-three receivers are currently Michael Wilson, Chris Moore and Greg Dortch.