Could the Lions be targeting former Michigan State football star at No. 29?

Former Michigan State football star Keon Coleman could be a top target for the Detroit Lions in the first round.

We are officially less than a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit and mock draft season is in full swing. With free agency’s first wave ending, most teams are prepping for what needs could be solved in the draft. On Wednesday, the Detroit Lions got word they would be losing one of Jared Goff’s favorite targets to free agency in Josh Reynolds who signed a two-year, $14 million-dollar contract with Denver as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported.

I know you’re probably wondering, “What does this have anything to do with Michigan State football?”

Well due to the Josh Reynolds news, I think the Lions will be in the market for another wide receiver at some point in this draft. With that in mind, why not bring a former Spartan back to the state of Michigan? Apparently, a well-known NFL site — The 33rd Team — agrees.

I’m sure you have all guessed, I’m talking about former MSU standout Keon Coleman.

In case you’ve been living under a rock for a while now, Coleman spent the first two years of his career at Michigan State before transferring to Florida State last spring. He helped lead the Seminoles to a 13-0 regular season record. Last year in Tallahassee, he caught 50 balls for 658 total yards and 11 touchdowns. He established himself as one of the better big, physical receivers in this upcoming draft class.

That description fits well to what the Lions may be looking for.

Why the Lions may be looking WR

As I mentioned previously, the Lions found out today that they will no longer have Reynolds in the position group. While this may not come as a shock to most, it still is kind of surprising. As recently as yesterday, Lions GM Brad Holmes and head coach Dan Campbell were on record saying they were still working on trying to bring him back. He had performed overall very well as a Lion. Outside of two horribly-timed drops in the NFC title game this past year, he did a great job moving the sticks for Jared Goff. The two of them have had a great connection dating back to their time with the Rams.

Replacing Reynolds on the surface level may not necessarily warrant a signing. The Lions still do have some depth at the position. Yes, Jameson Williams figures to be more of a factor in the offense after coming on late last year. Obviously they also have All-Pro Amon-Ra St. Brown anchoring the group. They also re-signed Donovan Peoples-Jones who was a free agent and will also be getting a healthy Kalif Raymond back. Add all that in with rookie tight end sensation Sam LaPorta having a full year under his belt and one of the league’s best running games.

The Lions surely will have no shortage of weapons.

There are some question marks with the group, however. DPJ had very limited production last year overall. Granted there were not a ton of opportunities to go around but is he ready to take on a bigger role here? Raymond has been a focal point of this offense since he was signed back in 2021 however he is coming off an injury suffered in the playoffs last year and is turning 30 before the season starts. He is also entering the last year of his two-year contract extension signed last August.

Lastly, Williams is looking primed to take the next step and become a mainstay with this offense. Consistency has been his issue in Detroit ever since he was drafted. His first season, he missed most of due to recovering from his ACL tear in the College Football Playoff in 2022. Last year, he ended up missing four games due to a suspension. Once back on the field, he slowly became more and more of a factor in the offense. But what happens if he doesn’t take the next step? This season will be a crucial one for Williams. If he does not perform, he could see his time in Detroit ending quicker than we all expected.

Seeing as Williamson, Raymond, and DPJ could all not be considered “long-term options” for the Lions, drafting a young wideout could give them more roster flexibility with these three moving forward.

While I tend to think Williams remains in Detroit past this contract, adding another receiver should be considered still.

Why should the former Michigan State football star be the pick for Detroit?

So now that we have went over why there may be a depth issue on this roster soon, lets look at the burning question. Why Keon Coleman? Well first off, the former Michigan State football star’s traits and build fit the style of receiver the Lions have been missing. He is a big, physical wideout. He does really well catching the 50-50 balls and could be a real red-zone threat for anyone who drafts him.

The downside of Coleman is his speed. While at MSU, he and Jayden Reed feasted on opposing secondaries. The problem to that is it was pretty well known that Reed was the primary option for Payton Thorne. Coleman would end up drawing an easier matchup because of it. That was not always the case at Florida State, however. He became the primary red-zone threat for Jordan Travis this year and was rewarded with 11 touchdowns.

The problem now lies within his combine performance. Many folks had Coleman as a shoo-in for a potential first-round pick prior to the combine. A low 4.6 second 40-yard dash time and below expected RAS scores are raising some concern now with his potential to separate at the next level.

My counter argument to that is that Coleman is not going to be utilized as that in Detroit. Certainly Ben Johnson mixes up everything with his players, but if Jameson Williams and Amon-Ra St. Brown are still on roster, they will be called on for the speed and shiftiness. Coleman would need to do what he does best. Go up for the ball and bring it down.

Coleman also is a very hard worker and I think would fit well in the Brad Holmes/Dan Campbell system in Detroit. According to The 33rd Team, they could see the Lions taking him at 29. In fact, they picked that in their mock released last week.

Keon Coleman on that Lions' offense 😮‍💨 https://t.co/fqX7t0J7zg pic.twitter.com/yXF0K8LIsi

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 21, 2024

Overall, I do acknowledge this is probably a long shot. Holmes has remained adamant that they will pick the best player available when their pick comes in the draft. While receiver is going to be a need for them and Coleman fits the bill, I just don’t know if taking one at No. 29 is going to happen.

Only time will tell, however. The Lions do have a range of other position groups that could use some depth. I know Michigan State football and Lions fans wouldn’t mind seeing Coleman back in Michigan full-time playing on Sundays. What do you all think?