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Prospect of the Day: Corey Coleman

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Baylor WR Corey Coleman
5-10 ⅝", 194 lb.
Junior

Bio
Played his HS football at Pearce HS in Richardson, TX
Member of Rivals 250 in 2012 class
11th ranked receiver nationally by 247 Sports (highest of his position rankings)
6th ranked receiver in the state in 2012 class
9th ranked player on Dallas Morning News' Area Top 100
Finished 8th at 2012 Texas UIL 3A state meet in high jump (6-4)
Hold Baylor's career record for most receiving touchdowns (33)
Holds Baylor's single-season record for most receiving touchdowns (20)

Honors
2015 Biletnikoff Award Winner
1st team All-America (2015 - multiple outlets)
Honorable mention All-America (2014)
1st team All-Big 12, unanimous (2014 & 2015)
Walter Camp Award Semifinalist (2015)

Combine Measurements
Arms: 30 ¼"
Hand: 9"
**40-yd dash: 4.39 seconds

Vertical Jump: 40.5"
Broad Jump: 10'9"
** Pro Day results (didn't run at Combine, still rehabbing injury)

Overall
Since Art Briles took over at Baylor in 2008, the Bears have constructed a sort of Wide Receiver U. Terrance Williams, Kendall Wright and Tevin Reese all registered 3,000 or more career receiving yards. Antwan Goodley was an outstanding threat at receiver in 2013 and 2014. But, Coleman might be the one of the entire group that...well, he might be THE one in this group.

Williams and Wright have shown flashes of brilliance at the next level. Williams had 52 catches for the Cowboys in 2015 as Dez Bryant missed stretches of the season with an injury. Wright missed time with an injury in 2015, but has registered 251 catches in his four years as a Tennessee Titan.

Coleman, though, is a different animal than either of those two. He has the ability to win down the field like Williams. He has the ability to take a short pass long to the house like Wright. But, he has mastered individually what those two do separately. His sudden change is ridiculous. Earlier in the season against West Virginia, he caught a hitch route at about five yards. Then, he stepped back and let a corner fly by out of bounds. Then, he did it again to make the safety miss. I've seen a few guys that can do that in this draft class. Then, he hit the gas and burst up the sideline as if he had caught it with no resistance and ran up the field. That I haven't seen.

Watching in my film solitude, I'm looking around for someone to show.

"DID YOU SEE THAT?" I exclaimed to no one in particular.

Then, a few plays later he ran right by a West Virginia cornerback for a deep ball completion. He just flat ran past him.

Start. Stop. Fly. Not many can do it like him, including the other members of Baylor's WR U.

Quote
"He'll rip your heart out and watch as you pass away" - Baylor head coach Art Briles on Coleman's competitive nature

"After he realizes that you're not going to take it personally and that you're confident enough in who you are, that you're not going to be offended by how competitive he is, he'll show that to you" - Baylor Associate Athletics Director for Athletic Performance Kaz Kazadi
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(h/t to si.com for the quotes)

*What to like
--Electric burner
--Confident dude, see quotes above
--Not a corner, in man coverage, that he can't run past on the nine route
--So sudden on his change of direction - start and stop on a dime
--He'll face you up and make you miss after the catch
--Corners in press that reached for him and froze their feet got embarrassed.
--Ball above his waist, he's going to catch it.
--Ran slant, hitch, 9 route as well as anyone.
--This dude just has a different gear, wow.

What needs some work
--Route running overall just needs some polish
--Sometimes he's too confident, see quotes above
--Baylor's wide receivers didn't do much on run plays or throws away from him (not a trait of laziness, it's what's asked of Baylor receivers to conserve energy)
--Still needs to use his hands better on his release from press coverage
--Ball below his waist, he had more than his share of drops.
--Ran slant, hitch, 9 route almost exclusively.
--Not entirely sure that he can succeed between the hashes, the numbers.

Projection
Coleman isn't a big fella, but one of the best receivers in the league is even smaller. Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro receiver Antonio Brown is an inch shorter and a tad smaller than Coleman but plays like a giant. He's also the one player that Coleman emulates on the field.

Coleman plays with the confidence that Brown displays on every single play. But, can Coleman eventually win all over the field as Brown has learned to do in Pittsburgh? That's what teams are banking on by potentially drafting him in round one.

Even if he all he does is dominate outside the numbers early in his career, he's worth a top 32 pick in this year's draft.

Check out photos of the top 100 players of this year's draft class according to Texans analyst John Harris.

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