Buffalo Bills’ top draft pick Keon Coleman may have been on Lamar Jackson’s wish list

Last week’s 2024 NFL Draft was full of surprises, but seeing the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens add a receiver came as no surprise.

Naturally, the Bills’ need for a top wideout became more urgent once Stefon Diggs was traded, leaving Josh Allen without a defined go-to weapon. Buffalo addressed this need with their first pick, selecting Florida State’s Keon Coleman 33rd overall.

The 6-foot-3, 213-pound wideout gives Allen a much-needed receiver with size after seeing both Diggs and Gabriel Davis walk out the door.

Yet, when we listen to Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta’s comments, it sounds like Lamar Jackson wanted a big-bodied receiver added to his talent pool too, and Baltimore even considered doing so at the end of the first round. Since Coleman and Adonai Mitchell (selected 52nd) were the only 6-foot-2 receivers taken between Baltimore’s first and second draft selections, DeCosta had to be talking about one of the two.

“He (Lamar Jackson) was hoping to get a different body type with a different skillset outside and we were able to supply that for him… We were looking for a different body type this year. We were looking for an outside big-bodied guy. I subscribe to the theory that it’s like a restaurant. You go to a restaurant, you want a lot of different things on the menu. You don’t want all the same thing on the menu. At the receiver position, it is smart to have different types of receivers.”

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta

The Ravens did end up drafting a receiver, but Baltimore chose to wait until the fourth round, selecting Devontez Walker with the 113th overall pick. Walker won’t have nearly the same expectations as a rookie compared to if Coleman became a Raven in the first round, but that doesn’t mean Baltimore isn’t excited about their new big receiver.

“”He’s tall. He ran very fast — 4.3s. Jumped over 42 inches, I think. Just an explosive guy,” DeCosta said. “I think with us, one of the things that we’ve been missing a little bit is that big, linear, outside, field-stretcher type of guy.”

DeCosta on Devontez Walker

Ultimately, Lamar Jackson didn’t give the Ravens a list of names or receivers he wanted Baltimore to draft, but after adding cornerback Nate Wiggins in the first round, and Walker later in the fourth, it’s hard to argue with DeCosta’s draft haul.

Related: 2024 NFL Draft: 10 biggest winners, including Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings