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Cleveland Browns: 5 questions on Corey Coleman with Saturday Blitz

By Thomas Moore

Jan 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Baylor Bears running back Corey Coleman (1) catches a pass for a first down as Michigan State Spartans safety Chris Laneaux (14) defends during the second half in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Bears 42-41. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 1, 2015; Arlington, TX, USA; Baylor Bears running back Corey Coleman (1) catches a pass for a first down as Michigan State Spartans safety Chris Laneaux (14) defends during the second half in the 2015 Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. The Spartans defeated the Bears 42-41. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Cleveland Browns may have finally found an offensive playmaker to scare opposing defenses in Baylor wide receiver Corey Coleman.

The Cleveland Browns have lacked a reliable offensive threat for years now, especially at the wide receiver position.

Outside of a single season from Braylon Edwards in 2007 and Josh Gordon in 2013, the team has had a wide receiver that opposing defenses need to fear.

But that may change this fall when first-round draft pick Corey Coleman takes the field.

The 5-foot-11 and 194-pound Coleman was an offensive dynamo for the Bears in 2015, earning the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’’s top receiver. He was also a unanimous All-American and first-team all-Big 12 selection after catching 74 passes for 1,363 yards and 20 touchdowns.

According to his draft profile at NFL.com, Coleman is an:

"Instant blur off the snap. Feet turn over at a blinding pace and he devours cushion before cornerbacks know what hit them. Able to get over the top of every corner he faced and demands safety help over the top. Works back to the ball. Explosive leaper with ability to climb ladder and win the 50/50 ball and body control to secure the acrobatic catch. Touchdown maker finishing 2015 with 20 receiving touchdowns. Smooth, speedy stems to the post will be difficult to mirror and match for NFL cornerbacks. Easy route adjustments in space. Defenders who try to jam and miss pay the iron price (touchdowns). Able to make tacklers miss in tight spaces. Has experience as ball carrier and punt returner. Heavily targeted (39 percent) in Baylor’s high­-flying attack."

To learn a bit more about the Browns No. 1 pick, we reached out to Patrick Schmidt from Saturday Blitz for a virtual Q&A on Coleman.

Q: What kind of player are the Browns getting in Corey Coleman?

Patrick: The Browns are getting an ultra-competitive, explosive playmaker who can score every time the ball is in his hands and has great character.

Q: What is the one aspect of his game that sets Coleman apart from other wide receivers?

Patrick: His speed. Coleman is so quick off the line that he beats cornerbacks with his first two steps. He has a nose for the end zone, too, with 20 touchdowns last year when he won the Biletnikoff Award as the nation’s best wide receiver. He probably would have scored 30 if not for injuries to quarterbacks Seth Russell and Jarrett Stidham.

Q: One concern about Baylor receivers is they are not tasked with running a complicated route tree. Just because Coleman was not asked to do it in college, does that mean he can’t master it at the NFL level?

Patrick: He ran three routes at Baylor and he ran them better than anyone else in the country. He ran all the routes in high school, so it’s not like they’re completely foreign to him. Coleman will have the benefit of minicamp and the preseason to get acclimated to the route tree that the Browns will ask him to run and he’ll be fine.

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Q: Coleman isn’t the biggest receiver; can he hold up physically against NFL defensive backs and as a blocker in the run game?

Patrick: He didn’t win the Biletnikoff Award or be the first receiver drafted because of his run blocking. Coleman’s not going to be Hines Ward in that department, but the Browns shouldn’t ask him to be anyway. He’ll be able to hold up against bigger defensive backs. He’s a big ball of muscle. The guy is an athletic freak.

Q: What’s the one thing about Coleman that Browns fans are going to love?

Patrick: He brings a home run threat to the offense when he’s on the field, so he’s going to have a lot of 50-yard touchdowns during his career with the Browns, and give whoever is under center a reliable and trusted security blanket.

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