*Walt taking 2014 and 2018 |
Charlie Campbell, Senior Draft Analyst |
Some Teams Grade Shon Coleman in the Mid-Rounds
Updated Jan. 17, 2016By Charlie Campbell. Follow Charlie on Twitter @draftcampbell.
One of the happiest stories in college football in recent years has been the successful comeback of Auburn offensive tackle Shon Coleman. In 2011, Coleman underwent treatment for leukemia, and after beating cancer, he returned to the field without any issues the past two seasons. The 6-foot-6, 310-pounder was a productive blocker for the Tigers and he decided to skip his senior year to enter the 2016 NFL Draft. Some media pundits have projected Coleman to go in the first or second round, but the teams we spoke to haven’t graded him that high.
When this draft writer added Coleman to the 2016 Offensive Tackle Rankings, I pegged him in the Round 3-5 range. Thus, I was surprised to see some media pundits putting him in the first or second round. I thought maybe they’re seeing something I didn’t, so I checked with sources on where they were grading Coleman.
A few teams said they had him in the fourth round. They feel that Coleman is limited as a player. He has great size, but is only just an average athlete. He gets movement in the ground game and his run blocking is much better than his pass protection. They don’t feel he can play left tackle in the NFL, so they project him as a right tackle.
Another team had a more optimistic view of Coleman, grading him as a late-second, early third-rounder. They feel that Coleman can play tackle or guard in the NFL. However, they think he should not start immediately and needs a year of coaching to get better before he sees the field.
One could make the argument that Coleman should have returned for his senior year, but after what he went through early on in college, it is definitely understandable that he wouldn’t take an injury risk by returning. Perhaps he will go late in the second, but even if he’s a mid-rounder, Coleman is an inspiration in what he accomplished.
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