The Dolphins selected their third wide receiver of the 2026 NFL Draft in the fifth round with the 177th overall pick. Kevin Coleman Jr. is a sudden, shifty slot receiver with one of the best punt return resumes in college football.
1. Productive everywhere
Kevin Coleman Jr. produced in each of the four years of his college career, doing so at four schools in three different conferences. He was most productive at the SEC, totaling 140 receptions for 1,664 yards and seven touchdowns the last two seasons combined at Missouri and Mississippi State. He added 60 receptions for 850 yards and five touchdowns over his first two seasons at Jackson State and Louisville.
That process required Coleman Jr. to learn a new playbook every year. His studious nature – and approach to preparation – was consistently lauded across the four programs.
Per *Dane Brugler’s ‘The Beast,’* coaches raved about Coleman Jr.'s intense and self-driven work ethic. His father, Kevin Coleman Sr., described his son's work ethic as, "crazy." He cited Coleman Jr.'s daily ritual of training for an hour before his team's practices.
2. All-purpose playmaker
One of the nation's top punt returners, Coleman Jr.'s quick-twitch burst is all over the tape. Among players with 15-plus punt returns in 2025, Coleman's 12.6 yards per return ranked 14th in the nation, highlighted by a 67-yard touchdown vs. Arkansas.
Coleman Jr. made three Razorbacks defenders miss on that electrifying return, a skill that he carries over to the offensive side of the ball. Per Pro Football Focus, Coleman Jr. forced 18 missed tackles last year and 26 more in 2024 with Mississippi State. He also achieved a touchdown or first down on 86 of his 140 receptions combined over those two seasons.
Coleman found a way to impact games in another dimension as a ball carrier. He had nine rush attempts for 76 yards last season producing three first downs and averaging 8.4 yards per carry. He added three more missed tackles forced on those rush attempts.
3. Practice makes perfect
Coleman's training regimen began at a young age. He and his father worked on hand-eye coordination and footwork, repping both over and over again.
"My dad had me catching tennis balls a thousand times," Coleman said. "He had thrown them off the wall. I wouldn't be looking, it'd be behind me and I'd catch the ball he had thrown to me. I've been catching tennis balls and footballs since I was younger. My dad always threw it to me. That's one thing my dad always wanted me to have, even though I played running back growing up, catching the ball was everything."
Coleman Jr. had only two drops on 84 targets in 2025, a 2.9 percent drop rate. Among Power Four wide receivers with at least 80 targets, only Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, USC's Makai Lemon, Georgia's Zacharia Branch and Miami's Malachi Toney had lower drop rates. He was also one of the nation's leaders in pulling down contested catches, securing nine of 11 (81.1 percent) opportunities in which a defender was within a yard at the time of the ball's arrival.
For more on the Dolphins 2026 NFL Draft selections, download the Drive Time Podcast with Travis Wingfield, available wherever you get your podcasts.
