The Devy Digest, Freshman Friday’s – featuring Auburn WR Cam Coleman.
- Cam Coleman
- Position: Wide Receiver
- Auburn Tigers
- 6’3” 190 lbs
- Draft Eligible: 2027
- Devy Digest Freshman WR Rank: 5
Who is Cam Coleman?
Coleman was a 5* in the composites who attended Central High in Alabama. Coleman was a two-sport athlete who also spent time on the basketball court as a power forward. Coleman had an outstanding Senior season which catapulted him late in the rankings for most of the services. Coleman held 28 offers and initially committed to Texas A&M, but when A&M went through a coaching change, Coleman reopened his recruitment and ended up at Auburn. Coleman is a physical athlete who excels at high-pointing the ball. Coleman has a great catch radius due to his size and athleticism to get any 50/50 ball that is in the air. Coleman excels at vertical routes and was the safety valve for his Quarterback as the Quarterback could throw it up deep and the likelihood of Coleman coming down with it was pretty high. At this point in his game, Coleman uses his raw athletic traits over precision to win and while that will work at the high school level, he will need to use technique with the upper-tier corners in the SEC. Due to this, he does come in on the raw side. To add to this, Coleman will jump up and get the ball instead of just running under it and catching it in transition to win after the catch. His tape is full of jump ball catches even when he doesn’t need to do this. This does accentuate his fluidity as an athlete but also shows that he is a raw prospect as he will need to learn to run under the ball and become a well-rounded player. With coaching and reps, this can be fixed. Coleman is a highlight reel and comes into Auburn as a potential day-one starter. By no means is Coleman, someone who can’t create or run after the catch, he is a physical receiver and violent with the ball in his hands and can create on short to intermediate routes. Coleman tracks the ball well and is someone who should make an impact at Auburn as a true Freshman.
Pathway to Success:
Auburn brought in four high-profile wide receiving recruits and two from the portal, including Robert Lewis, who projects to be a slot receiver. Auburn does not have any depth or talent at the position and the six new faces prove that. Coleman should be in the mix to earn playing time from day one. Coleman is an early enrollee and should partake in spring practices and the spring game. If Coleman can build an early rapport with the incumbent Payton Thorne or fellow true Freshman Walker White, that could pay early dividends. Coleman can use his athletic traits to win early and learn on the job. It is not out of the question that Coleman will be the starting X-receiver for Auburn. Auburn needed juice at the position and needed length from the position and Coleman provided both, in a NIL world where Coleman was heavily recruited, I cannot see Coleman sitting on the bench and getting fewer than 40% of the snaps. Hugh Freeze isn’t afraid to play young players and it will show the recruits that they have an opportunity to play right away. If Auburn does change the guard and become a SEC stalwart, this class will be the reason for it and the leader of this class is Cam Coleman.
Improvements/Concerns:
Quarterback play is one concern. While Payton Thorne did not have any real weapons last year, at times he simply did not look good. He should be able to hold off Walker White and it’s possible that White could be mixed in on Wildcat packages and be used like Tim Tebow was as a true Freshman, Thorne will have to be better for Coleman to be successful. Another concern is the wide receiver room. Four true freshmen, two transfers including a Group of 5 player and a former Quarterback come into a room that already has Camden Brown who has shown flashes in his two years, and Caleb Burton. There’s a lot of uncertainty about how the room will play out. It appears only Coleman and Bryce Cain will enroll early of the four true freshmen. Another concern is Hugh Freeze might play it safe and rely on the run game as Hugh Freeze will need to win games in the SEC to keep the fanbase and the NIL collective happy. As far as his gameplay is concerned, Coleman just needs to be coached up and rely less on his physically gifted traits refine his craft, and win with technique instead of reverting to his athleticism to win.
Devy/ C2C Value:
In devy drafts, Coleman will likely go after Jeremiah Smith, Micah Hudson, and possibly Ryan Williams but depending on the managers in your league they might view Coleman as the #3 in this crop. Each devy league treats freshmen differently and in some leagues, they don’t take the Freshman early. You have to know your league but Coleman will likely go early. In a C2C supplemental draft, he will likely be chosen in the first round and quite possibly be chosen within the first six picks. If Coleman is a guy you want and you are in the back half of the first round, you will have to trade up and get your guy.
NFL Outlook:
My comp for Cam Coleman is Tee Higgins, both players are very similar and both use their athletic traits to win. It’s within the range of outcomes that Coleman can be a first-round pick and being as athletic as he is at his size, NFL GMs will be salivating over him if he can continue to develop at Auburn and become a more polished athlete.
Andy Pham
Andy is the creator of the Devy Digest. His passion is devy and C2C. Andy's Devy Diguest articles provide insightful, yet thoughtful commentary to give you a leg up on the devy prospects so you know how to approach your devy and C2C drafts. With The Devy Digest podcast, Andy provides episodes of interesting and exciting topics and when he invites guests, you get to be a fly on the wall, listening in on two people having a conversation where they give you a different perspective. Come, join the journey that is Andy's Devy Digest.