AUSTIN, Texas — Mel Kiper Jr. wrote Friday that Texas Longhorns receiver Cam Coleman and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith are the clear Nos. 1-2 on wide receiver boards for the 2027 NFL draft. The line came in an ESPN column of 10 predictions published Sept. 4, one day before Coleman’s Texas debut.
The mention came inside Kiper’s seventh prediction, which was that Rutgers’ KJ Duff will become the program’s highest-drafted skill-position player since Kenny Britt went 30th in 2009. Duff caught 60 passes for 1,084 yards last season, 10th in the country, at 18.1 yards per catch.
Kiper wrote that Duff could fall in the Nos. 3-5 range among wideouts with a big year, because things open up after the top two.
“Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Texas’ Coleman are the pretty clear Nos. 1-2 on wide receiver boards right now, but things open up after them,” Kiper wrote. “If Duff has a big year, he could fall in the Nos. 3-5 range among wideouts come April.”
In the mock draft Kiper released with Field Yates on Aug. 31, Smith went fourth to the Arizona Cardinals and Coleman went 10th to the New York Giants. Kiper also listed Coleman among three Longhorns beyond Arch Manning who could go very early, along with Trevor Goosby and Colin Simmons.
Cam Coleman’s Texas Debut Against Texas State
Coleman caught 3 passes for 70 yards and 2 touchdowns in Saturday’s 59-7 win over Texas State. His first touchdown, a 6-yard catch from Manning on the opening series, gave Texas the game’s first points. Manning finished 20-of-27 for 305 yards with 4 touchdowns and 1 interception.
Ryan Wingo led the Longhorns with 54 catches for 834 yards and 7 touchdowns last season and caught 7 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown Saturday, all in the first half. Texas lost DeAndre Moore Jr. and Parker Livingstone to the transfer portal after the 2025 season.
Cam Coleman’s Two Seasons At Auburn
Coleman committed to Texas on Jan. 11 after two seasons at Auburn. He caught 56 passes for 708 yards and 5 touchdowns in 2025 and led Auburn in receiving yards on a 5-7 team. As a freshman in 2024, he had 37 catches for 598 yards and 8 touchdowns. His two-year Auburn totals were 93 catches for 1,306 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Coleman is from Phenix City, Ala., and was the No. 2 receiver in the 2024 recruiting class in the 247Sports composite behind Smith. Texas offered him out of high school before he signed with Auburn. On3 ranked him the No. 1 player in the 2026 transfer portal, and he visited Alabama, Texas Tech, and Texas A&M before choosing Texas.
No. 1 Ohio State and Smith visit Austin on Saturday, Sept. 12, at 6:30 p.m. CT on ABC.
