As Arch Manning’s premier weapon, the Auburn transfer eyes NFL history. Projected as a potential top-five pick, Coleman could soon eclipse legendary Longhorn Roy Williams on draft day.
Steve Sarkisian and the Texas Longhorns football program produced back-to-back first-round wide receivers in the 2024 and 2025 NFL Drafts.
Xavier Worthy was selected No. 28 by the Kansas Chiefs two years ago, while Matthew Golden heard his name called by the Green Bay Packers at No. 23 just about 15 months ago.
While Texas didn't see a receiver chosen in the 2026 NFL Draft, next year's rendition could provide the Longhorns with their highest-wideout selection in decades.
Former Auburn wide receiver Cam Coleman officially committed to Sarkisian and Texas back in January, granting quarterback Arch Manning one of the most-dangerous weapons in college football.
Coleman checked in at No. 3 in ESPN's ranking of the top 10 receivers in the sport ahead of the 2026 campaign.
However, Coleman is also seeing his name pop up early on mock drafts for the 2027 NFL Draft, where he's widely projected to be a top 10 pick.
Some outlets are higher on him than others, though.
Sticking with the ESPN theme, Jordan Reid mocked him to the Las Vegas Raiders at pick No. 5 back in April.
Coleman hasn't even played a snap as a Longhorn yet and is already being listed as a potential top five selection ... imagine if he sets the college football landscape ablaze with Manning, like many expect.
He could climb beyond pick five, although he may not have a shot at becoming the highest-drafted Texas receiver ever because of fellow superstar pass catcher, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith.
To set the new Longhorns record, Coleman would need to be drafted first overall.
In the modern NFL, where quarterbacks dominate the top selection, a receiver being first off the board just isn't realistic.
To tie the current Texas record, Coleman would need to be drafted second overall.
That's largely where experts anticipate Smith being taken. Could Coleman surpass him?
Hypothetically, yes. But will he? Due to the hype Smith has generated since his freshman campaign, probably not.
But that doesn't mean Coleman can't become the second highest wide receiver selection in Longhorns history. To earn that title, he'd need to be drafted inside the top seven to tie or surpass Texas' all-time leader in receiving yards (3,866) and receiving touchdowns (36), Roy Williams.
Based on ESPN's projection from just under three months ago, Coleman is firmly positioned to surpass Williams' draft-day placement.
It'll be up to him and the rapport he's able to establish with Manning to make it happen, but there's strong reason to believe a lights-out junior campaign may result in Coleman becoming the Longhorns' second-highest draft pick to ever emerge from the all-time receiving corps.
