ORCHARD PARK, NY — Keon Coleman sees your comments on social media.

“Everything,” the Buffalo Bills rookie wide receiver clarified. “I don’t go out there specifically for it, but I see everything. It’s funny… it’s hilarious because nobody really knows me, except my family. So it’s like, I don’t really care. It doesn’t affect me. I’m mentally tough.”

There are some misconceptions about the Bills’ youngest player, or at least the side of him that the world saw when he first became an NFL player. Coleman, who turned 21 in May, was his authentic self, but the internet, as often happens, ran away with it.

You may have seen the clips. They are all samples of “That’s just Keon.” It’s a phrase that comes up often.

Examples include: Coleman talking about his yellow jacket after a reporter asked about it during his press conference; Coleman running across the field in his new stadium and visualizing a touchdown; Coleman grabbing a cookie as he leaves the Bills’ press box; Coleman describing himself as “Tiger Wish-He-Could” in reference to his golf game.

Social media was ablaze when the player arrived at One Bills Drive and was just himself.

The videos had such an impact that Hall of Fame wide receiver Andre Reed surprised Coleman on his birthday at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event in a similar yellow jacket and cookies.

Coleman is a straight shooter and doesn’t understand where the belief that he likes cookies comes from — he was just hungry. He said he doesn’t have any cookies in the house; “People blow everything out of proportion,” he said.

It’s all authentic, but it’s just the tip of the iceberg.

“I’m a little more closed off than people might think after an interview,” Coleman told ESPN. “You can see some of it, but people don’t really know me the way they think they know me.”

ALL EYES WERE will be one of the wide receivers the Bills bring in after moving on from Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis.

That new chapter continues with a Week 2 divisional matchup against the Miami Dolphins on Thursday night (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video). It will be fascinating to see how the 33rd overall pick develops, with the potential for plenty of highlights to come.

Coleman started solidly at blocker and receiver in Week 1’s 34-28 win over the Cardinals, leading Buffalo’s receivers in snaps (73%) and all receiving categories (four receptions on five targets for 51 yards). That included a dazzling sideline catch on the game-winning drive. In the weeks leading up to his first NFL game, Coleman’s quiet confidence was evident, as was his authenticity.

“He’ll say things that he really believes in, whether it’s outrageous or not, and that’s just him. He’s a genuine, loyal person,” said Randy Livingston, Coleman’s AAU basketball coach who is close to the family.

The fun, talkative and funny personality is a big part of Coleman. There is also the cerebral and focused Coleman, who is determined to succeed for himself, the Bills and his community in Opelousas, Louisiana. Coleman’s NFL journey is just beginning.

Part of that journey is preparing for the history of the team he joins.

Coleman and his agent, Paul DeRousselle, watched the ESPN 30 for 30 documentary, “Four Falls of Buffalo,” before he left for training camp.

DeRousselle noted that Coleman wasn’t looking at his phone at all as they watched the story about the Bills reaching and losing four consecutive Super Bowls.

“He was totally focused on it and he wanted to be one of those people who helps the city do something it hasn’t done before,” DeRousselle said.

When asked about the documentary, Coleman said it made him angry.

“I thought, ‘I didn’t even participate in this,'” he said. “… I said, ‘I don’t want to watch that shit anymore.’ I turned it off. I said, ‘That’s enough.'”

“RAVEN DIDN’T PLAY with Keon.”

Thus DeRousselle began his description of Coleman’s family.

Coleman’s mother, Raven Savoy, and his grandmother, Paula, raised Coleman and his four siblings. His oldest brother, Kaylen, has played a fatherly role in his life. Coleman has his mother’s and grandmother’s names tattooed on either side of his neck.

Although Coleman showed athletic talent from an early age (he could play baseball at age 3 or 4), his studies took priority.

Savoy motivated him to keep his grades up so he could participate in sports, making that a priority for her children after she said she had seen so many potential children in her community fall short because of academic achievement. Coleman wanted to pursue karate, so Savoy said she would free up the funds if he could get a 4.0. Ultimately, karate had to be dropped in favor of baseball. Coleman was the kind of kid who always needed an activity to channel his energy. Savoy remembers people saying Coleman was “a bad kid,” but in reality, Coleman just needed to keep busy.

There’s one thing everyone agrees on about Coleman: When he’s comfortable, he has plenty to say.

As cornerback Rasul Douglas often described him to ESPN: “Too damn much.”

“It’s not even like that, it’s just random, ‘Yo, there was a squirrel, it jumped on a…’ Bro, what are you talking about?” Douglas described. “… It’s like all day long, if you walk by Keon right now, he’s gonna have a story to tell you. I’m gonna tell you.”

EVEN FROM A Coleman had confidence from an early age.

“He had a flair about him,” Livingston said. “He just had a moxie about him, and I think he always had a confidence that’s rare in kids. … But he also knew that he was going to work really hard for whatever he wanted, and that’s a rare combination.”

Family friend Jonathan Fisher, with whom Coleman lived during high school after meeting him through the nonprofit Hope for Opelousas program, said he and Savoy didn’t think football would last long for Coleman. Even in eighth grade, when he started playing football, he was a skinny kid who didn’t like getting hit. A growth spurt between freshman and sophomore year contributed to his enjoyment of the game and his ability to play it.

When Coleman was choosing a college, he was determined to play both basketball and football.

At Michigan State, Coleman played one season of basketball, appearing in six games. After his sophomore year of college football — leading all receiving categories — he decided not to return to the basketball program, in part to recover from a partial hip flexor muscle tear. He was successful in football and enjoyed it; the risks of getting injured on the field weren’t worth it.

Michigan State men’s basketball coach Tom Izzo recalled thinking it would be hard for Coleman to pick up the weekly changes because he spent so much time on the football program. That turned out not to be the case. “He was even better at it than I was,” he said. “He knew everything.”

“If he dedicated himself to basketball, do I think he could make it? Maybe,” he added. “I think his sport is football, but I wouldn’t deprive Keon of that. … He’s explosive and he can defend, and there were a couple games where I put him in close games guarding people. I thought he was going to be a football player, and then after his second year of football I said, ‘He’s got to be a football player.'”

Coleman said the decision came naturally. Football is more than just a sport he dedicates himself to, it is a beloved sport in Opelousas and he believes playing it sets a good example.

“I found a bigger purpose in playing football,” he said. “… I think football was like… it made it more relatable to kids, like, ‘If he can do it, you know, then at least I can try or something.'”

Coleman transferred to Florida State in the spring of 2023 — he told the “DaChosenOnes” podcast it was part of a “big plan” to play two seasons at Michigan State before moving closer to home. “I belong in the south,” he told the podcast.

In Coleman’s lone season in Tallahassee, he struggled with injuries and some inconsistency, but scored 11 touchdowns for the ACC champions. He also caught nine passes for 122 yards and three touchdowns in Florida State’s game against LSU, his home-state team.

“I’m me, I’m focused,” Coleman said. “Most people would look at it as, oh, I really need to lock down. I don’t need to lock down. I already have. I can lock down and, to joke with you, still be locked down.”

WHEN COLEMAN WENT to have dinner with quarterback Josh Allen earlier this summer, Allen’s chef made fish. Coleman said, “What the hell is this, I don’t eat this,” so he didn’t. Coleman said he doesn’t eat fish. Being true to himself has impressed his quarterback.

“He’s just not normal. And I mean that in the best way,” Allen said. “He does things his way and he’s always himself. He’s very authentic. … I love that guy.”

Coleman exudes a confidence that makes him unafraid to be himself, a funny and engaging person even on the biggest stages, while being committed to success in the NFL for himself – and everyone in Opelousas.

Before his first game with the Bills, Fisher could tell that Coleman was taking his usual approach, without any nerves.

“No, why?” Coleman replied when asked if he was nervous. “I just go out there and do what I do.”