The Denver Broncos decided to grab Jonah Coleman in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and you can already tell he's making an early impression. Sean Payton smiled every time he was asked about Coleman, and he raved about the shape he's in and how much he is already equipped for the NFL game, specifically in pass-protection.
Payton's rave review of Coleman is now going to be used as recruiting tape for any high school player who's considering Washington. What Payton said about Coleman's NFL readiness, ability, and what he saw on tape during Coleman's time at Washington blew him away. He told reporters this week that Coleman was the best pass-protecting running back in his class.
Sean Payton called Jonah Coleman the best pass-protecting back in his class
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The quote that may be played over and over for Washington recruits, as they know they are going to get NFL tape at Washington, is to develop into the player that can get coaches to say things like this is this one by Sean Payton:
"You're always having to project somewhat, you know, how's [Coleman] going to be in protection...Yeah, you saw it in the college tape...He had quite a bit of film, but most of the time, when you're drafting or signing a college running back, there's going to be a learning curve with protections, certainly the complexity, sometimes maybe of what they see. But that was his strong suit, you know, when you were looking at his tape, he's different from the rest of the class. He just had more opportunities on third down to release and also to block."
This is important not only for Washington but also for Jonah Coleman. The conversation is already beginning that he will break OTAs as the No. 2 running back behind J.K. Dobbins. Coleman's work ethic alone will continue to push him.
He actually talked about pass-protection himself in his own media interview at rookie mini-camp, saying that while he excelled at it in college, he's not in college anymore. The NFL has players who have been playing football far longer than he has, so he's still working at it. He wants to get even better at it.
Washington has a great example of what a "Be a Pro" looks like in Jonah Coleman. Sean Payton proved it, Jonah Coleman is proving it, and Jedd Fisch has to be loving it.
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