Exclusive: Khalil Shakir Reveals Why Cole Beasley Was a Blueprint for His NFL Success

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Khalil Shakir says one of the key guys he moulded his game after is none other than Cole Beasley.

The 5-foot-8 Beasley was known as one of the best slot receivers in the game and was one of the Bills' top receiving targets for a number of years, playing in Buffalo from 2019 until 2021. He also made a brief return in 2022, appearing in a couple of regular season games and two playoff games while teaming up with Shakir in his rookie season.

Beasley the Blueprint

The 25-year-old Shakir details why Beasley was an influence on him as a receiver.

"I watched guys like Cole Beasley, slot merchants," said Shakir in a one-on-one interview. 

"Like right now, Amon-Ra (St. Brown), just guys who play the slot at such a high level. Obviously I got time to be on same team as Cole Beasley, so to learn from him as well in person was unreal."

Although Shakir has only been in the NFL for four seasons, he's had the opportunity to team up with some truly good receivers. 

Outside of Beasley, Shakir had the chance to team up with Stefon Diggs for two seasons until 2023.

Shakir had played the secondary receiver role to Diggs during his first two seasons before emerging as the Bills' go-to target at wide receiver since his departure in 2024. 

The fourth-year wideout leads the Bills with 57 catches for 585 receiving yards and four touchdowns this season.

"Steph is just so competitive, and I think being around that every day is super contagious, so I think I kind of got to feed off that for a while," said Shakir of Diggs. 

"Even in practice, when you step in between those white lines like that, the intensity is the same for him. Being able to see that was amazing. 

"Cole Beasley used to show me clips of his one-on-ones from his time at Buffalo, but also when he was in Dallas as well, and would show me just like all those little routes, like little tricks within a route to just gain that half a step on somebody that you might need," said Shakir. 

"As well as not only gaining half a step, but moves that can set you up to literally leave a defender in the dust. For him, I've learned the little steps within a route that help you get in and out of a break much more effectively. That's something that I that I like to think about when I think about Cole Beasley."

Breaking Down the League’s Best

When asked who is the best wide receiver in the NFL, Shakir struggles to name one. He instead names several that have an argument for being the best in the game today, including the likes of Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase.

"When you talk about the best receiver in the league, I feel like there's so many different receivers that are so good at different things," said Shakir. 

"Amon-Ra's hands are unreal. Then you think about Ja'Marr Chase and his yards after catch and what he's able to do. And then you have who we're playing this week, you got Stef (Diggs), whose routes are unreal."

"We just played against, Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins (of the Bengals)," Shakir continued to say. 

"You got Justin Jefferson. There's so many guys who are so good at so many different things. I don't know if I can pinpoint and say who the best receivers is. I think it's a very difficult, difficult question, to be honest. I will say I do like watching Ja'Marr Chase. I do like watching St. Brown, and then I even go back and I've watched guys who I've played with, Cole Beasley, and I think guys you can consider as little slot merchants, the quick twitchiness through routes and yards after catch as well," he concluded.