Nearly one month ago, Carolina Panthers wide receivers coach Shawn Jefferson said that his unit—one filled with quite a few question marks—is under construction. But, it looks like one of his builders has already established a foundation.
NFL Network national reporter Cameron Wolfe was in attendance for the team’s opening session of mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. When asked by colleague Steve Wyche about Carolina’s wideouts, Wolfe gave an interesting account of rookie Jonathan Mingo.
“I can tell ya this—talking with people in the building, they’ve been very impressed with Jonathan Mingo, their second-round pick,” Wolfe said. “He’s developing chemistry with Bryce Young.
“Actually talked with Thomas Brown, their offensive coordinator, before practice and he mentioned one thing that surprised him about Mingo is that he’s more fluid than maybe they initially expected. He’s not this stiff, big receiver even though he’s one of the bigger impact players. And so expect Jonathan Mingo to have a big role within this team.”
"You just notice a different element with this @Panthers team with Bryce leading."@CameronWolfe checks in from minicamp in Carolina 🏈
📺: Inside Minicamps on NFL+ https://t.co/pcyZoK7cwI pic.twitter.com/JHhDCDxLqo
— NFL Network (@nflnetwork) June 13, 2023
Mingo measures in at a solid 6-foot-2 and 220 pounds. So, at first glance, you wouldn’t think fluidity would be the name of his game.
The 39th overall pick, however, is fluid in a number of areas. On top of all the advantages that his size brings, Mingo possesses exceptional burst, above-average tracking skills and sharp footwork.
And now, he’ll have to keep on taking even more steps toward that big role.
