Alright, let’s talk about Jonathan Mingo. He was one of those guys I kept hearing whispers about last preseason. You know how it is, rookie receiver, decent draft spot, supposed opportunity. So, I decided I needed to actually dig in myself, see what was what, instead of just listening to the noise.
First thing I did, I went back and looked at why the Panthers even picked him. Second round pick, right? That’s not nothing. They obviously saw something they liked. Big guy, physical. Okay, noted. That draft capital usually means they’ll at least try to get him involved.
Then, I actually started watching some of his snaps from last season. Didn’t watch full games, who has time for that? But I pulled up highlight reels, target compilations, that sort of thing. What I saw was… well, it was kind of mixed.
- Physical tools? Yeah, you can see it. He looks the part.
- Hands? Ehhh, saw a few drops that made me wince. Consistency wasn’t really there.
- Getting open? Seemed okay, but not exactly blowing past defenders constantly.
After watching the tape, I jumped into the numbers. Because eyeballs can lie, but the stats usually tell part of the story. And man, the story wasn’t great. Targets were okay-ish some weeks, then disappear other weeks. The catch rate was pretty bad. Yards per catch wasn’t anything special either. It screamed inefficiency.
Context Matters Though
Now, you gotta be fair. That Panthers offense last year was a dumpster fire. Truly awful. Rookie QB having a rough go, offensive line was shaky at best. It’s hard for any receiver to look good in that mess, let alone a rookie. So, how much of it was Mingo, and how much was the situation? That’s the million-dollar question, isn’t it?
It reminds me a bit of trying to evaluate guys on terrible teams in the past. Sometimes they break out when the situation improves, sometimes they just weren’t that good to begin with. I remember holding onto Denzel Mims for way too long thinking the situation was the only problem. Burned me good.
So, I looked at what’s changed in Carolina. New coach, Dave Canales, who comes from Tampa where he got decent production out of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. They added Diontae Johnson, who is a target hog. They also spent money on the offensive line. Those are positive signs for the offense overall, maybe?
But what does it mean for Mingo specifically? That’s where I’m stuck. Does a (hopefully) better offense lift him up? Or does Diontae Johnson just soak up all the targets Bryce Young doesn’t throw to Adam Thielen? And they drafted another receiver too, Xavier Legette, another big body guy.
My gut feeling, after going through all this, is skepticism. I did have him stashed on the end of my bench in one league. Just dropped him last week, actually. Needed the space for someone with a clearer path.
So, my outlook? I’m out for now. The draft capital keeps a tiny bit of hope alive, maybe he develops with better coaching. But the rookie year stats were bad, the tape wasn’t amazing, and now he has more competition for targets in an offense that still has a lot to prove. I need to see concrete proof on the field before I invest again. He’s strictly a wait-and-see for me, maybe a waiver wire pickup mid-season if something drastically changes. Not holding my breath though.
