Panthers' Rookie WR Jonathan Mingo is 'Off to a Good Start'
Second-round draft pick Jonathan Mingo has already made a few plays at training camp that show why the team fell in love with his skill during the pre-draft process.
From the very day that Mingo stepped foot in Carolina, he's taken full advantage of the veteran teammates he has in his room to absorb as much information as possible. If you're at training camp, you'll see him constantly talking to his fellow receivers to receive some additional coaching.
"I try to pick all their brains," Mingo said. "I try to pick Terrace Marshall's brain a lot seeing that he's younger, kind of closer to my age. Just trying to talk to him to see all the little things I need to work on to stay in the league and coming up with a routine. I talk to Adam [Thielen] a lot, you know he's been in the league a long time. He's got respect around the league, so I'll listen to all the ins and outs running routes and working on technique. I talk to DJ Chark a lot too. I talk to Laviska [Shenault]. I talk to all of them and try to pick everybody's brain. You can't ever learn too much."
The one thing we've heard over and over from Frank Reich and Scott Fitterer is how impressive Mingo is as a person. He's someone that lights up a room and is just a "cool" dude, as Fitterer described him back in April. After spending a few months in the organization, Mingo is starting to impress on the field as well.
"He's been consistent," Reich said. "That's been the biggest thing. For a rookie, he has shown consistency and he's shown the mental aptitude that he can handle everything we throw at him. And we've thrown a lot at him. He works hard. It's important to him. He's off to a good start."
Where he fits into the equation in year one is to be determined, but he does offer versatility having played both inside and outside at Ole Miss. His best fit though is the slot. And by lining up there, he'll be able to learn and study from one of the best slot receivers in the game in Adam Thielen.
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