money Pros and cons of Carolina Panthers taking Ole Miss football's Jonathan Mingo in 2023 NFL Draft
OXFORD — Ole Miss football wide receiver Jonathan Mingo was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round with the 39th overall pick on Friday.
Mingo accumulated 1,758 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns over the course of his four-year career in Oxford, playing three of those seasons in coach Lane Kiffin's offense.
The positives
Mingo almost certainly made himself some money at the NFL Draft Combine, where he compiled an athleticism score that ranked ninth among participating wide receivers. That generated some buzz for him that his college numbers alone did not.
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He ran his 40-yard dash in 4.46 seconds, posted a 10-yard split time of 1.54 seconds, a 39.5-inch vertical jump and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches.
Draft analyst Lance Zierlein compared him to Anquan Boldin, who had a long and productive NFL career, citing his strength and ability to make contested catches despite lacking elite speed.
Mingo has long been touted within the Ole Miss program for his character and leadership, too.
The concerns
Mingo's production profile over the course of his collegiate career might not compare favorably with many of his peer wideouts.
He never led Ole Miss in receiving yards, coming in under 400 yards in each of his first three seasons. In 2022, he caught 51 passes for 861 yards, and was narrowly bested by Malik Heath as the Rebels' top receiver.
As noted previously, Mingo doesn't have top-level speed for the wide receiver position, placing a heightened focus on the other areas of his game, where he'll have to make up for that.
Final thoughts
In drafting Mingo, an NFL franchise is securing a useful asset for years to come.
A willing blocker, tough player and smart athlete, Mingo is going to find his way onto an NFL field in some form or fashion. He does too many little things well.
Whether he can evolve into a truly threatening NFL wide receiver is less certain, but Mingo will certainly wring every bit of value out of his ability that he can.
David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.
This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Carolina Panthers pick Ole Miss' Jonathan Mingo in 2023 NFL Draft
