Bryce Young needs a secret weapon for Panthers. A fellow rookie could fill that role
Contrary to popular belief, the Carolina Panthers do employ a few other rookies besides new starting quarterback Bryce Young.
One of them, in fact, could play a significant role in making Young a better QB this year — wide receiver Jonathan Mingo.
You may not know that Mingo rides horses in his free time (more on that later). But if you follow the Panthers, you will remember that Carolina drafted Mingo out of Ole Miss in the second round with the 39th overall pick in April. It was the day after they drafted Young, and so Mingo’s acquisition was a little overshadowed.
Mingo is fine with that. He’s still in the shadows in Spartanburg, trying to learn more of the playbook in training camp and hoping to become Young’s secret weapons. He won’t start to begin with like Young will. The Panthers already have a corps of receiving veterans like Adam Thielen, D.J. Chark and Terrace Marshall Jr., who will be more prominent early.
But the Panthers like what they see in Mingo.
“He’s been awesome,” said Scott Fitterer, the Panthers general manager who drafted Mingo. “We saw really good hands (in Mingo’s early practices). You saw a lot of power. You do see the speed. He’s not an instant twitch guy, but he’s a long speed guy. I think he’s going to play a pretty good role for us this year.”
Mingo played three years alongside another Panther QB, Matt Corral, at Mississippi. Corral, he said, has been a godsend to him — texting him every night during practice to make sure Mingo is comfortable with the next day’s practice plan.
“Matt’s just like my brother,” Mingo said.
But it is Young who will be at the controls for the Panthers when the real games start, and so it is Young who will need to develop confidence in Mingo. Frank Reich, the Panthers’ head coach, said they would know more about the 6-foot-2, 225-pound Mingo once the team begins practicing in pads early next week.
“He’s going to have to earn it,” Reich said of Mingo, “but he looks good so far…. He’s a big physical guy, and I think he’ll just get better with the pads on…. Not too high, not too low. Just kind of steady. Works hard.”
Mingo grew up playing baseball first and was a speedy centerfielder through the 10th grade. But he switched full-time to football and was highly recruited, choosing Ole Miss because of its recent history of big-time future NFL receivers like A.J. Brown and DK Metcalf. Brown, in particular, has been a role model for Mingo, with a body type (6-1, 226 pounds) that is almost identical to the new Panther.
Said Mingo: “I’m a bigger receiver, so I’ve got to go to my strengths… I feel like the first person can never bring me down after I get the ball. I feel like I’m a running back.”
So, the horses.
Mingo started riding for fun during COVID because, as he said, “there wasn’t a lot to do” and he had some friends who owned horses.
“It’s peaceful,” Mingo said, “but it’s kind of daredevil too. Because horses — they can sense fear. If you’re on a horse, you’ve got to say, ‘Hey I’m in control.’ Because If you’re not confident? Then the horse is riding you.”
In other words, riding a horse — a skill a number of previous Panthers have also enjoyed, including Josh Norman and Jared Allen — is a little like playing football. That’s especially so at the wide receiver position, where so many wideouts exude confidence and swagger. A receiver who’s insecure about which route he’s supposed to run on a play, or whether he truly can get open against a good cornerback, is never going to get the ball.
For Mingo, still trying to prove himself to everyone, that will be the next step. But you don’t need to watch Mingo in practice for long to know that, once he figures the NFL out, the Panthers and Mingo could combine for a very nice ride.
This story was originally published July 26, 2023 at 2:59 PM.
