Carolina Panthers select Jonathan Mingo in second round of 2023 NFL Draft
With the No. 39 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, the Carolina Panthers selected Ole Miss receiver Jonathan Mingo
Mingo was a monster pass-catcher for the Rebels during the 2022 season.
The 6-foot-2, 225-pound target earned second-team All-SEC honors from the league’s coaches after racking up 51 catches for 861 yards and five touchdowns.
In four seasons in college, Mingo managed to rack up 112 catches for 1,758 yards and 12 touchdowns. He also served as a punt returner, so he’s likely got some special teams utility at the next level.
The Panthers made several changes to their coaching staff and roster this offseason but still entered the 2023 draft with some key needs. By picking Mingo, they addressed one of them and will hope it pays off heading into next season.
Panthers make major changes in 2023 offseason
Following their fifth straight losing season, the Panthers made several moves this offseason to revamp their roster. Firstly, they hired Frank Reich as their head coach in January after parting ways with Matt Rhule five games into the 2022 season.
Reich, who spent the past five seasons as head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, brought in Thomas Brown from the Los Angeles Rams as his offense coordinator. He also added Ejiro Evero from the Broncos as defensive coordinator and former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell as a senior assistant.
Next, Carolina took a big leap by trading last year’s leading receiver DJ Moore as well as four draft picks — two firsts (2023, 2024) and two seconds (2023, 2025) — to Chicago for the right to draft No. 1 overall. The Panthers hope to find their future franchise quarterback with the pick and hired Josh McCown as quarterbacks coach to develop him. McCown played quarterback in the NFL for 16 seasons and enters the first year of his coaching career in Carolina.
The Panthers also made quite the splash in free agency. After shipping Moore to the Bears, they signed receivers Adam Thielen and DJ Chark to give their No. 1 pick some weapons in his rookie season. They also added tight end Hayden Hurst and running back Miles Sanders, fresh off his first 1,000-yard season with the Eagles.
Defensively, Carolina returns Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Burns, who led the team with 12.5 sacks in 2022. Leading tackler Shaq Thompson, cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Xavier Woods all return as well to give Evero a solid core to work with.
More on the 2023 NFL Draft, Panthers picks
The 2023 NFL Draft, which began Thursday, April 27, continues through Saturday, April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The event location this year is the plaza just outside of Union Station.
Round 1 of the NFL Draft began at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, Apr. 27. Rounds 2-3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, Apr. 28, and Rounds 4-7 will begin at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday, Apr. 29. The draft broadcast runs throughout the weekend on both ESPN and NFL Network.
Below is the full list of Panthers draft picks for 2023.
- Round 1, No. 1
- Round 2, No. 39
- Round 3, No. 93 (from San Francisco)
- Round 4, No. 114
- Round 4, No. 132 (from San Francisco)
- Round 5, No. 145