Ole Miss wide receiver Jonathan Mingo drafted by Carolina Panthers in second round of NFL Draft
Jonathan Mingo realized his NFL dreams on Friday after being selected in this year’s NFL Draft, making him the first Ole Miss player to go off the board for 2023.
After missing out on a late first-round selection Mingo did not have to wait long on Friday as he went early in the second round. The Carolina Panthers picked him as the 39th overall pick and the eighth pick of the second round.
Mingo joins former Alabama quarterback and No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young as the Panthers work to re-boot its offense.
For a second straight year Ole Miss has a player drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft. Former Rebel Sam Williams was taken by the Dallas Cowboys as the 56th overall pick and the 24th pick of the round.
There was a chance Mingo could have been taken on Thursday as buzz started within the final week leading up to the NFL Draft of him potentially working his way up to the first round.
Mingo was the second leading receiver for Ole Miss last season with 861 yards and five touchdowns off 51 catches.
From the Senior Bowl to the NFL Scouting Combine and the Ole Miss Pro Day Mingo made his draft stock continually rise after each event. Getting the draft experts and scouts including his name in lofty conversations as the NFL Draft grew closer.
“I did better than people thought I was going to do,” Mingo said at last month’s Pro Day event. “I knew once my body got healthy, I knew I could do fast times and I showed I can run the whole route tree. Combine was easy. (At Ole Miss Pro Day), I did good cone drills and I’ve been running routes my whole life.”
Mingo may not be the only Ole Miss player taken on Friday. Running back Zach Evans has seen his name projected as a low third-round pick in certain mock drafts and big boards. Two other Ole Miss players should get the call this weekend in offensive lineman Nick Broeker and defensive end Tavius Robinson.
