The 2023 NFL Draft is here! After months of waiting, we finally know where the 2023 NFL Draft class will land. This information shapes the outlook for rookies in 2023 and beyond. We’re going to have you covered throughout and following the 2023 NFL Draft to help you prepare for your fantasy football leagues. Next up for many will be dynasty rookie drafts. To help you prepare to make your dynasty rookie draft picks, let’s dive into Matthew Jones’s 2023 NFL Draft profile as well as Pat Fitzmaurice’s dynasty rookie draft outlook for Jonathan Mingo.
Dynasty Rookie Picks & Predictions: Panthers Draft Jonathan Mingo
Let’s first see what NFL Draft expert Matthew Jones says about Jonathan Mingo.
Matthew Jones’s 2023 NFL Draft Outlook
Background:
Four-star recruit and Mississippi native who started all twelve games as a freshman but caught just 12/31 targets (38.7%) for 172 yards and a touchdown. Caught 27/50 (54%) for 379 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman, then went 23-360-3 on 38 targets (60.5%) as a junior before breaking out this past year with a line of 51-861-5 (16.9) on 87 targets.
Positives:
Big, thickly-built receiver who took the next step forward this year and had a big year. Has experience both inside and outside; lined up much more in the slot this past year than in years past. Was a legitimate deep threat in college ,with the ability to run right past cornerbacks playing off-coverage; entire route tree was built off of that threat to go deep. Flashes the ability to sell fakes on play action. Able to settle into soft spots against zone coverage. Has impressive flexibility for his size. Tracks the ball well over his shoulder and makes adjustments as needed. Length gives him an impressive catching radius, with no problem plucking away from his body; began to clean up minor issues with drops in years past. Accelerates quickly after the catch, which allowed the team to rack up some easy yards off of screens, hitches, and crosses; able to make his way through arm tackles. Career 15.7 yards per catch. Can jolt opponents on contact as a blocker and engages with consistent form.
Negatives:
Production was heavily reliant on splash plays, and was distributed unevenly; a few dominant games over his career, and several quiet outings. Does almost all of his work from the left side of the offense. Route tree is simple; primarily a deep threat, with screens, hitches, and crosses mixed in to take advantage of the cushions he gets. Played against a lot of off-coverage and will have to develop his release package to succeed against press at the next level. Relies on his superior athleticism and doesn’t pay too much attention to detail at the route stem, especially for a senior; upright through the stem. Some focus drops on his tape; thirteen drops on 113 career catches. Not particularly nasty as a blocker, and doesn’t always work through the whistle.
Summary:
A classic “boom-or-bust” receiver prospect who flashed the ability to run past defenders on deep posts and was always a threat to take a screen to the house, but whose college tape was inconsistent from game to game and who is going to have to become much more of a technician at the line of scrimmage and at the route stem, and significantly diversify his route tree in order to reach his potential, which is considerable.
2023 Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Jonathan Mingo
Few dynasty managers regarded Mingo as a top WR prospect before the NFL Draft, but his dynasty stock is on the rise after the Panthers took him with the 39th overall pick, substantially earlier than he was expected to go. With Terrace Marshall and D.J. Chark projected as Carolina’s starting outside receivers (with Adam Thielen in the slot), Mingo has a path to immediate playing time. He’ll likely be competing with Marshall for a starting job in training camp.
The 6-1, 226-pound Mingo is a big-bodied receiver capable of bullying smaller cornerbacks and rampaging through defensive backfields after the catch. His style is reminiscent of Anquan Boldin, one of the most physical NFL receivers in recent memory. But while Boldin had 4.71 speed, Mingo clocked a 4.46 at the NFL Scouting Combine. Mingo also has huge 10 3/8-inch hands. Mingo isn’t a great separator, and he wasn’t wildly productive at Ole Miss, where he never recorded a 1,000-yard season and was the only the second-most-productive wide receiver last year behind unheralded WR prospect Malik Heath.
Mingo projects as a late-first-round pick or early-second-round pick in 1QB dynasty rookie drafts, and as a mid-second-rounder in superflex rookie drafts.
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