The Panthers have made significant improvements to their wide receiver room throughout the offseason, notably snagging Xavier Legette in the NFL Draft and signing Diontae Johnson in free agency.
GM Dan Morgan's work isn't finished though. Carolina still needs to flesh out depth at the position, especially given Adam Thielen's age and injury history. That's what makes undrafted free agent WR Jalen Coker such an exciting prospect.
A 2023 FCS First-Team All-American, Coker is a dynamic athlete who easily could've been a mid-round draft pick. He's an ideal low-risk, high-upside signing for a Panthers team in need of playmakers, with the profile to contribute to an offense devoid of proven talent.
Panthers Sign Exciting WR Jalen Coker as Undrafted Free Agent
Holy Cross WR Jalen Coker ➡️Carolina Panthers
— • Colton Edwards • (@cedwardsNFL) April 30, 2024
Absolutely shocked Coker went undrafted as I expect him to compete for that 6th WR spot for the #Panthers.
- Displays good hand-eye coordination and body control to high point the football.
- Good leverage awareness against zone,… pic.twitter.com/n1brTLqA7P
Coker led the nation with 15 receiving TDs in 2023, amassing 164 catches for 2,715 yards and 31 TDs over his career. He had a vertical jump of 42.5 inches, tying for the highest mark of any player while ranking in the 99th percentile.
Players like Terrace Marshall Jr. haven't delivered on their draft capital, so there's a legitimate path for Coker to making the 53-man roster. His physicality allows him to fight for contested catches shine in the red zone, hence the incredible TD mark.
Jalen Coker is a WR prospect in the 2024 draft class. He scored an unofficial 9.46 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 167 out of 3063 WR from 1987 to 2024.
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) March 2, 2024
Splits projectedhttps://t.co/Ex1QgF0uRy pic.twitter.com/DOP66JsUay
As Carolina tries to rebuild its roster into a contender, these are the types of physical freaks the organization should target. Athleticism like Coker's doesn't grow on trees, so to find him as an undrafted free agent is a big win for Morgan and his staff.
His biggest limitations come with speed and route-running. Thielen and Johnson are widely regarded as two of the most precise route-runners in the NFL, giving Coker an ideal pair of veterans to learn from.
Coker isn't the only exciting rookie receiver the Panthers found after the draft, but he's the one I'm most confident in ultimately making an impact for the organization.
More Carolina Panthers News: