The Carolina Panthers wide receiver room has been a sore spot in recent years, particularly as Carolina has worked to level up their passing game around quarterback Bryce Young through his first two seasons in the NFL. It hasn't been without trying. Carolina's top receiver last year posted 615 ...
Panthers’ feel-good story is back with a vengeance and it seems he really could be the answer years of draft picks have failed to find originally appeared on A to Z Sports.
The Carolina Panthers wide receiver room has been a sore spot in recent years, particularly as Carolina has worked to level up their passing game around quarterback Bryce Young through his first two seasons in the NFL. It hasn't been without trying.
Carolina's top receiver last year posted 615 yards, while the team finished 30th in passing yards and 28th in net yards per attempt in 2024. A top-10 draft choice in Tetairoa McMillan is generating plenty of buzz about a turnaround. Rightfully so. But successful passing games are comprised of much more than just a single weapon.
One of Carolina's other investments at wide receiver appears ready for a breakout in 2025 — it just may not be the one you'd have guessed based on the pedigree.
Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker continues to flash
The Panthers have drafted a wide receiver in the first or second round of four of the last five NFL Drafts. None of them are named Jalen Coker. Yet when you reference how efficient Coker was as a target for Carolina last year and then observe the way the second-year UDA wide receiver is moving so far this summer, it's hard to envision him not being the most prolific option to play opposite McMillan in Carolina.
Sure, veteran wide receiver Adam Thielen exists. But he's a late stage version of himself and the Panthers have to be hopeful that a young receiver steps up to build chemistry with Bryce Young in a pivotal third season in Carolina. It won't be Terrace Marshall Jr., the team's second-round pick in 2021. He lasted three seasons in Carolina and spent 2024 in Las Vegas. It won't be Jonathan Mingo, Carolina's second-round draft choice in 2023 — he was traded to Dallas for a fourth-round draft choice at the trade deadline last season.
Perhaps it could be Xavier Legette, who the Panthers drafted with the 32nd overall pick in 2024. But Legette has stiff competition from Coker, who continues to be simply undeniable as a physical, explosive target with impressive football IQ despite being a second-year player who played at Holy Cross.
Coker notched a touchdown in the Panthers' preseason contest against Cleveland on Friday night, uncovering in the back of the end zone on a scramble from Bryce Young. He also successfully hauled in a one-handed reception running a fade from the slot on 3rd and 6 from Andy Dalton for a gain of 34 yards. It was called back for offsetting penalties.
The flashes are there. The physicality is present. And despite being a mid-4.5 athlete, Coker has notable levels of short-area explosiveness. He nearly out-produced Legette in 2024 (19 less receiving yards) on nearly half the targets (84 for Legette versus 46 for Coker).
It appears as though the Panthers got lucky in their acquisition of Coker as an undrafted free agent. The irony of him becoming a persistent answer at wide receiver for a team that has thrown draft capital at the position in recent years should not be lost on anyone. That's the nature of the beast. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good.
With Coker, it appears as though the Panthers have gotten lucky, especially given that he started last season on the practice squad. The question now is simply how high the ceiling will be for 2025 and beyond.
This story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
Category: Football
