CHARLOTTE – Carolina Panthers rookie Jonathan Mingo received first-hand guidance from one of his childhood heroes, former NFL great Steve Smith Sr.
Appearing at the Panthers’ rookie minicamp Friday, Smith participated in a few receiving drills and spoke with the players following practice.
Mingo described the experience to the Charlotte media.
“It’s dope,” he said.
Coach em up, Smitty! pic.twitter.com/VzvLCXporZ
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) May 12, 2023
Steve Smith Sr. Returns To Panthers, Provides Advice
Celebrating his birthday by going back to work, Smith appeared to embrace the opportunity to share some of the wisdom he compiled during a 219-game career, compiling 1,031 receptions.
First-year head coach Frank Reich said he would lobby to have Smith return to future workouts and continue to be a presence in the locker room.
He was seen working with Mingo on better ways to separate himself from an aggressive cornerback.
“I love to see Steve out there,” Reich said Friday. “You can just feel his energy. (He) got involved in a little drill workout there. That was great.”
Mingo thought so.
Smith, after all, was one of the second-round draft choice’s early positional influences.
“I’ve (been following) Steve Smith since I was kid,” Mingo said. “I love the attitude he brought to the game. “If there’s one receiver in the league you didn’t want to mess with, it was Steve Smith. He played like a running back after the catch; you can see his toughness and meanness.
“He gave me the ins and outs, just trying to help me become a better football player.”
Happy Birthday, Steve Smith Sr!
In 2008, Smith became the only WR to lead the #NFL in receiving YPG despite being on an offense that was last in pass attempts.
He averaged 101.5 YPG, while Carolina averaged 197.4 pass YPG that season 🤯 pic.twitter.com/BopbvfiJWL
— NFL Stats (@NFL_Stats) May 12, 2023
Jonathan Mingo: ‘He Gave Me The Ins And Outs’
At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Mingo is projected to develop into an outside threat for the Panthers. Described as a power-forward type of wideout, Mingo is comfortable running routes over the middle and utilizing his size to haul in contested passes.
Like Smith.
“You can just look at him and see he’s all about business,” Mingo said. “He doesn’t play, so it’s a blessing just to talk it up, chop it up (about) ball with him.”
Also making his Panthers practice debut was rookie quarterback Bryce Young, who was drafted first overall during last month’s NFL Draft. He was on the field running plays about 40 minutes before Friday’s minicamp opener.
“It was a huge day for me, my first practice,” Young said. “I wanted to set a tone.”
Showing off his arm during an early passing drill, Young hit Mingo in stride on a crossing route. A few plays later, Young threw wildly beyond Mingo’s grasp.
Reich expects the chemistry of the Panthers’ top two picks to continue developing. With Young taking most of the snaps, Mingo was generally first up for receiver drills Friday.
“They know it’s an opportunity for them,” Reich said. “Same draft class. Two high picks. I think they will be very intentional about creating chemistry. That is normal.
“I would think, hope, for those guys, it will be a unique connection point for a long time.”
It all started Friday.
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