Jonathan Mingo reveals he models his game after AJ Brown

There have been a lot of talented Ole Miss wide receivers that Carolina Panthers rookie wide receiver Jonathan Mingo could model his game after. But Mingo named Philadelphia Eagles star AJ Brown as the one that he tries to model his game after the most.

“I watch AJ Brown a lot,” Mingo said last week. “He’s probably one of the biggest reasons why I went to Ole Miss. I was watching hime ever since when he was in high school because we both from Mississippi so I like to watch his highlights a lot. Got similar type body so I like to idolize my game after him.”

Brown was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans before he was traded to the Eagles in the 2022 offseason. A two-time All-SEC wideout at Ole Miss, Brown has made two Pro Bowls in the NFL and was a second-team All-Pro last season. He had career highs in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns last year as he helped the Eagles to the NFC title.

If Mingo ends up following a similar path, that would be a huge draft win for the Panthers, who selected him in the second round of this year’s draft. The team is hoping that he and fellow rookie Bryce Young — the No. 1 pick in the draft and the newly-announced starting quarterback for the team’s season opener — can develop a good connection on the field. Mingo had 51 catches for 851 yards and eight touchdowns during the 2022 season for the Rebels.

The 22-year-old Mingo has some good mentors to look up to in his wide receiver room, both young and old, for advice. Other wideouts on the team include DJ Chark, Terrace Marshall, Laviska Shenault and Adam Thielen.

Mingo said he is trying to pick their brains to gain as much knowledge as he can to put himself in the best position to play when the season starts again.

“Trying to get advice from them on what’s their process and what little things they do to help them stay in the league,” Mingo said. “I’m trying to pick their brains every day to compete against them, so it’s a big battle because you can’t just play with one receiver. You’ve got to have five or six good receivers on the team, so we’re all competing against each other trying to get on the field.”