CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Wide receiver Jalen Coker, an undrafted rookie in 2024, is thriving with the Carolina Panthers. The same can’t be said for the team’s first-round draft pick that year, Xavier Legette.
Legette finds himself firmly behind Coker on the depth chart — and the gap only seems to be widening.
Coker, who took over Carolina's No. 2 wide receiver spot opposite Tetairoa McMillan late last season, turned in an eye-catching performance to open
the season with eight catches for a career-high 138 yards and two touchdowns last weekend against the Bears. That came after he hauled in nine passes for 134 yards and a touchdown in last year's wild-card playoff game against the Rams.
“The NFL has no respect for rounds,” Panthers coach Dave Canales said of the NFL draft.
Canales points to the 2014 Seattle Seahawks, a team he worked for as an assistant coach. The Seahawks reached the Super Bowl with mostly undrafted wide receivers on their roster.
“They were tough guys who cared, and were intentional about their work. They made plays when the plays came to them,” Canales said. “And it’s as simple as that. ... For all of these guys on our team, when the quarterback gives you an opportunity, make the play. He will come back to you again.”
Bryce Young has learned he can trust Coker to catch the ball, and he keeps going to back to him. Over the last 12 games, Young has thrown 62 balls to Coker and he's caught 81% of them.
Coker first turned heads in Carolina in a 2024 against Denver, when he made a difficult leaping catch along the sideline just weeks after being promoted from the practice squad.
“At that time, he still didn’t have a full grasp for what our system was,” Canales said. “All he knew was he had a one-on-one opportunity, go get the ball. Jalen has got that type of gamesmanship. If you talk to him, he’s the nicest kid in the world. When he gets between the lines, it’s a different animal.”
Part of that mentality comes from his desire to prove to the league that he belongs.
Coker wasn't highly recruited out of high school — he had average speed — and wound up at Holy Cross. He put up big numbers his first two seasons and had some opportunities to transfer and play for bigger schools.
But he kept a promise to his mother and stayed in Worcester, Massachusetts.
“I just remember my mom told me, ‘If you commit here, you’re committing to go here for all four years — no transferring, none of that stuff,’” Coker said. “So I said, ‘OK, I made a commitment. I’m sticking to it.’”
Coker missed the first third of the 2025 season with a quad injury, and slowly saw more playing time as the season went on. He finished the regular season with 33 catches for 394 yards and three touchdowns.
That, along with the big performance in the playoff game, persuaded the Panthers to give him a three-year, $35 million contract extension this offseason — a deal that could end up being a huge bargain for the Panthers if continues to produce like he has the last two games.
The rest of the league seems to be taking notice of No. 18.
Coker practiced on a limited basis Wednesday with a sore ankle, but is expected to play Sunday at Atlanta.
Falcons cornerback Jessie Bates III knows Atlanta can't focus all of its attention on McMillan, last season's Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Coker can beat them, too.
“I think he's just someone that Bryce has created some chemistry with and someone that he really trusts,” Bates said. “He can give him a chance, 50-50 balls. He can really trust that dude to go make some plays for him. So I just think that he’s a really good receiver. It'll be another draft that doesn’t explain what type of player he is.”
Coker said he quickly success came for him last season, but added that he approached this offseason needing to improve on “everything.”
“I just want to continue to elevate what I did last year and just make it just a little bit better,” Coker said. “Work on run after the catch. I have a few passes in the playoff game in particular that I want back. There were plays I could have been better, just cleaner.
Coker added: “I still have a ton of work to do. By no means have I arrived or anything like that.”
But he's making a name for himself.
“The type of ruggedness that he brings to the team,” Canales said, “that’s why he has become a part of what we’re trying to feature offensively. ”
As for Legette, Canales remains optimistic that he will get things going soon.
“It's coming,” Canales said. “Hard work works. And he just grinds. Had a fantastic practice and he’s a part of our game plan.”
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