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One important thing to think about when analyzing an NFL team: how do its new additions fit with its older players? For example, when a team drafts a player early, that player is expected to play, which means the team has to find snaps for him.
This year, four wide receivers were drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft, which means four teams will need to figure out how to get those receivers on the field.
Let's look at every second-round rookie wide receiver and analyze how they'll impact their team's depth chart.
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Jonathan Mingo, Carolina Panthers
The Panthers used the first pick on Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, then added a receiver for him in the second round, grabbing Jonathan Mingo out of Ole Miss. Mingo had 51 catches for 861 yards and five touchdowns last season for the Rebels.
As will largely be the case with this year's second-round receivers, he enters the 2023 season as a projected backup for the Panthers, who went out and added Adam Thielen and D.J. Chark Jr. this offseason to provide some veteran receiving weapons for Young.
Mingo feels a little more like a project than he does an immediate contributor. He's got some good speed but needs to improve his route running if he wants to challenge Terrace Marshall Jr. for playing time. Marshall, who is entering his third season, isn't a lock to keep the WR3 job behind Chark and Thielen, but he was second on the Panthers in targets last season despite missing three games. He'll get the first crack at the role over Mingo.
Jayden Reed, Green Bay Packers
Jayden Reed is probably the only second-round receiver from this draft class with a shot to start immediately, though that might say more about the state of the Packers than it does about Reed.
Green Bay is hitting the rebuilding button in 2023. With Aaron Rodgers gone, the team will turn to Jordan Love at quarterback, and there's no veteran behind him to come in if he struggles or gets hurt. There are also no veterans at receiver, either. Second-year players Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs should claim two of the starting spots, leaving Reed to battle with Samori Toure, Dontayvion Wicks, and Grant DuBose.
No offense to those guys, but there's zero reason Reed shouldn't run away with the WR3 role. Last year was a bit of a down year for him at Michigan State as he finished with a career-low 11.6 yards per reception, and the fact he's on the older side and is undersized hurts him from a long-term perspective, but the lack of competition for playing time works in his favor in 2023. If he can get the ball in space, he can use his speed to create positive plays.
Rashee Rice, Kansas City Chiefs
The defending Super Bowl champions have a relatively weak receiving unit, so while former SMU wideout Rashee Rice doesn't initially project to break into the starting lineup, it's something he has a shot at down the line.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kadarius Toney, and Skyy Moore look like the team's starters, but of those three, only Valdes-Scantling played a huge role on the Chiefs last year, as he was third on the team in targets with 81. Moore was targeted 33 times, while Toney saw 17 targets and five carries in the regular season before getting targeted 10 times in the postseason.
Toney has the talent to be a WR1, but as he enters his third NFL season, he hasn't really put together a resume that would make someone confident in betting that he really becomes that. Moore, a second-year receiver out of Western Michigan, caught 22 passes for 250 yards last season. He really struggled as a punt returner, but as an actual receiver, he was fine. He's a versatile receiver who the team can deploy in a number of ways.
Add in the rumors of a DeAndre Hopkins signing, and it's hard to figure out this depth chart. Rice is coming off a great senior year at SMU, catching 96 passes for 1,355 yards and 10 touchdowns. He's an athletic player who can make plays with the ball in his hands, and he could certainly carve out a role on a team where there are a lot of question marks at wide receiver.
He could also wind up as the WR5 to open the year if the Chiefs make a move for Hopkins or another veteran receiver. All that uncertainty makes Rice a risky fantasy option, though if things break right, he could have value in the second half of the season.
Marvin Mims Jr., Denver Broncos
Barring a trade, Denver enters 2023 with a really strong receiving corps. Obviously, Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy are your top two guys. Beyond that, there's Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler, and rookie Marvin Mims.
Injuries — specifically, injury recoveries — are going to determine a lot of the pecking order. Sutton and Jeudy both played 15 games last season and each had at least 100 targets, but Patrick was rumored to be right there with them before he missed the season with an ACL tear. In 2021, he caught 53 passes for 734 yards and five touchdowns. There were definitely people who thought Patrick was in line for a huge 2022 before the injury.
So, if he's fully recovered, he probably has the edge on the third receiver spot. That leaves Mims as the fourth receiver, rotating in and out. The fact he has the profile of a slot receiver but also a lot of experience at Oklahoma playing on the outside should allow him to see the field a good bit. Early on at least, I don't see him making any serious challenge at the other three for a starting role.
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