Panthers dealt Diontae Johnson, will UDFA Jalen Coker shine?

CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Jamal Coker first realized his son was a special football player during a pee wee game in Virginia more than 10 years ago. He calls it a "Hallmark kind of story,'' one whereJalen Coker was so annoying for the opponent that Jamal began calling him an "ankle biter.''

"I had tears kind of in the corner of my eye,'' recalled the elder Coker, a star high school receiver growing up in Charleston, South Carolina. "I didn't show no tears, but they were there.''

Those tears returned on Sunday when Jalen, an undrafted rookie receiver for the Carolina Panthers, caught four passes for 78 yards and his first NFL touchdown in a 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos.

It was a feel-good story for a team that hasn't had many with an NFL-worst 1-7 record, headed for a seventh straight losing season.

The former Holy Cross star hopes to continue the story on Sunday when the Panthers face the New Orleans Saints (2-6) at Bank of America Stadium (1 p.m. ET, CBS).

After being released before the Panthers' first meeting with the Saints, a 47-10 Week 1 loss, he was re-signed to the practice squad and now has a chance to become a feature player. His star is rising fast, particularly after former Pro Bowl receiver Diontae Johnson was traded to the Baltimore RavensTuesday.

Ironically, not being considered fast is what kept Coker from being drafted despite setting a Crusaders record with 31 touchdown catches.

"Every NFL scout that would come in and talk about him was petrified about his top-end speed,'' said Holy Cross strength and conditioning coach Chris Grautski, also the team's pro liaison.

Coker ran the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at the NFL combine, which ranked 28thamong the 2024 class. Carolina first-round pick Xavier Legette was seventh with a 4.39.

"I always tried to explain it by asking if they've ever watched an airplane take off the runway,'' Grautski said. "It doesn't look like it's going 300 miles per hour because of the sheer size. His frame is just so big [6-foot-3, 213 pounds] and his shoulders are so wide that to the untrained eye he looks like he's slow.

"He's nothing even close to slow.''

What caught the eye of the Panthers was Coker's body control and route running.

Coker showed that against the Broncos, particularly on his 29-yard catch down the left sideline with tight coverage. It represented everything rookie head coach Dave Canales saw at the team's rookie minicamp.

"Size, instincts, top-of-route ability to separate,'' Canales said at the time. "He's really crafty in zones. He knows how to find open spaces.''

Coker reminds Canales of Jermaine Kearse, an undrafted free agent he coached with the Seattle Seahawks. Kearse played eight years in the league, catching 255 passes for 3,200 yards and 17 touchdowns.

"He had that hunger and just making plays when they came to him, and pretty soon he was one of our starting guys,'' Canales said.

Steve Smith Sr., Carolina's all-time leading receiver with 836 catches, called Coker a "hell of a route runner'' before the draft. He compared him to former NBA center/forward Tim Duncan because he saw no wasted movement in his route running.

Said Grautski: "Spot on. It's like he was saying this guy is fundamentally sound ... like he embodied the way Jalen fundamentally plays the game.''

Coker arrived at Holy Cross pencil thin at 190 pounds and not very strong. He put on 20 pounds of muscle, and by the time he left he was squatting 550 pounds and had caught 163 catches for 2,684 yards.

Coker says his transition to the NFL has been "challenging at times'' because he never played against big-time corners like Carolina's Jaycee Horn, but he believes things are starting to click.

"I always envisioned myself in this position,'' Coker said. "I'm a very hard worker, and you do the right things, you get rewarded for them.

Teammates light up at the mention of Coker.

"The dude always balls out,'' center Brady Christensen said.

Fellow wide receiver David Moore, an undrafted receiver out of Division II East Central University in Ada, Oklahoma, agreed.

"Every time I see him make a play, a catch, it just fires me up,'' he said. "Every time he does something, I come up to him and just let him know, 'Hey, bro, that's you. Keep doing your thing.''

That was the message Coker's mom, Jenny, posted on X on Sunday: "The dream continues! Keep being you kid - we are all here rooting for you!''

Coker's dream always was to make it to the NFL at receiver even though he entered college as a defensive back because of the genes he inherited from his 6-4 father that he calls "a huge piece, if not the biggest piece,'' of where he is today.

Coker also inherited the "baby face'' DNA from his father, who, at 47, still has trouble growing a beard.

"Hopefully, I can keep it up when I'm 50 so I'll still look like I'm 25 at that point,'' said Jalen, who turned 23 on Wednesday.

For now, Coker is focused on the next step. He has already made a mark among NFL rookies.

Among rookie receivers with at least 15 targets, he ranks fourth in yards per catch (15.5), third in yards after contact (2.08) and third in percentage of receptions of 20-plus yards (25%).

He is on pace to surpass Gordie Lockbaum, who never played in an NFL regular-season game, as the greatest Holy Cross player.

He's doing all the things his dad saw in pee wee football.

"I get caught up on social media [with people saying] J was so good, he is so this,'' Jamal said. "I have to kind of step back because I don't want to put him out there saying he's the best thing since sliced bread.

"But, I mean, he is really that good of a player.''