Panthers have two wide receivers who rank among elite in advanced stat

Adam Thielen and Jalen Coker can catch.

Nov 3, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) with the ball as New Orleans Saints safety Tyrann Mathieu (32) defends in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The Carolina Panthers may not have any elite wide receivers on their roster, but they do have two trustworthy players who can catch. While some players on the roster have struggled at times to catch the ball consistently, that hasn't been the case for others. In fact, two players rank really high in an encouraging catching statistic.

The overall wide receiver corps graded out pretty poorly last year, leading to the hope that the Panthers would get Bryce Young a legitimate weapon. This stat, however, showcases that Young may already have two good people to throw to in Jalen Coker and Adam Thielen.

Jalen Coker, Adam Thielen rank high in catching stat

These WRs have magnets for hands 🧲

H/T @NextGenStats pic.twitter.com/Ksvp6cXcMb

— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) February 27, 2025

When the ball is thrown a receiver's way, they are expected to catch it. However, not all passes are catchable. There's an expected catch rate on every pass thrown based on a variety of factors, and consistently catching balls that the metric doesn't think you should is. the mark of a good receiver.

That's true of both Jalen Coker and Adam Thielen, who somehow rank first and third in the entire NFL in catch rate over expected. Only Devonta Smith catches as many passes that he probably shouldn't as Thielen does at 12.4%. Coker comes in third with an 11.4% mark.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen (19) reacts to his touchdown catch against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Those two players catch more improbable passes than Amon-Ra St. Brown, AJ Brown, Terry McLaurin, Tee Higgins, and Ja'Marr Chase. That doesn't even include other top wideouts not on the list, like Garrett Wilson, Justin Jefferson, Davante Adams, and everyone else.

When throwing the ball to some targets, Bryce Young probably isn't assured that they're going to catch it no matter what. He can be assured that Thielen and Coker, ironically both former UDFAs, will come down with it if it's feasibly possible to catch it.

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