Jalen Coker

Coker utilizes variations in pacing in his routes, head fakes, and jab steps to invite indecision into corner's skulls. Coker has good hip sink for his size. His start/stop ability serves him well on double moves. Coker isn't a burner with 4.5 speed, but he can get deep with his route nuance and savvy doing the heavy lifting.He has good body control in the air, and he has some nice back-shoulder catches in his film. Coker is strong at the catch point with solid hands. He only had two drops last year. One occurred on a poorly located ball, and the other against Lafayette in the rain. The former Holy Cross superstar plays through contact well in his routes. He has the upper body strength to fight through press and deal with physical corners attempting to push him off his routes. Coker isn't a YAC gawd, but he can break some tackles with the ball in his hands. He makes a smooth transition to run after the catch with good vision in traffic. The ball placement on many of his targets at Holy Cross limited his YAC opportunities. This is something he could showcase more in the NFL if he lands with an accurate passer.

The Carolina Panthers are signing former Holy Cross WR Jalen Coker, who is earning a $25,000 signing bonus and a $225,000 salary guarantee.

Fantasy Impact

Coker could be a long-term developmental piece for Carolina out of the FCS, where the WR dominated with his athletic traits. He is a boundary receiver who could refine his game further, but many analysts expected him to be a Day 3 pick, though his middling speed and lack of competition may have turned some heads away.