Jalen Coker's ascension up the Carolina Panthers depth chart at wide receiver sort of coincided with Adam Thielen going down. The veteran's absence provided a spot for the undrafted rookie to take, and he took it and ran with it. With Thielen back this week, Coker took the opportunity to reveal how Thielen hasn't stopped helping him from the sidelines.
Coker called Thielen's mentorship "invaluable" to the Charlotte Observer. “I’m so blessed to have someone that’s come from a very similar situation — not to mention, the (similar) attributes: speed, size, catching, route-running types of the things," he said. "We match up so well, so when he says something to me, I can almost immediately take that, and I don’t have to mold it into my own way. I can kind of take it exactly how he’s saying it because we have such similar play styles.”
Despite Thielen being out for the last eight and a half weeks, Coker said, “I think he’s been the same since when he was healthy. He’s kind of been a shoulder to lean on, a guy that you can come to with any type of question, and he’s just such a great teammate, such a great … extra coach for us, especially for the young guys. He’s done it, so what a blessing to have him in our room.”
Thanks to an increased role and the mentorship of Thielen, Coker has 17 catches for 263 yards and a touchdown in the last seven games. He now ranks among the top 10 in rookie receiving yards alongside Xavier Legette and Ja'Tavion Sanders.
