New Cowboys receiver Jonathan Mingo was stunned by Tuesday's trade from Carolina to Dallas.
"It kind of blindsided me because my agent told me he didn't think anything was going to happen. There's a slim chance," Mingo said Thursday, via the Cowboys' official team website. "So that slim chance happened. I'm happy to be a Cowboy, fresh start for me, new beginnings, God put me here for a reason."
The Cowboys shipped a 2025 fourth-round pick to Carolina in exchange for Mingo and a seventh-round pick. The three-round drop -- for a team that has excelled at finding starting players in the middle rounds of the draft -- came as a surprise to fans and onlookers alike. Dallas is leaning on its pre-draft grade of Mingo, who was selected in the second round in 2023.
"You got to trust the draft process because you put so much into it, that grade always carries weight when he does go somewhere else and becomes available," coach Mike McCarthy said Wednesday. "We definitely liked (Mingo) in the draft process, and he has a lot of the characteristics that you look for. ... We're excited for the opportunity to have him part of it."
Dallas believes that getting a young player with two-plus years of team control for a pick swap can help bolster the corps, not only in 2024 but beyond.
In 24 games with Carolina, Mingo struggled mightily. The No. 39 pick out of Ole Miss caught 55 passes for 539 yards. He struggled to generate separation as a route runner and had concentration issues. However, at 6-foot-2, there is size and talent to work with if the Cowboys can unearth some consistency from the young player.
"There are things I felt like I could've done better [in Carolina], just trying to be more consistent, trying to prove to them what I can be," Mingo said. "[The Panthers] got me out of there so it is what it is, I'm here now so I can prove to people what I can do and show them the best version of me."