Carolina Panthers: What Jarrett Boykin brings

The Carolina Panthers “hit” on playmaking wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin in the first round of last year’s draft, as the uber-athletic, explosive wide receiver showed off his size and video game ability in contested catch situations as a rookie. Benjamin is penciled in as the team’s No. 1 option at the position, but the Panthers clearly need to find a better partner for him than Jerricho Cotchery. They may be high on Stephen Hill, but nobody will count on receiving any contributions from a high-upside player who has done a whole lot of nothing to this point in his career.

It will be interesting to see how the Panthers attack the wide receiver position in the draft with other needs around their roster, and they, along with the WR-curious Jacksonville Jaguars and Miami Dolphins, showed unsurprising interest in Greg Jennings, who would make sense as a reliable “Z” to Benjamin’s “X”.

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While the Panthers haven’t signed Jennings yet, they did sign another, more recent former Green Bay Packers receiver in Jarrett Boykin, who is coming off of a very disappointing season in which he caught just three passes for 23 yards in 13 appearances. It’s officially a one-year deal for the 25-year-old Virginia Tech product, who left the Packers without a tender in restricted free agency.

Boykin’s 2014 season was quite disastrous, but he did rise in 2013 after injuries to Randall Cobb and James Jones. It wasn’t an excellent season by any means, but Boykin did haul in 49 passes for 681 yards and three touchdowns, riding Aaron Rodgers to a totally bloated 13.9 yards per reception. Boykin is a very quick receiver for his size and knows how to get open on intermediate routes, but he runs a sub-4.7 forty and might be one of the NFL’s slowest receivers.

It’s hard to assess how good of a receiver Boykin is, but he looks like a No. 4 guy in an offense due to his lack of speed. His 2013 stats seem weird in comparison to his traits, because he, per Pro Football Focus, forced 12 missed tackles despite the fact that he isn’t particularly elusive, and his near-14.0 YPR comes in stark contrast to his 40 time.

The Panthers really need to give Cam Newton a strong No. 2 wide receiver who possesses good hands and knows how to move the chains by getting open with regularity (with possible inside-outside versatility). If they don’t sign Jennings, then they’ll have to find someone like that in the draft, where they could get someone with more playmaking ability and upside than a veteran.

In Boykin, the Panthers have added a receiver who clearly isn’t No. 2 receiver quality and isn’t even a legit WR3, but their goal with this signing was to add a depth guy. The Panthers now have plenty of depth at the receiver position and a host of different players. Assuming they draft or sign someone to be the No. 2 guy, they’d have Benjamin leading the way, Ted Ginn Jr. as a speedy No. 3 guy, Cotchery as a veteran slot hand, Hill as a boom-or-bust piece, and now Boykin as a backup No. 4 or 5 WR.

It will be interesting to see how Boykin’s contract is structured, because that will determine how much of a chance he has of making the roster out of training camp. I’m guessing that the Carolina Panthers have given him just about nothing, especially considering how poorly he played last season. Boykin won’t be guaranteed anything when it comes to making the roster, so he’ll be in a fight at a wide receiver position that will likely yield a solid contributor or two out of the players who are fighting.

That said, Jarrett Boykin has a leg up in the battle, since he is an extremely fluid receiver whose physicality helps make up for his lack of speed. His 13.9 YPR seems very fluky to me, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he improves on his, as per Advanced Football Analytics, sub-60% catch rate in 2013. Boykin did nothing of note last season, but he could become a quality backup outside receiver for the Panthers who can catch a touchdown pass here or there if called upon.

Dec 15, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Green Bay Packers receiver Jarrett Boykin (11) runs after a reception against the Dallas Cowboys at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

I don’t mind this Boykin signing as an addition to fortify the Panthers depth at the position, since he’s most likely just pat of the competition at the position in camp.

Ricky Proehl can get the most out of receivers as one of the best position coaches in the business (look at Ginn’s renaissance in 2013 and Benjamin’s rookie success as notable examples of his coaching prowess), so he could put Boykin in a position where his fluidity and physicality would be maximized whereas his lack of speed and athleticism would be mitigated.

Boykin is clearly best served as a backup at this stage of his career where he can fit in an offense in a niche role, chipping in as a bit player instead of being trusted to play as a No. 3 guy.

The Panthers should be able to provide that sort of a set-up for him, and what Boykin brings to the table is unique. Remember, he had the best 60-yard shuttle time of any WR when coming out of college, so he works by creating space by sinking his hips and changing direction; he’s not a straight-line player or elusive athlete, but that’s what makes him different.

Because of his strength and ability in the intermediate game, Boykin could rise to as high as the No. 3 position on the depth chart, but I expect him to be the fourth option behind Benjamin, TBD, and Ginn Jr.

Next: Mock Draft: Panthers take an OT

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