Denzel Mims: Clifford Franklin, WR, The Replacements
Returning to the Washington Sentinels, when venerable coaching legend Jimmy McGinty was assembling his roster of replacement players, he had in mind a pure burner for the wide receiver position. Clifford Franklin, described by the coach as “…the fastest (sob) I’ve ever seen.” Of course, there was a slight catch, pun intended:
Franklin eventually overcame his…difficulties…at the catch point. But what got him into the locker room and made him a favorite target downfield was his blazing speed.
Mims has enjoyed one of the best pre-draft processes of any player in this class. He was at times the best receiver down in Mobile during the Senior Bowl. The former high school track star then set the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium ablaze with a blistering performance, including a 4.38 40-yard dash and a 6.66 three-cone drill.
The one area of concern? The drops. Pro Football Focus charted him with a 12.9% drop rate over the past two years, having dropped 18 passes on 139 catchable passes. While Franklin struggled all the time, however, the saving grace for Mims is the fact that while he might drop an easy slant here and there, he has a knack for coming down with the more difficult throws in the downfield passing game.