With 2022 coming to a close in the next few months, it means we are closer and closer to the 2023 NFL draft. For college football players that came into college in 2020, that number is significant. Any member from that 2020 recruiting class would be NFL draft-eligible following the current NFL season.
There are quite a few notable juniors across the college football landscape that will be looking toward April of 2023 to hear their names called in the draft.
One of Oklahoma’s very best players could very well declare for the NFL Draft following the season. Wide receiver Marvin Mims has dazzled in his time at Oklahoma, and while he’s shined bright for years, he wasn’t highly coveted to the degree that one would expect, considering how much he has produced.
ESPN recently re-ranked the 2020 recruiting class team rankings and updated the top 25 in the country based on what they’ve done since they arrived on campus. Oklahoma’s Marvin Mims came in at No. 23 (ESPN+), just ahead of TCU’s Quentin Johnston.
An Under Armour All-American coming out of high school, Mims has been a key target in the Sooners’ high-powered passing attack since arriving in Norman. He earned freshman All-America honors and has led the offense in receiving in each of his first two seasons. (He is on his way again with a team-high 542 yards so far this year.) Whether Spencer Rattler, Caleb Williams, or Dillon Gabriel is under center, Mims remains a prominent piece in the Sooners’ offense. He has totaled 1,857 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns in his career. – Tom Lugibill and Craig Haubert, ESPN
In ESPN’s final top 300 for the 2020 recruiting class, Mims came in at No. 161. He’s greatly exceeded expectations and has himself on a fast track to being taken with one of the top 100 picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Mims continued success despite a new QB every year is eerily similar to former Sooner turned Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, CeeDee Lamb. Lamb was the Oklahoma receiver taken within the top 20 picks, and he also played with a different quarterback every year of his Oklahoma career. In consecutive seasons he played with Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, and then Jalen Hurts. Mims has had Spencer Rattler, Caleb Williams, and now has Dillon Gabriel. Needless to say, if you’re talented and can get open like Mims or Lamb, as long as your quarterback can get you the ball, you will shine.
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