An elite workout from Baylor receiver Denzel Mims at the NFL Scouting Combine on Thursday will raise his stock into the first round and make him a legitimate option for the Green Bay Packers at No. 30 overall in the 2020 draft.
An occasionally forgotten about player in a class stacked with receivers, Mims was the star of the show during testing on Thursday night in Indianapolis.
Mims (6-3, 207) ran the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, hit 38.5″ in the vertical leap and 10-11 in the broad jump and finished the three-cone drill in 6.66 seconds. Among receivers, he was tied for third in the 40, tied for eighth in the vertical, tied for fourth in the broad and first in the three-cone. Mims also put up 16 reps on the bench press despite having arms measured at 34″.
NFL’s Nex Gen Stats gave Mims, Henry Ruggs and Donovan Peoples-Jones a maximum “Athletic Score” of 99.
Athleticism Scores for the 2020 wide receiver class are now official.
Henry Ruggs III (4.27 40-time), Denzel Mims (6.66 3-cone drill), and Donovan Peoples-Jones (44.5" vertical jump) all finished with a max 99 Athleticism Score.#NFLCombine pic.twitter.com/GhbfjLaEQZ
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 28, 2020
There is danger in falling in love with athleticism. Every year, a star of the combine is overdrafted and ends up busting at the next level.
Mims doesn’t have any bust characteristics, mostly because he’s more than just an elite athlete.
His tape over the last three seasons is littered with quick releases off he line, contested catches downfield, physicality to all areas of the field, a willingness to block in the run game, production on third down and in the red zone and tons of big plays. Between 2017 and 2019, Mims caught 182 passes for 2,901 yards and 28 touchdowns, including at least eight touchdowns each season and a career-high 12 scores as a senior.
He has the tape, the production and the elite workout, and he was one of the top standouts coming out of the Senior Bowl in January. Mims is checking all the boxes, and elite athletes that check all the boxes go in the first round.
This is a loaded class of receivers, and several others in the class – including LSU’s Justin Jefferson– solidified themselves as first-round locks with their testing numbers on Thursday night. It’s possible CeeDee Lamb, Jerry Jeudy, Ruggs, Jefferson, Tee Higgins and Jalen Reagor could all go in the first round. Laviska Shenualt and Brandon Aiyuk are also first-round candidates. And so is Mims, who was recently mocked to the Packers at No. 30 overall by Pro Football Focus.
Expect to see more of Mims at No. 30. Arguably no player has improved his draft stock more over the last two months than the Baylor star. It’s now verified that he has the rare blend of size, talent, elite athleticism and collegiate production that all teams, including the Packers, covet at receiver.
The Packers need a pass-catcher in the 2020 draft. Don’t be surprised if the answer come April is Mims, a rising star in the class who now looks like a legitimate first-rounder.
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