Jets WR Denzel Mims already looks like a star in the making

The Jets have a rising star on their hands at wide receiver — and his name is Denzel Mims.

Don’t look now, but the Jets may have finally drafted a potential star wide receiver.

New York has swung and missed on numerous receivers within the last decade. Stephen Hill never had the hands to play in the NFL. Devin Smith turned out to be a one-trick pony with his speed — and injury-prone. Shaq Evans, Jalen Saunders and ArDarius Stewart flopped, badly. Chad Hansen shined in small spurts, but nothing more. For those counting at home, that’s six failed wide receiver experiments by way of the draft.

Denzel Mims is here to buck that trend in a big way.

Mims is only four games into his Jets’ tenure, but he has already shown enough to indicate that he is a star in the making. That’s awfully lofty praise for a 23-year-old whose career got off to a fortuitous start because of injuries, but the film doesn’t lie.

There’s a reason why New York was so excited when Mims fell into its lap in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He shined at Baylor thanks to his elite athleticism, solid speed and crisp route running. All of those traits have been on display early in his professional career. Against the Chargers in Week 11, Mims outlined how much of a handful he could be for opposing defenses, catching passes in traffic and drawing multiple defensive pass interference penalties downfield after toasting Los Angeles’ secondary.

“Anytime you’ve got a guy that can go up and get it and has speed at the same time — you can tell those guys [the Chargers defense] were trying to make sure he didn’t get over the top,” Adam Gase said after the game, per NorthJersey.com’s Andy Vasquez. “He got behind them a couple of times. And then there were a couple of times when he just had to box them out and go get it. Hopefully, we can just keep developing that and finding ways to get him the ball down the field.”

Thirteen catches for 217 yards through four games might not be the most impressive stat line in the world, but Mims’ production is primed for an uptick as he continues to establish himself as a top option in Gase’s passing attack. Since making his debut against the Bills in Week 7, Mims’ snap count has increased from 79% of New York’s offensive snaps to 96% against the Chiefs and Patriots. He has also been targeted at least seven times in three of four games and is the first player in franchise history to post over 40 receiving yards in each of his first four games.

Regardless of who is calling the plays or who is under center, Mims has found ways to produce and establish himself as a reliable target. It’s not often a rookie accomplishes that with a fluctuating quarterback situation and a coaching staff known for making questionable decisions, but Mims has managed to thrive amid all the chaos.

Joe Douglas landed himself a talented player in Mims. New York’s front office has plenty of questions to answer this offseason, but Douglas and company can take solace in knowing that they unearthed a gem in Big 12 country. Mims isn’t just in the Big Apple to take part, he’s there to take over and become one of the best receivers in football.

And that should terrify the rest of the AFC.