Raiders Scouting Report: Baylor WR Denzel Mims

Raiders wire continues its scouting reports this time looking at Denzel Mims who has been a breakout star this draft season.

When it comes to the build-up for the NFL draft, there is always one player who comes and rises his stock through the process. We have seen it previously from players like Mike Mamula, who fooled everyone and was drafted in the top ten after a great combine. This year the player that has stolen the show is Denzel Mims out of Baylor.

Mims was a productive player during his time with Baylor. He was able to rack up 186 receptions, and 2925 yards total during his career with 28 touchdowns. He helped the program bounce back from a 1-11 season to an 11-3 season in just one year with his excellent season in 2019.

The draft season is where Mims has truly made his mark. He started off with the senior bowl where he dominated one on ones and was able to display his skills translate to the next level. Then his combine was even better running a 4.38 answering his long speed questions and posted the best number for the 3 cone drill at 6.66. This type of performance has pundits in the media, asking if he is a first-round pick.

Is Mims a player, the Raiders, should look at with the pick at 19? Or is he still a third-round guy as projected before the Senior Bowl? Let’s take a look at his game and see what the film says.

Pro: Release

A great trait that always translates to the NFL is the ability to release against press coverage. Press is more prevalent in the NFL than it is in college football, and individual receivers struggle to adapt. This shouldn’t be a problem from Mims because this is the strongest trait and why he could succeed in pro football.

Mims is super quick off the ball and doesn’t have a false step in his release. He accelerates quickly into his stem that allows him to get on top of corners rapidly. His physicality comes into play during press coverage where his strength overpower smaller defensive backs which leads to him winning as soon as the ball is snapped

His release is why he dominated the Senior Bowl during one on ones making corners look silly in the process. You can see the same explosiveness out of his stance as you saw at the Senior Bowl as well. Mims is for sure pro-ready in this area.

Pro: Adjust/body control

When you are a big body receiver, adjust, and body control becomes a significant factor when 50/50 throws come into play. Having a large catch radius always helps with these issues, and Mims is no slouch in this area, making acrobatic catches whenever the ball is thrown to him in tight coverage.

Mims makes these tough catches look routine, helping out his Bears quarterback consistently when he asked to make tough catches. He displays excellent balance to be able to keep his feet inbounds on the sideline as well while using his strong hands to hang onto the football.

This helps make him a matchup nightmare, especially against undersized corners because of his long arms. He can reach in front, behind, and above his head to snatch passes out of the air over cornerbacks. When you have a player Mims size with this ability even when he is covered, he is open.

Pro: Run Blocking

One area I don’t judge wide receivers by is their ability to run block. The owner of the scouting academy Dan Hatman always taught that you want to see the receiving just be a willing blocker him being dominant is not a necessity. However, for Mims, it is a huge plus and might be very helpful in the running game at the pro level.

Mims is a monster in the run game and using his top-notch play strength to bully cornerbacks helping out the running game. What this trait display is his competitive toughness and willingness to show effort on every single play, which will make him intriguing to scouts and GM’s alike.

Michael Irvin always says that wide receivers are not paid to block in the run game, but Mims feels different about this topic. His continuous effort and determination in this area show he will have the upside to be an X receiver from day one.

CONTINUE TO CONS

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