Pro Football Focus recently released their College Preseason All-America Team, and but one Oklahoma Sooner received the honor of being recognized: [autotag]Marvin Mims[/autotag] on the third team. Punter [autotag]Michael Turk[/autotag], and defensive lineman [autotag]Jalen Redmond[/autotag] both received honorable mentions.
The former four-star wide receiver has been cast as Oklahoma’s No. 1 target for new quarterback [autotag]Dillon Gabriel[/autotag] after the Sooners lost Mario Williams and [autotag]Jadon Haselwood[/autotag] to the transfer portal and Michael Woods went to the NFL. Each of those guys that left received more targets than Mims last season and while he had fewer touchdowns compared to 2020, Mims had more receiving yards to lead the team for the second consecutive season.
The Sooners’ passing game took a jump when Caleb Williams took over from Spencer Rattler, but there just seemed to be a lack of consistency. All too often, Oklahoma would hit a wall, unable to push the ball downfield.
While Mims is poised to breakout in his junior season, he is still a step or two behind another Big 12 wide receiver, Texas’ Xavier Worthy. Worthy was a second-team selection on PFF’s All-American teams.
If Mims is to take this leap, he needs to be a more consistent threat to put some points on the board. He had five touchdowns last season. Two of them were against Texas, two were against Texas Tech, and one was against Oregon in the [autotag]Alamo Bowl[/autotag]. He was held scoreless in every other game.
The only other 100-yard receiving game he had last season that wasn’t against Texas Tech or Texas was in week one against Tulane.
Mims opportunities were a problem in 2021. While he didn’t produce consistently, [autotag]Lincoln Riley[/autotag] didn’t make getting Mims the ball an emphasis in the offense. Here’s what Sooners Wire managing editor John Williams wrote last month.
The Oklahoma Sooners’ offense struggled with consistency throughout 2021. In the passing game, Oklahoma failed to get the ball to their best playmaker in Marvin Mims. He had three or fewer targets in nine games last season. Against Oklahoma State, when the offense was struggling to move the ball in the second half, Mims saw just two targets. Six players saw more targets than Mims in that game. His one reception was a four-yard catch. – Williams, Sooners Wire
There are quite a few familiar faces spread across the three teams. Former Sooners [autotag]Caleb Williams[/autotag] and [autotag]Mario Williams[/autotag] both made the second team. [autotag]Bijan Robinson[/autotag] (Texas) and [autotag]Deuce Vaughn[/autotag] (Kansas State) were both first-team running backs.
If Marvin Mims plays like a top 10 wide receiver in the country, Jeff Lebby’s offense will be a lot of fun in year one.
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