Fantasy Football 2020 NFL Draft Profile: did the combination push Denzel Mims into the Fantasy stratosphere?

Formerly a polarizing perspective, Denzel Mims of Baylor took by storm his post-college work. He improved his profile at the Senior Bowl 2020 with a solid week of training, followed by spectacular results at the NFL Combine. A big catcher who dominated the end zone, Mims is a former Texas track and field champion who has played cornerback twice with his high school team. He was then a three-year starter at Baylor, gaining 27 pounds during his time there and adding a physical element to his game. In each of these three seasons, he had at least 50 receptions, eight touchdowns and 14.4 yards per catch. Mims aims to be one of the best receivers in the Deep 2020 class and to find a new team by the end of the second round of the project.

Figures to know

Height: 6-2 7/8

Weight: 207 pounds

Age: October 10, 1997 (week 1: 21)

Hand: 9 3/8 inch

Arm: 33 7/8 inch

Wingspan: 78 4/8 inches

40 beats: 4.39 seconds

Three cones agility exercise: 6.66 seconds

Prospect statistics

2019: 13 games, 66 receptions, 1,020 yards, 15.5 yards per catch, 12 touchdowns

The Bears played only two games against ranked schools in 2019. Mims collected 11 balls for 167 yards and three scores against Oklahoma and Georgia, gaining at least 75 yards and at least one touchdown in each game.

2017-2019 (three-year starter): 37 games, 182 receptions, 2,901 yards, 15.9 yards per catch, 28 touchdowns

History of known injuries

• Thumb surgery, April 2019

Strengths

Mims is a skyscraper almost 6 feet 3 inches tall with a vertical jump of 38 1/2 inches and arms of almost 34 inches. He brings a generous catch radius on the ground and performs acrobatic captures on throws that are high or badly launched (or both). Mims did this fairly well on the regular on short and deeper shots. Sometimes he looked like a man playing soccer with small children, reaching high on smaller defensive backs for highlight reel captures, sometimes with short jaunts to the bottom area after capture.

Its snap is solid before slipping, not accelerating, in its path. His long legs make him look slower than he actually is, but he can move down. Mims is also very physical, almost at fault. His long arms and power are his best tools to help him separate, even though he has resulted in interference penalties for attacking passes. He is a good blocker in the game of racing, frequently beating defensive backs.

concerns

Mims is fast, he is the proof in his film of 2017, 2018 and 2020 Combine. So why didn't I see him part with his speed in 2019? Was he injured? There were too many games where a defender stayed straight on his hip. This is partly why he won 20 disputed games, the second university football record last year. But Mims only had a disputed catch rate of 48.8%, slightly above average according to Pro Football Focus. PFF also noted Mims' weak yards after capture by average reception (2.8 yards, tied for 308th among university receivers with targets over 50), suggesting that it did not often break coverage when he was doing catches like he did before. Can Mims bring back this acceleration in order to get consistent game after game targets?

In addition, Mims had seven abandoned passes in 2019 and 12 in 2018. Sometimes he did breathtaking circus takes and sometimes he left easy oblique passes. Could this habit cost him the chance to play seriously?

The route of Mims also left something to be desired. He seemed inconsistent, his jerky steps were convincing, but he rounded his cuts frequently. The double movements did not seem natural and did not open up any space. He also didn't do everything on the road tree and did almost all of his damage lined up. This is something he started improving at the Senior Bowl, but unless the coaches are confident in his progress, it could slow his path to full work.

And yes, Mims is tall and physical but he is also gangly and was not a constant tackle breaker. Does it have the power to pierce the tackles of NFL defenders?

Fancy comparison

I would like much better if Mims was not rushed to the field and did not have time to improve his technique. Davante Adams had a similar profile when he left school and took three years to come out despite his second round pick (and Adams did not exceed 1000 yards before his fifth year). Fancy managers should not bet on Mims dividends in 2020 unless it is in the perfect spot with many targets. Below that, he could be lucky and be a red zone threat who wins six scores throughout the coming season, but even 800 yards seem rather optimistic.

Favorite fantasy sizes

If we hope that Mims will take at least a year to acclimatize before taking off, teams like the Colts, Cowboys, Lions, Bengals and especially the Steelers have the talent at hand in 2020 before giving way to Mims in 2021 And that does not mean that Mims would not contribute in 2020, but that it would not have to be reliable.

But that's not what the managers of Fantasy want. We want it to be awesome NOW! Regular needy receiver teams like the Packers and the Eagles would do well at least in places where he would see very few double teams and could reach the 750-yard, six-touchdown threshold. The Raiders could also improve their outside receiver position and Mims could play it sooner. Green Bay would probably be the best place for its Fantasy value.

Fantasy Bottom Line

Despite its highlights from the bowl and the combine, Mims is not quite a finished product. It's pretty exciting, but the reality is that it will take time to become special, if it will be at all. If it is written in seasonal formats, it will be with a late choice. The story will change in long-term formats where his potential will make him a choice for Round 9 +. In addition, Mims is one of the first six or seven receivers supported by a recruit, probably with a choice between the ninth and the 15th in total.