One of the more intriguing prospects in this year's NFL Draft at receiver is Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims.
Once viewed as a second-round talent, Mims is shooting up draft boars, and is now not only viewed an option for the Eagles at No. 21, but could even be off the board when they go on the clock.
Here are my thoughts on Mims and his fit with the Eagles:
What I like:
Athlete: Mims has the ideal makeup for a dominant, outside wide receiver at the next level. Standing 6-foot-3, 207 pounds with extremely long arms, Mims has the body to play on the outside in the NFL against any kind of cornerback and shouldn't have any issues dealing with physical corners at the line of scrimmage. Mims also projects as being able to make plays down the field, as he clocked the third-fastest 40 at the NFL Combine, turning in a blazing 4.37. Physically, Mims has the tools to do it all.
Catch Radius: Mims' arms measured in at 33 7/8th inches, giving him some of the longest arms in the draft. MockDraftable.com puts him in the 93rd percentile for arm length. His long arms combined with his height give him one of the biggest catch radiuses in the draft, and that shows up when you watch him play, as he does at times make impressive, athletic catches other receivers couldn't. The Eagles really valued the catch radius that Alshon Jeffery brought when they signed him, and it is easy to see them seeing some of Jeffery's game when they watch Mims.
Production: Mims has experience being the No. 1, go-to receiver. He has totaled 182 catches for 2,291 yards and 28 touchdowns over his last three seasons at Baylor. The bulk of Mims' production didn't come in one season, as you sometimes see with top prospects. He was amazingly consistent as Baylor's top receiver, topping at least 700 yards, 55 catches and eight touchdowns each of the last three seasons. Mims projects as a player that would be able to carry the workload of being the Eagles' top target on the outside.
What I don't like:
Hands: Mims has long arms and is a great athlete, but that is somewhat mitigated by the fact that he has some of the worst hands among the top receivers in the NFL Draft. Mims dropped 7.4% of the passes thrown his way during his time at Baylor, which is 11th among the 11 receivers projected to come off the board first. To put that number in perspective, Henry Ruggs dropped 2.7% of his passes and USC's Michael Pittman Jr. dropped 1.9% of his passes. Mims hands measured in at 9 3/8th inches, which was in the 51st percentile among receivers. For a team that has dealt with plenty of drops over the last two seasons, bringing in a receiver who doesn't have great hands is less than ideal.
A senior: This nugget from Bo Wulf of The Athletic is startling and it is hard to look at without coming away concerned with the idea of drafting Mims.
Per Wulf, there have been nine senior wide receivers drafted in the first round over the last 10 seasons.
They are:
Corey Davis
Josh Doctson
Kevin White
Devante Parker
Phillip Dorsett
Tavon Austin
Michael Floyd
Kendall Wright
AJ Jenkins
Yikes.
Shooting up draft boards: It is always concerning when a prospect shoots up draft boards once the season is over. Mims had an excellent Senior Bowl and an excellent showing at the NFL Combine, and as a result, is projected to be a first-round pick. Some think he might even be off the board before the Eagles go on the clock at No. 21. There is no denying Mims is a great athlete, and with that, comes plenty of potential. But the fact he is rising up boards this late because of his testing, as opposed to how he performed on the field, is a bit of a red flag.
Fit on Eagles: On one hand, Mims would have a natural role on the Eagles' offense. He would be able to come in, start on the outside and allow the Eagles' elite-level tight ends to dominate the middle of the field. On the other hand, Mims doesn't pair well with J.J. Arcega-Whiteside, as they are both big-body receivers that don't bring elite-level speed. The Eagles shouldn't build their draft around who fits with Arcega-Whiteside, but in today's NFL, an outside starting duo of Mims and Arcega-Whiteside isn't super inspiring.
Overall: There are plenty of receivers I would take ahead of Mims, including Clemson's Tee Higgins. Mims is a great athlete, but his hands are a concern and it it feels like he is only good, not great, at most things. Mims could shine with the right coaching, but the Eagles have had major issues at receiver coach since 2016, and their new coach — Aaron Moorehead — has never coached receiver at the NFL level. In my opinion Mims is too much of a project to be the first receiver the Eagles take in the draft.
You can follow Eliot Shorr-Parks on Twitter at @EliotShorrParks or email him at esp@94wip.com!
