Denzel Mims is a wide receiver for the New York Jets. Growing up in Texas, Mims was a do-it-all athlete. Not only did he start at wide receiver and safety, he also was a track star, a district MVP in basketball, and reportedly also a promising pitching prospect. Mims went on to play football for Baylor University in Texas. He rode the bench his freshman season, catching only 4 passes. However, he earned a starting role his sophomore season. Mims made a name for himself by torching Oklahoma for nearly 200 yards and 3 touchdowns. He finished the season with 1087 receiving yards, leading the team by a wide margin. After a disappointing junior season, Mims opted to return where he yet again cracked 1000 receiving yards.
Denzel Mims checked every analytical box in the pre-draft process, posting a 4.38 second 40 time, a 26.0-percent target share, and a 42.3-percent college dominator rating. His combination of athleticism and dominant college stats led to him being selected by the New York Jets, signing a four year rookie contract. His career took off to a rocky start, as he missed the first 6 games of the season with two strained hamstrings. Mims showed flashes when returning, posting an 84.5-percent snap share, one dropped pass, and 5 straight games of 40 or more receiving yards.
Somehow, after a season with two simultaneously strained hamstrings, he managed to disappoint even more in the 2021 season. He entered the doghouse of new head coach Robert Saleh, and was relegated to 295 air yards and 5 deep balls on 14.5 routes run per game. Suddenly his near 80-inch wingspan wasn’t enough to reel in contested catches and he was too sluggish to create yards after the catch. His involvement evaporated, and his next gen stats suffered. Mims has found himself in an uphill battle in earning the coaching staff's trust and improving upon his ghost-like fantasy ranking. Expect an undrafted ADP from him in 2022.
