Denzel Mims says the Eagles are among the teams showing the most interest in him

The Philadelphia Eagles are one of the teams showing the most interest in Denzel Mims ahead of the 2020 NFL Draft. At least, that’s what the Baylor wide receiver indicated during a recent interview on KRZI’s Matt Mosley Show.

Q: Are there about three or four teams that have shown interest more than other teams?

MIMS: “It’s really been, like, six or seven teams that’s been showing a lot of interest. I’ve been getting a lot of calls lately. And so right now I’m trying to see who’s going to draft me. [...]”

Q: If you don’t mind sharing, can you tell us the teams you’ve talked to the most doing this process?

MIMS: “Have to say the Eagles and the Bills … the Bears, Colts, and the Jets, Cowboys, Rams, and the Titans.”

Does it mean anything that the Eagles were at the top of his mind? Tough to say. But we do know that Philadelphia’s scouting department recently had a FaceTime meeting with Mims, per Justin Melo of Music City Miracles.

NFL teams have turned to FaceTime calls in lieu of official pre-draft visits due to the coronavirus pandemic. Teams aren’t limited to 30 calls like they were with in-person visits, so it’s not a one-to-one comparison, but it’s still a noteworthy pre-draft interest indicator. It seems safe to say Mims would’ve been one of the prospects the Eagles would’ve liked to bring to the NovaCare Complex.

Mims has been viewed as a big riser during the pre-draft process. The 22-year-old stood out in a good way at the Senior Bowl before shining at the NFL Combine.

Mims’ 4.38 speed is reflected by his college statistics. He logged 182 receptions for 2,901 yards (15.9 average) and 28 touchdowns in his final three years in Waco.

Mims profiles as a big play threat the Eagles could afford to add. BGN’s Michael Kist recently ranked the Baylor product as his fourth receiver behind the big three of CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, and Jerry Jeudy.

Big fellas that sprint like a deer don’t come along every day, hence why Mims has seen his stock sky-rocket during his pre-draft process. I recently spoke about that process in a segment for 104.5 The Zone’s Midday 180 (full audio here)...

“I think Mims has really done everything he can since the season was over to answer questions about his game. For instance, Baylor had him run a very limited route tree and he comes out for the Senior Bowl and nobody can cover him on a variety of routes.

If you were wondering about his deep speed, he shuts that up by running a 4.38. He’s got some real stiffness in his hips on film, like, they don’t move, it’s kind of comical, but he checks in with a 90th percentile 3-cone so he’s even got you questioning what you thought you knew.

Now Mims is a legit track athlete at 6’3” 207 and I think he mastered the technique in those drills so those times may be a bit misleading, especially the 3-cone, but there isn’t a box that he hasn’t checked and wide receiver coaches are going to be raving about his ceiling...”

There’s still some projection involved with Mims, but if he can continue on this track you’ve got a game-changer that can be effective from both “Z” and “X” alignments. His elite athletic profile and prototypical size should equal a first round selection.

Brett Kollman put together a video breakdown of Mims titled: “Denzel Mims is the Sleeper Superstar of the 2020 NFL Draft”

Others aren’t quite as high on him. Former NFL scout Daniel Jeremiah ranks Mims as the eighth best wide receiver and the No. 45 overall prospect in this year’s draft.

Mims is a tall, rangy wideout with exceptional burst and body control. He uses his quickness and burst to escape press coverage, excelling on vertical routes down the field. He tracks the ball naturally and wins a bunch of 50/50 balls. He will need some time to develop as a complete route runner. He simply wasn’t asked to run a large variety of routes in Baylor’s offense. After the catch, he is slippery and elusive, but he isn’t going to break many tackles. Overall, Mims is a big-play generator on the outside and has all of the tools to develop into a complete receiver.

Here’s another scouting report from NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:

Mims is a long-striding outside target with excellent height, weight and speed and an insane catch-radius. He’s a touchdown threat anytime he’s near the red zone, with the focus and body control to finesse and finish catches above the rim. He struggles to release and separate from physical press corners, and he doesn’t consistently compete and outwork opponents for positioning on contested catches. If the route work and intensity catch up with his natural athletic ability, he could become a dangerous “Z” receiver in a vertical offense, but the floor might be lower than some teams are comfortable with.

Mims’ upside is intriguing and he could very well be an option at No. 21; he’s currently the second most popular Eagles mock draft option behind Justin Jefferson. I tend to think the Eagles might be scared off by his downside, though, and will more highly value a safer projection like Jefferson. But maybe I’m wrong about that.

In any case, we know the Eagles are doing their homework on Mims. Do you want the Eagles to draft him?