© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Each year since 2008, The Athletic’s Matt Barrows has released his 49ers “draft crush,” starting with Carl Nicks, and most recently, safety Darnell Savage. This year, it’s Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims.
Barrows explained why he likes Mims on the Murph and Mac show on KNBR on Wednesday morning:
“He’s a little of everything,” Barrows said. “He’s a rough and tumble guy. He would fit in really well with that mentality that George Kittle and Deebo Samuel established. Likes to block. He’s a big guy, he’s fast, 4.38-second 40 time in Indianapolis in early March, and he just checks a lot of boxes.”
Here’s KNBR’s breakdown of Mims from the NFL Combine. He shot up boards with his Combine performance, which featured a 4.38-second 40-yard dash and 131″ broad jump:
He’s had more contested catches among all college WR’s since 2017. Unreal body control, sticky hands… Denzel Mims is a WR the #Packers could be eyeing to add to the offense.
— GBP Daily (@GBPdaily) February 24, 2020
Height: 6’2 7/8″
Weight: 207 pounds
Wingspan: 78 1/2″
Hand size: 9 3/8″
Projected draft position: (Reuter: Round 2, Pick 60, Ravens; Miller: Round 3, Pick 102, Steelers; Marino: After Round 2)
Best college season (senior year, sophomore year a close second): 66 receptions, 1,020 yards, 12 TDs
Pros: Great size, length and athleticism. Extraordinarily shifty and succeeds often in finding gaps in zone coverage. A very physical and willing blocker. Downfield speed is tremendous and is a consistent problem on deep routes. Massive potential for contested and tight window catches.
Cons: His release and effort on short routes is concerning. Doesn’t demonstrate fantastic release in those situations and fails to break away the way he does on vertical stems. Has some concerns with concentration drops. His motor and consistency is a concern.