Broncos Drafting Marvin Mims, Jr. Sent Direct Message to One Vet WR
Three years after the Denver Broncos chose to select a pair of wide receivers with their first two selections of the 2020 NFL draft, they went back to the well and selected Marvin Mims, Jr. out of Oklahoma in the second round. Mims, an electric athlete with elite speed at the position, adds another deep threat to the Broncos' offense.
Broncos general manager George Paton, alongside new head coach Sean Payton, saw Mims as a priority player for the franchise moving forward, opting to trade up a handful of picks to secure the speedster. Even though the Broncos already have a couple of long-speed options on the roster, Mims appears to be the long-term future of the position as a slot receiver in a dynamic passing attack.
But what about in 2023?
Examining the WR Room
Again, Denver already has a pair of young receivers in Jerry Jeudy and KJ Hamler on the roster, as well as veterans Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick. The team also went out and signed former Saints receivers Marquez Callaway and Lil'Jordan Humphrey, both of whom have a lot of experience in the Sean Payton offense. At first glance, that’s a steep hill to climb for Mims to be able to see the field early as a receiver heading into training camp.
Upon further review, though, there is a path for Mims to contribute as a rookie.
First and foremost, Patrick and Hamler are both recovering from surgeries to repair a torn ACL and torn pectoral muscle, respectively. It appears that both players are primed to be ready for camp, but it remains to be seen whether they will have a major role early on. This opens a door for Mims to get early reps in training camp to show out to the coaches and take over a spot in the room.
Secondly, both Sutton and Jeudy have been inconsistent producers over the past couple of seasons for various reasons, and both have been rumored to be available via trade over the past few months. Should the Broncos decide to pull the trigger on a deal for either of those two players at any point before the NFL deadline this fall, Mims would be a major beneficiary.
There is a lot of 'what if' in this analysis, but it’s not impossible for Mims to see an elevated role as a rookie.
What Mims Brings to the Room
When evaluating Mims’ tape back at Oklahoma, the obvious trait that jumps off of the screen is his 4.38 speed as a deep threat. He averaged over 16 yards per reception in college, showing his ability to take the top off of a defense and win in the vertical passing game. But that’s the easy analysis.
Mims is a great route runner and showed a rather sophisticated route tree as a Sooner. He has a good understanding of coverages, finding soft spots in zone coverage to sit down into, as well as using good speed variation throughout his pattern to create separation from man coverage. He also does a great job playing above his size, showing acrobatic body control and reliable hands in contested jump-ball situations.
An incredibly reliable pass catcher, Mims only dropped seven total passes on 177 career targets, showing a good catch radius despite being a smaller receiver. He has smooth hands and uses them to pluck the ball out of the air rather than allow it to get into his chest plate, and he isn’t scared to get dirty to make a catch.
Mims is also an incredible blocker in the running game, especially when he can get some momentum while playing in the slot. He fires his hands accurately and with good strength, latching on to cornerbacks easily and getting some nice displacement to move defenders out of the way.
Mims' biggest issue is his lack of play strength, especially in press coverage against bigger cornerbacks. While he is projected to be a slot receiver at the next level, he did see the majority of his time at Oklahoma playing on the outside on the line of scrimmage. When he's in close quarters, Mims can get bullied around at times, which disrupts the timing of his routes.
What's His Role as a Rookie?
The obvious answer here is as a rotational receiver, gadget player, and being used as the primary punt and kick returner. Mims averaged 19 yards per punt return as a college player, and that’s a big reason he was brought in.
Digging deeper, Mims could make Hamler expendable as the two receivers possess nearly identical skill sets. Hamler also has injury concerns to work through, as well as inconsistency issues throughout his tape over his first three seasons as a pro. With Mims being a durable player, as well as a priority selection for the new Payton regime, Hamler very well could have played his last snap as a Bronco.
Where things get interesting is how Payton deploys Mims on offense. Mims has an electric change-of-direction ability and excels out in open spaces with the ball in his hands. With a very creative play designer in Payton, Mims should see a lot of time in the screen passing game and as a gadget runner out of the backfield to get him the ball early in the down.
Another way they could use him is in the same mold as how Payton used Brandin Cooks back in New Orleans, both as a vertical threat and as a horizontal field stretcher. Exploiting his ability to use multiple speeds throughout his route running process, Mims could be a highly effective weapon on crossing routes and deep over patterns that open up space over the middle of the field.
The Takeaway
There are still a lot of questions that need to be answered surrounding the wide receiver room, but there is a path for Mims to become a dynamic playmaker for this offense. With his speed and ability to take the top off of a defense, there is also a possibility that Mims could be used as a coverage indicator and dictator, meaning using him in motion to help Russell Wilson identify the coverage as well as forcing a safety to roll over the top in bracket coverage to open space underneath for Sutton, Patrick and/or Jeudy to go to work.
The largest determining factor for Mims to see an expanded role as a rookie stems from the health of Hamler and Patrick, with Hamler being the easiest role to single out. Selecting Mims was a direct message to Hamler, but if Patrick does show that he is ready to go at the start of camp, there is a possibility that Sutton could be on the move via trade.
Again, it’s going to be an uphill climb to get there, and there are a lot of 'what if' scenarios at play, but Mims has the skill set necessary to become one of the top deep threats in the entire league.
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