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Bengals draft profile: Denzel Mims

By Blake Jewell

FORT WORTH, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Denzel Mims #5 of the Baylor Bears scores a touchdown against Jeff Gladney #12 of the TCU Horned Frogs in the second overtime period at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
FORT WORTH, TEXAS - NOVEMBER 09: Denzel Mims #5 of the Baylor Bears scores a touchdown against Jeff Gladney #12 of the TCU Horned Frogs in the second overtime period at Amon G. Carter Stadium on November 09, 2019 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Baylor wide-out Denzel Mims draft stock has been rising rapidly since the Senior Bowl, and with receiver being a need in Cincinnati, Mims is a fantastic option.

Denzel Mims is someone I’ve been very high on throughout the 2019 college football season. At one point, he was projected to go in the seventh round. Now his stock appears to be 2nd or 3rd round. Earlier this offseason, I had Mims as the biggest steal in the draft for the Bengals getting him in round 7, but now it appears they’ll have to use their third-round on him, if available.

Here are some strengths and weaknesses I see in the Baylor stand-out:

Strengths:

At 6’3, 206 lbs, Mims has good size for a receiver. He’s strong and fast enough to be a dominant receiver in the NFL. He has great ball skills, and good body control, making him a reliable target. He’s very explosive off the line of scrimmage and has good speed. Due to his versatility, he can go from being a quick short to mid-range target, to being a deep threat. He’s elite at finding and tracking the football, with the potential to win a lot of 50/50 balls in the NFL. He’s a solid blocker, and he shows a lot of effort. I see him as one of the highest potential receivers in this draft class.

Weaknesses:

He struggles with route running sometimes. He’s a little slow on his breaks. He’s very explosive getting off the ball and blowing past corners, but occasionally his breaks are delayed, causing the corner to make up ground.

Overall, he has plenty of strengths, and with route running being my only main concern with Mims, he has a very high ceiling. He impressed a lot of scouts at the Senior Bowl, and his stock probably rose higher than anyone else in the Senior Bowl. If he falls to the Bengals in round three, this could be a perfect match for the Cincinnati Bengals. He’s a guy that can contribute to the team year one, and working on route discipline can help him take his game to the next level.

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I think he pairs well with Boyd running out of the slot. This move makes a lot more sense if the Bengals end up parting ways with A.J. Green. If Green returns, it makes more sense to wait until the later rounds to get a receiver, which is still possible due to the loaded WR draft class. Mims could be too good of a prospect for the Bengals to pass up though, so don’t be surprised if they go receiver round 3.