There’s no secret who the apple of my NFL Draft eye is. It’s Denzel Mims. Here are three reasons I believe the Ravens should target Mims in the first round:
1. He would complete a special trio:
While there are some concerns with Mims, he has the markings of a superstar. He was consistently productive at Baylor despite the quarterback play not being great. He scored 28 touchdowns in three seasons and averaged 15.7 yards per catch. He has a huge frame and he’s the perfect combination of speed and size.
He has some drops and that’s a concern yet when you look at the whole picture he was a very reliable target with monster production. This isn’t a scouting report. I’ve already made my case for how Mims could be a big time play-maker in the NFL. The conversation in front of us today is an explanation of why the Ravens should draft him.
The thing about Mims is that he would be the perfect player to put opposite of Marquise Brown. With Mims and Brown on opposite sides of the field, and Mark Andrews in the middle, it would give Lamar Jackson three big play weapons across the field. Beating the Ravens would become a little more complicated because there would be two legitimate deep threats on the field.
Mims is a 6’3″ target with a 4.38 40 yard dash and a 38.5 inch vertical jump. Much like with Andrews, Jackson can throw it up and know that his guy has a good chance of winning the match up. Mims is the missing piece of the offense. He will be the player that balances out the passing attack for the purple and black. Marquise Brown has a chance to become a Tyreek Hill like player. Could you imagine pairing a player with Hill’s skill-set with a player like Mike Evans? That’s what DeCosta could be pulling off if he took Mims with the 28th overall pick.
2. Mims would be a steal at 28:
There are a lot of good receivers in the 2020 NFL Draft. Mims belongs in the first round conversation. In a draft class with Jerry Jeudy, Ceedee Lamb and Henry Ruggs, Mims could have the highest ceiling. You could say he’s a boom or bust prospect until you’re blue in the face at the end of the day taking Mims would be trying to get a superstar. It wouldn’t be waiting to take whatever player ends up being available later on. It would be taking the player with the most upside to offer. Mims wouldn’t come in as the number two receiver, he would instantly be on par with Brown. Mims may even become the main attraction to the offense not named Jackson.
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It’s not entirely likely that Mims will be available with the 28th pick. It would be shocking if he got past the Minnesota Vikings who have two picks before the Ravens would have a crack at it. They just traded away Stefan Diggs. Before the Vikings first pick is the Philadelphia Eagles. They need receivers as bad as any team in the NFL. Sandwiched in between the Vikings’ picks is the New England Patriots. Their need for wide receiver is fairly obvious and if they’re not going after Jordan Love or Justin Herbert, Mims could be just what they want. Under the assumption that Juedy, Lamb and Ruggs are gone by the middle of the first round, there will be a few teams that could take Mims in the 20’s.
If Mims fell to the 28th pick he would be a gift of good fortune for the Ravens. It would be an irresistible value. Mims may not be the conventional pick for the Ravens. He may not even be the safest pick. He would however be the best player available with the 28th pick barring an ultra unpredictable first round.
3. Match the firepower of the Kansas City Chiefs
In the AFC it will boil down to the two most complete teams. It will be a battle between the defending Super Bowl Champion Chiefs and the Ravens. The Chiefs have an embarrassment of riches at the play-making positions. They have a quarterback that is an MVP and a Super Bowl MVP winner. They have an elite tight end in Travis Kelce. They have no shortage of receivers with Tyreek Hill, Sammy Watkins, Mecole Hardman and Demarcus Robinson. It would almost be surprising if the Chiefs didn’t add another weapon in the 2020 NFL Draft. When in doubt the Chiefs, who are the team to beat in the AFC, just add weapons.
The Ravens are going to have to be able to win a shootout with Patrick Mahomes at some point in the next five years. It may actually become a yearly meeting in the postseason. The Ravens need to be able to go toe to toe with them. The Ravens need to be able to drop 40 points on the Chiefs. The Ravens should treat themselves to a wide receiver in the first round. If they can get Ceedee Lamb, they should go for it. Their most realistic target at wide receiver is Mims and even that would be an absolute steal. Eric DeCosta should treat himself to drafting back to back star receivers in the first round.
If Mims is the player I think he is, than the Ravens would get a superstar. There are good receivers throughout this draft class. It’s very possible to get better at the wide receiver position later on. Mims is just too good to pass on. He’s the perfect fit for an offense that needs to be able to outscore Mahomes and company in the playoffs.