Mims Drafted By the New York Jets in Second Round of 2020 NFL Draft

By Jerry Hill
Baylor Bear Insider
            That chip on Denzel Mims' shoulder turned into a boulder as he watched 12 other wide receivers selected before him in the NFL Draft.
            Two hours into Friday's second round, the Baylor wide receiver had his name called by the New York Jets with the 59^th pick overall. The Bears' highest draft pick in four years, Mims is the eighth Baylor receiver drafted since 2010 and the seventh player in program history selected by the Jets.
            "It's always been a chip on my shoulder," said Mims, a Daingerfield, Texas, native who recorded two 1,000-yard seasons and finished his Baylor career with 186 catches for 2,925 yards and 28 touchdowns. "I've been underrated my whole life. At (the 59^th pick), I'm happy to be a Jet, but I've got a lot of work to do."
            With the Jets, the 6-foot-3, 207-pound Mims helps fill a void left when Robby Anderson left in free agency to sign with the Carolina Panthers and former Baylor coach Matt Rhule. New York's top two receivers entering the draft were Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman, a former first-round pick who signed with the Jets earlier this month.
            "They needed to replace that speed and that production that (Anderson) gave them," said ESPN draft analyst and Hall of Fame receiver Michael Irvin. "I know they signed my old roommate's son, Breshad Perriman, but this is added speed, added depth to that wide receiver position. This kid can absolutely run. He's a great pickup for the Jets."
            Daniel Jeremiah, another draft analyst, said Mims is "somebody that can win at the line of scrimmage . . . that makes unbelievably acrobatic catches down the field. He's going to win those contested 50-50 balls, and that's going to be a big benefit for (Jets' quarterback) Sam Darnold."
            On top of his second 1,000-yard season in three years and first-team All-Big 12 honors, Mims boosted his draft stock with strong showings at both the Senior Bowl and NFL Combine, where he had a 38 ½-inch vertical jump and ran a 4.38 in the 40-yard dash.
            "The talent that he possesses is rare," ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper said. "You're talking about a guy that's 6-3, 210 pounds . . . (with) 4.38 speed. The production's there, the hands are there, it's basically just adjusting to an NFL system and running the routes, being precise, getting the timing down with Sam Darnold."
            Mims has been one of the most productive and consistent receivers in the country over the last three years. He's the only FBS player to record at least eight touchdowns in each of those seasons, one of just three with 50 or more catches each year and also had the most contested receptions of anyone in the nation during that three-year stretch.
            Calling Darnold a "great quarterback," Mims said he "can come in right away and get rolling together, build a great connection and make the Jets' program a lot better.'
            "I feel like I make plays all around the field," he said. "I know when it comes to crunch time . . . I want the spotlight. I want to be the one to help the team get the victory. I want everything on me . . . my shoulders."
            While Mims was the only Baylor player drafted in the first three rounds, several prospects could go during Saturday's last four rounds, with coverage starting at 11 a.m. CDT on ESPN. All-American defensive lineman James Lynch is expected to be the next player off the board, with cornerback Grayland Arnold, linebacker Clay Johnston, defensive tackle Bravvion Roy, running back JaMycal Hasty and safety Chris Miller all expected to be drafted or sign as free agents.
            First-year Baylor head coach Dave Aranda continued his run of developing NFL talent, with five of the players off his 2019 LSU defense selected in the first three rounds along with Wisconsin linebacker Zach Braun. He has now had 30 players drafted since 2012.

WACO, Texas– Wide receiver Denzel Mims was selected by the New York Jets in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft, as the 59th pick overall, it was announced Friday evening on day two of the draft.

Mims is the highest-drafted Bear since Corey Coleman was taken in the first round as the 15^thoverall pick in 2016. Overall, he is the 17th wide receiver drafted out of Baylor since 1970 and the second BU wideout taken in as many years as Jalen Hurd was drafted in the third round of the 2019 draft by San Francisco.

The Daingerfield, Texas, native is the seventh Bear to be drafted by the Jets all-time and the first since quarterback Bryce Petty was taken in the fourth round of the 2015 draft. Mims is the highest drafted BU player by the Jets and the first of his position to be drafted to New York out of Waco.

Although Mims had a breakout year in 2019, he has consistently produced the past three seasons, as he was the only player in FBS with eight or more touchdowns in each of the last three seasons, with 12 in 2019 and eight apiece in 2018 and 2017, respectively. As a senior in 2019, Mims starting all 14 games, finishing with 1,020 yards receiving on 66 receptions and 12 touchdowns as he earned First Team All-Big 12 honors by a vote of the league's coaches and was named to the Postseason All-Texas Team by Dave Campbell's Texas Football. His 12 touchdowns on the year ranked tied for fifth-most in Baylor single-season history and his 66 receptions tied for 10^thon the single-season list. He had four 100+ receiving yard performances on the year, including three-straight 100+ yard performances vs. UTSA, at Rice and vs. Iowa State. He also had four multi-touchdown performances on the year, including a career-high three touchdowns in a victory over UTSA.

For his career, Mims is found throughout the BU record book, finishing sixth on Baylor's career receiving yards list with 2,925 yards, ranking third with 28 receiving touchdowns and fifth with 186 career receptions. He boasted two 1,000+ receiving yard seasons in his career, finishing with 1,020 in 2020 and 1,087 as a sophomore in 2017, making him only the third Bear in program history to complete the feat twice. He finished with 11-career 100+ yard receiving performances and was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list three times (2017-2019).

BAYLOR WIDE RECEIVERS IN THE DRAFT
1976, Ricky Thompson – 8^thRd (228^th) Baltimore
1981, Robert Holt – 6^thRd (161^st), Buffalo
1981, Mike Fisher – 8th Rd (198^th), St. Louis
1984, Gerald McNeil – 2^ndRd (44th), Cleveland
1984, Bruce Davis, 2^ndRd (50^th), Cleveland
1989, John Simpson, 10^thRd (277^th), Chicago
1992, Lee Miles, 11^thRd (294^th), Miami
1993, Melvin Bonner, 6^thRd (154^th), Denver
1995, David Mims, (expansion), Carolina
2010, David Gettis, 6^thRd (198^th), Carolina
2012, Kendall Wright, 1st Rd (20^th) Tennessee
2012, Josh Gordon, 2nd Rd (supplemental) Browns
2013, Terrance Williams, 3^rdRd (74^th), Dallas
2014, Tevin Reese, 7^thRd (240^th), San Diego
2017, Corey Coleman – 1^stRd (15^thoverall), Cleveland
2019, Jalen Hurd - 3rd Rd (67th overall), San Francisco
2020, Denzel Mims – 2^ndRd (59^thoverall), New York Jets

NEW YORK JETS BAYLOR DRAFT PICKS ALL-TIME
YEAR   RND    PICK     NAME, POS.
1962    ^5 37        Bobby Ply, DB
1970    13        332      Walter Groth, DT
1977    5          129      Gary Gregory, OL
2012    6          202      Terrance Ganaway, RB
2012    6          203      Robert T. Griffin, OG
2015    4          103      Bryce Petty, QB
2020    2          59        Denzel Mims, WR

Mims Drafted By the New York Jets in Second Round of 2020 NFL Draft

Players Mentioned

Grayland Arnold

JaMycal Hasty

Jalen Hurd

Clay Johnston

James Lynch

Chris Miller

Denzel Mims

Bravvion Roy

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