Prospect Play: Denzel Mims vs Iowa State (2019)

Ray Garvin Posted On March 16, 2020

The Prospect Play series is a quick film session that highlights specific traits and attributes from potential soon-to-be NFL Stars. Anybody can post the highlight reel plays; come take a look at some of the lesser-known plays that make these college prospects devy and dynasty talents.

Denzel Mims, WR Baylor

Watching highlight-reel plays is fun, but when you’re scouting a prospect, it’s the subtleties to the player’s game that are found inside the shorter receptions, the three-yard runs, the plays that happen without the ball in their hands that really help paint an even clearer picture of the prospect.

In this prospect play episode, we take a look at Mim’s game versus Iowa State in 2019. In this game, he had six receptions for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

PROSPECT FILM BREAKDOWN

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtuEHJ89U6E

PROSPECT PLAY SUMMARY

Play one – Mims displays that 4.39 speed he showed at the NFL Scouting Combine with a double that wasn’t won with superb route running but more his upper percentile speed. The defensive back is playing off Mims in zone coverage. Mims creates the space he needs to secure the grab with speed, but look closely at his hands. You can see him creating just enough space to secure the slightly underthrown ball with a slight and subtle hand push.

Play two – We get to see Mims operate in the red zone on this play. The corner does a good job of getting his hands on Mims, but again, the hand movement and physicality by Mims gives him enough room to separate, locate the ball and display his body control in order to secure the grab.

Plays three and four – Both of these plays happened consecutively and both times Mims won his individual matchup. You’ll see on play three, Mims was facing cover two, he beats the safety over top with a stop and go double move, but the pass went to the other side of the field.

On the very next play, Mims is facing double coverage with the safety playing over the top, again, a stop and go route, but this time he is thrown the ball, he splits the double team and converts for a touchdown despite the impediment by the defensive back.

CONCLUSION

You see a fluid athlete when you watch Mims in this game. While he did have a couple of contested targets hit the ground, this was an overall fantastic game from him. He won’t be mistaken for a route-running savant, but he does show that he can accelerate and decelerate quickly in and out of his brakes, body control, and ball tracking skills.

Mims is a fast riser and is firmly inside of my top five in this 2020 class. Game grade: 9/10.