The LA Rams wisely passed twice on WR Denzel Mims

Rams passed Mims by twice.

So imagine the surprise when the New York Jets chose wide receiver Denzel Sims with their 59th of the 2020 NFL Draft. In the heat of the 2020 NFL Draft, that meant that the LA Rams, despite interviewing Mims, passed twice on him.  The first sleight occurred at the 52nd selection of the 2020 NFL Draft when the LA Rams chose running back Cam Akers.  That could be justified, as the team truly needed an all-purpose running back after parting ways with veteran running back Todd Gurley.

But when the Rams stepped up to the podium with the 57th pick of the 2020 NFL Draft, the team was shopping for a wide receiver to fill the roster void vacated by veteran wide receiver Brandin Cooks.  Rather than choose Denzel Mims, a player who had been projected to go as early as the  middle of round one, the Rams chose wide receiver, Van Jefferson. Jefferson was recovering from a foot injury discovered during the 2020 NFL Scouting Combine.

Mims falls in 2020 NFL Draft

Mims fell in the 2020 NFL Draft, past teams that had interviewed him. He fell out of round one, and past the LA Rams twice. During that unexpected but precipitous drop, questions rose over why NFL teams were looking elsewhere? The answer was discovered on his NFL Draft profile:
where the last bulleting under weakness states – “History of drops and poor success rate on contested catches”.

That phrase is typically associated with third-round selection, not first or second-round selections. But beyond that, later reports suggest that Mims was a love-hate relationship for NFL teams. After height, wingspan, and speed, the ability to catch the ball is vital for a receiver.  Players can learn routes, blocking, running, and how to gain yards after a catch. They can even learn how to get feet planted inbounds. But those hands? To be drafted highly in the NFL, they need to be part of the player’s package before arriving at the NFL.