The 2020 NFL Draft features one of the strongest groups of wide receivers ever, and with so many potential stars available some players are going to be overlooked and underrated more than they would in an ordinary year. Denzel Mims is the most likely candidate — he may be the most under-the-radar potential superstar of the group.
Mims posted good PFF grades (81.9 overall) and numbers (66 catches for 1,015 yards and 12 touchdowns) in his final season at Baylor, but he also had a spectacular postseason — or pre-draft period — which ultimately does move the needle in terms of a player’s projection.
Senior Bowl standout
The Senior Bowl is a fascinating avenue for players heading into the NFL. Often, watching a player’s college tape can leave many unanswered questions about strength of competition, but the Senior Bowl answers a lot of those. The game itself is largely irrelevant, but the week of practices pits prospects against each other in an all-star scenario where strength of competition is no longer a factor. It’s also a week of reps that don’t typically see the light of day otherwise, so it provides a different perspective on players than their college game tape.
Any player who consistently wins in that environment displays a strong indicator for NFL success. PFF has been grading the Senior Bowl practices since 2016, and whether you look at raw PFF grade per snap or win rate in the one-on-one drills (effectively a separation metric), Denzel Mims had the best performance of any player over the past five years.
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