The Houston Texans draft prospects must include a wide receiver in the second round, and look no further than Denzel Mims to fill that role.
Later this month, the Houston Texans draft will be of very great importance because not only will they be taking steps forward in a offseason that has been unlike any other, but it will officially be time to forget the way 2019 ended.
It is also a way to forget how All-Pro DeAndre Hopkins is no longer with the franchise, and realize until further notice Bill O’Brien is in total control of the franchise as the general manager and head coach, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
Now how good will the Texans be in 2020? That question can’t have an answer just quite yet as the Houston Texans draft has to be one of their better ones in late April for the reason they don’t have a first-round pick this year. Even more so, one of the picks in the second round (the 40th overall selection) is one of the aspects received in the trade of Hopkins with the Arizona Cardinals.
Now the Texans draft includes two second-round picks (their second one is the 57th overall selection), and if O’Brien is smart within his football operations — and for some, the jury is still out on that one — a wide receiver must be selected with one of those two picks, right?
That all brings us to Baylor University and wide receiver Denzel Mims, who played all four seasons with Baylor during his collegiate career.
Mims is an interesting prospect, and what jumps off the page first is his overall measurements as he’s 6’3 and 207 pounds, which if drafted would make him the tallest wide receiver on the Texans roster. In comparison to Hopkins, the former Texans receiver is 6’1, 212 pounds.
A rookie like Mims (or any rookie for that matter) isn’t expected to take over and be the receiver Hopkins is from the very first day, or even the very first season, of his career. What is expected for a standout wide receiver like Mims following (or whichever receiver comes to town) following the Texans draft is a player who shows work ethic, which leads to improving at the position as the season moves along.
The Texans potentially have a chance to select Mims in the 2020 NFL Draft, and here are three reasons why Mims and the Texans draft process should all line up in the second round.
3. Standout speed
Too much speed isn’t a bad thing to have a lot of, and if the Houston Texans draft includes the selection of Denzel Mims with either the 40th overall pick, or a trade up in the draft to select him, the Texans would have just that … a lot of speed.
Mims had a 40-yard dash time of 4.38 this past February in Indianapolis, plus had a vertical jump height of 38.5 inches which if nothing else showcased his athleticism, and more so, had to rise his stock in not only the Texans draft process, but the overall process of the NFL draft for all teams involved.
Anytime a wide receiver, or any player at the combine, has a fast 40-yard dash time like that it does make teams more interested in that player. The Texans might have to trade up to select him, but it could be worth it in the long run, but also in favor of the Texans draft, s the wide receiver class this year is pretty deep.
Being that he would play on the outside at receiver, possibly being the second option with Kenny Stills (Will Fuller will be the top option for Deshaun Watson this season), Mims could use his speed to help take pressure off Fuller. That could also free up the inside for the slot receivers on the team as well.
The Texans need to add a strong weapon to their roster through this draft, and if Mims is available to them, it would be very tough to pass on his speed and athletic ability in the early stages of the second round.
2. Red Zone presence would boost offense
Red Zone scoring is of great importance for teams in the NFL, and though the Texans ranked ninth in the league last season with a 62.71-percent average of scoring a touchdown when in the red zone, that number could always be higher. The number was better at home (65.38 percent) than compared to when the Texans were on the road (60.61 percent), and much better than in 2018, which was 50 percent for the season to score a touchdown when in the red zone.
That brings us back to Denzel Mims of Baylor, as he’s known to be pretty good in the red zone, as Lance Zierlein of NFL.com describes Mims as “a touchdown threat anytime he’s near the red zone.” The Texans are going to need to replace DeAndre Hopkins somehow in red zone opportunities, and Mims is as good of a player to start as any.
Hopkins last season had 13 targets in the red zone, where he had seven receptions for 40 yards and four touchdowns. Also for Houston, was tight end Darren Fells with 12 targets in the red zone with 10 receptions for 99 yards and seven touchdowns.
In terms of not only replacing Hopkins’ numbers, and Fells being a tight end, Mims in this spot for the Texans would be a breath of fresh air, and one where it could make Watson a better quarterback. It could also give him more opportunities to throw the football in a red zone situation, rather then a need to run with the football.
1. Incredible ability to make plays
Not to sound like a broken record, but the Houston Texans are going to need wide receivers they can depend on from a game-to-game basis to make reliable catches and to be on the field for nearly offensive snap if called upon. The current roster — though talented — doesn’t at times have the best track record of being on the field while in a Texans uniform.
Mims played in 12-13 games in each of his final three seasons at Baylor, including this past season where in 13 games played caught 66 receptions for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns. That season he averaged 15.5 yards per reception, and furthermore, it was the second time in his career he had a 1,000-plus receiving yards and 60-plus receptions in a season.
Kyle Crabbs of The Draft Network wrote of Mims that “he’s got really plucky hands,” while also adding the following in a very-detailed draft profile of the Baylor wide receiver:
"“Impressive catch radius and he’s consistently snatching the ball away from DBs. His ability to erase inaccurate throws is notable both along the sideline and when his passer misses high.”"
With Mims with his reliability to be on the field — at least that was the case at Baylor — and how the draft profile described the hands and ability to catch the football by Mims, the Texans draft board most likely not only includes Mims near the top, but it would be safe to say they understand he could help the offense, all the while working to become a more well-rounded wide receiver.
The Texans would be very smart to target Mims in this draft, but like mentioned before, the receiver class is deep, and the prospect of the Texans selecting a wide receiver is likely to occur.