From now until the 2023 NFL Draft takes place, we hope to scout and create profiles for as many prospects as possible, examining their strengths, weaknesses, and what they can bring to an NFL franchise. These players could be potential top 10 picks, all the way down to Day 3 selections and priority undrafted free agents Today, I’ll be profiling Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims.
#17 Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma (Junior) – 5110, 182lb
Measurements
| Player | Ht/Wt | Hand Size | Arm Length | Wingspan |
| Marvin Mims | 5’11, 182lb | N/A | N/A | N/A |
| 40-Yard Dash | 10-Yard Dash | Short Shuttle | 3-Cone | |
| N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| Broad Jump | Vertical | Bench Press | ||
| N/A | N/A |
The Good
— Has good play strength relative to his size
— Capable athlete that builds speed down the field
— Explosive in terms of his leaping ability and burst in his routes
— Has some shiftiness as a runner regarding his route running, YAC ability, and skill set as a returner
— Three-year contributor coming out of college who led the team in receiving yards that last three seasons
— Versatile receiver that played both inside and outside in college
— Can stack corners vertically downfield and create separation as a deep threat
— Has a knack for tracking the football once it is in the air
— Big play threat and can split the corner and safety over the middle if caught looking in the backfield
— Has strong, secure hands at the catch point
— Has no issue catching the ball outside his frame or in close quarters with a defender
— Makes impressive, contested catches in coverage, playing much bigger than his size
— High points the football in the air, winning at the catch point often for combative catches
— Displays great focus and body control to make grabs along the sideline and in the end zone
— Does a good job holding onto the football when he gets hit
— Utilized well on jets sweep passes to get him into open space with room to work
— Does a good job sitting in zone coverages or finding open space to give the QB an open target
— Can create in open space as a runner after the catch, using wiggle as well as his strength to either evade or run through tackles
— Capable punt and kick returner that follows his blocks sets up his moves to get into green grass
— Has displayed willingness as a blocker, getting hands on a defender and competing to and through the whistle
The Bad
— Lacks ideal height, size, and length you desire at the position
— Doesn’t have a great wingspan to reel in overthrown passes
— Makes most catches that come his way, but has experienced cases of double catches, bringing hand size into question
— Has good play speed, but lacks impressive long speed or immediate burst
— Isn’t the move elusive runner in the open field after the catch
— Can fight to get off press, but size will bring that into question at the next level
— Didn’t run an extensive route tree in college
Bio
— Junior Prospect from Frisco, TX
— Consensus four-star prospect in 2020 that was an early enrollee
— Texas high school state record holder for career receiving yards (5,485) and in a season (2,629 on 117 catches with 32 TDs as a senior)
— Played in all 11 games and made one start and caught 37 passes for 610 yards and nine TDs (16.5 YPR), also returned 13 punts for 162 yards
— Played in all 13 games and made 11 starts in 2021 and caught 32 passes for 705 yards and five TDs (22.0 YPR), also returned 10 punts for 69 yards and had two kickoff returns for 51 yards
— Played in all 13 games and made 12 starts and caught 54 passes for 1,083 yards and six TDs (20.1 YPR), also returned 10 punts for 160 yards
— Had five carries for 35 yards in three seasons at OU
— Finance major
— 2022 first-team All-Big 12, 2021 All-Big 12 honorable mention, 2021 Academic All-Big 12 Second Team, 2020 freshman All-America, 2020 second-team All-Big 12
Tape Breakdown
Marvin Mims put himself in the record books as a high schooler in the state of Texas, posting the most career-receiving yards in high school football history in the state as well as the most in a single season. He committed to the Sooners and didn’t stop setting a standard, leading the team in receiving yards each of his three seasons in college while posting the most TD receptions by a freshman in OU history (9). He decided to declare early, attempting to take his impact from the high school and collegiate level now to the pros.
When you pop in the tape, you see that Mims is a big-play threat in the passing game, having averaged a whopping 19.2 YPR during his college career. In fact, Mims has made 34 receptions of throws of 20+ air yards over the last three seasons (second-most during that span to only Jordan Addison) with 19 TDs coming on those 34 receptions (59%). Mims ranks third in school history with his 18 receptions of at least 40 yards, having a real knack for getting loose in the secondary.
While Mims is undersized by WR standards, he is a contested catch machine, showing impressive leaping ability along with the competitive demeanor to win at the catch point in contested coverage. Watch this play from the Sooners’ bowl game this past season where Mims runs up the sideline and makes an impressive catch along the sideline, getting a foot down in-bounds while snagging the pass over the defender’s head.
Mims does a great job tracking the football in the air, whether it be catching the deep ball in-stride or adjusting for a jump ball attempt. Watch this catch Mims makes near the goal line against the Longhorns from last season, turning his body around to locate the heave from Caleb Williams. Mims extends his hands as he positions himself for the catch, snagging the pass outside his frame while coming down inside the pylon for six.
Marvin Mims is a competitor when the football is in the air, finding a way to secure the grab even when blanketed in coverage. He has great focus on the football as you can see in this clip where Mims runs a slot fade and gets his eyes around to locate the football which is thrown low and short, leaping up to go around the defender to trap the ball to the defender’s back and catch it on the way down to the ground to secure the catch.
His body control is something to see when making catches along the sideline and in the red zone as shown above. Mims also does a great job securing the catch on contact as you can see from this clip where Mims gets on top of the CB on the left sideline with the safety flying in to break up the pass. Mims secures the ball in the breadbasket over the shoulder as the defender throws his shoulder into Mims on the sideline. Mims manages to come down in-bounds and secure the catch to the ground for a big Sooners first down on third-and-long.
As mentioned above, Mims does a good job catching passes outside of his frame for a smaller receiver, plucking the ball out of the air with strong, secure hands. Here’s a great example where Mims catches a pass on a slant route, gets off the press, and snags the ball in-stride right before he gets cut down near the ten-yard line.
Mims is a good passing game option over the middle on slants and drags, working to get free from man coverage or find the soft spots in the zone to give his QB an open target as we see on this completion against TCU for first down yardage.
Marvin Mims also has proven to be a capable returner during his time at OU, having the ability to follow his blocks and get into open space thanks to his vision and shiftiness as a runner with the ball in his hands.
Another trait that sticks out in Mims’ game is his willingness and effectiveness as a blocker. He actively seeks out defenders on running plays or screen passes, attacking them with hands inside their chest and a good base in an attempt to seal them off from the ball carrier. If you want to see an example of Mims’ demeanor as a blocker, check out this clip of him going toe-to-toe with a DE from Texas who drops into the flat as he reads the screen. Mims goes straight into him, blocking the defender with everything he has before his teammate rolls up on him.
Still, Marvin Mims has concerns when it comes to his athletic profile. He has good, not great long speed and explosiveness which could limit his ability to win downfield consistently at the next level. He also lacks ideal height, weight, and length, missing some difficult catches due to a lack of length and wingspan. Mims also tends to occasionally double catch passes and his frame could present ball security issues as we see in this clip where the TCU defender punches the ball out that the defense recovers.
Conclusion
Overall, Marvin Mims is an experienced, versatile receiver that has excelled at every level. He showed no drop-off in the transition from high school to college, displaying his skill set as a legit deep threat while also winning consistently as a contested-catch specialist. He plays much bigger than his size suggests, having the competitive edge paired with body control, and secure hands to make catches that will cause your jaw to drop. Still, his lack of size and top-end athletic traits will cause many teams to wonder if he will have the same success in the pros, having run a simplified route tree in college and gotten open a lot due to the offensive scheme.
When watching Mims, my mind immediately went to Washington Commanders’ WR Jahan Dotson as a pro comparison for various reasons. First Mims is nearly the same size as Dotson (5’11 5/8”, 178lb) as Dotson is also an undersized WR with short arms but excelled in contested catch situations. He had nearly identical production to Mims in college and wins both as a deep threat down the field as well as making combative catches in coverage, playing much bigger than his size would suggest.
The Pittsburgh Steelers could use a slot WR to pair with Diontae Johnson and George Pickens with Calvin Austin III returning from injury. Marvin Mims played extensively both in the slot and out wide in college, making him a great fit. He could come in and help Pittsburgh win vertically down the field from the slot which Pittsburgh desperately needs as well as give Kenny Pickett another security blanket that can get open in zone coverage or make the tough catch in close quarters. Seeing as Pittsburgh hasn’t shied away from undersized WRs in the past and their history on hitting at the position in the middle rounds, Marvin Mims would be a great fit and possibly Pittsburgh’s next great find at wideout.
Projection: Day Two
Depot Draft Grade: 7.9 –Potential Starter/Good Backup (3rd Round)
Games Watched: at Texas Tech (2022), vs Florida State (2022), at TCU (2022), vs Texas (2021)
