If you ask Lone Star High School football coach Jeff Rayburn, he would tell you wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr. was destined for greatness.
Rayburn noticed Mims’ potential when he was only a sophomore at the Frisco, Texas, school. Mims had blazing speed, attacked the football in the air, and was able to contort his body to make contested catches—traits that are uncoachable. Or, as Rayburn puts it, “a God-given ability.”
Thatap why Rayburn wasn’t surprised when he watched Mims star at Oklahoma — then get drafted by the Broncos in the second round on Friday night.
“Itap rewarding to see (him) achieve his dreams,” Rayburn said. “He’s going to do big things.”
Mims’ physical traits are the same ones that convinced Broncos head coach Sean Payton and general manager George Paton to trade for the No. 63 overall pick to acquire him.
“I don’t want to say we felt the strength of the draft was in the second round,” Payton said. “We felt the strength of the receiver position — there was a group of six or seven of them (there). In one week, it might be this order, (and) the next week the other order. We worked on that and challenged that.”
Paton said drafting Mims doesn’t impact Denver’s decision to pick up wide receiver Jerry Jeudy’s fifth-year option that’s worth $12.9 million fully guaranteed in 2024. Teams have until May 2 to exercise the fifth-year option of their 2020 first-round picks.
“Mims is going to complement what we have,” Paton said. “He’s going to compete, but it has nothing to do with any of our receivers.”
Even if the move doesn’t affect Jeudy, the pick was understandable. Receivers Courtland Sutton and Tim Patrick do not have guaranteed money after 2023, and wideout K.J. Hamler has struggled to stay on the field due to injuries. So the need to add more depth in the wide receiver room was paramount.
Mims’ top-end speed — he ran a 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the Combine — makes him a deep ball threat for quarterback Russell Wilson. At Oklahoma he averaged 19.3 yards per reception.
“I feel like the deep ball is probably one of the strong points of my game,” Mims said. “With (Wilson’s) history and him being comfortable throwing the deep ball — thatap a huge thing he does. Being able to fit that role will be a huge plus for me and the team.”
When Payton was evaluating wide receivers, he said Mims’ speed helped separate him.
During Oklahoma’s comeback win over Texas in 2021, former Sooners wideout and current offensive analyst Nick Basquine was blown away by Mims’ ability to make big plays. He watched Mims torch the Longhorns for 136 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns, including a mesmerizing 52-yard game-tying grab.
“Just seeing how he can separate and be a threat anywhere on the field,” Basquine said. “That’s when I realized he’s got a legitimate chance of being a good NFL player.”
Mims is coming off his best season, having recorded 1,063 receiving yards and six touchdowns last fall. Paton said Mims evolved as a junior, noting that his routes were crisper.
“What gets people by surprise is how smooth it is,” Basquine said. “He’s a long strider, so it doesn’t look like he is trying hard. When you see him up close, he keeps leaving (defenders). Thatap when you get your gauge that he is moving.”
Mims has the potential to be more than just a deep ball threat. He also has a chance to make an impact in the punt return game, where he averaged 11.8 yards per return at Oklahoma.
“That’s gonna help him with his longevity in the league,” said Basquine.
Mims getting selected by the Broncos was a full-circle moment for Margin Hooks, his personal wide receivers coach. Hooks has been training pass catchers for 14 years, including Mims dating back to high school, after playing the position himself at BYU.
Seven years ago, Payton invited Hooks to the New Orleans Saints training camp to work with the wide receivers. Now his protégé will soon join the new Broncos coach in Denver.
“I think he will translate well in the NFL,” Hooks said. “He’s quiet and doesn’t say much. Sometimes I have mistaken his quietness for having no emotion about the game. But he has always been an even-keel (person). That has allowed him to play at a high level.”
