2020 NFL mock draft: Minnesota Vikings select WR Denzel Mims

The Minnesota Vikings are back on the clock in our Pride of Detroit Community Mock Draft. Just three picks ago, interim general manager elgarraz picked up former Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson to help that deteriorating defense.

But the Vikings also have a pretty big void at wide receiver after trading away a disgruntled Stefon Diggs. Luckily for the Vikes, they found a Buffalo Bills team willing to part with a first-round pick for Diggs, and that’s why Minnesota is on the clock twice in the first round.

So with the 25th pick in the POD Community Mock, the Minnesota Vikings have taken Baylor wide receiver Denzel Mims.

Here’s elgarraz with the explanation.

“Think Kenny Golladay, with speed. That’s Denzel Mims.

I really wanted to go WR in the first round for Minnesota, but whoever I took would be the fourth WR off the board. I think the Vikings are likely to resolve two of their other three holes with a combination of a trade and internally, so that put the need here too great to ignore.

With an elite RAS score of 9.76, Mims has first-round athleticism. His splits in the 40, as well as his top-end speed elevated him over Tee Higgins, whose splits were ugly, quite frankly. At 6-foot-3 with long arms, big hands, and an elite vertical, Mims is going to be a serious red zone threat on day 1. He has amazing body control and focus to get the jump balls, and his highlight reel is full of circus catches. This is a guy who could really make Kirk Cousins’ job a lot easier.

There are some concerns, however. For all his speed and quickness, Mims doesn’t always create the separation from defenders that you’d expect. He has all the physical tools to beat press coverage, but he needs to ramp up his effort and focus to make it happen. Ultimately, Mims has a really, really high ceiling, and Minnesota’s need at receiver is too great. They traded their best WR for a first-round pick, they can’t afford to wait until the late-second round to address this need.”

Catch up with all the picks from our POD Community Mock here.