In 2020, the New York Jets invested significant draft capital in wide receiver Denzel Mims by making him a second-round pick. A year later, he might not have a role on the team anymore.
According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Mims is no higher than sixth on the team’s wide receiver depth chart at the moment, and has not shown much in training camp to change that. In Thursday’s practice, Mims didn’t even get any first-team reps, and he has been working with the second- and third-stringers during camp so far.
Mims may also not be a scheme fit for the Jets’ new coaching staff, which demands precision in route running. That has never been Mims’ specialty. His lack of versatility may also work against him, as Mims has not played on special teams during his NFL career.
Mims was the 59th overall selection in 2020, and he caught 23 passes for 357 yards in nine games as a rookie. The Jets traded down before selecting him, and would have had the opportunity to select Chase Claypool instead had they stayed at No. 48.
The 23-year-old Mims is certainly young enough and intriguing enough that he’d catch on elsewhere if the Jets got rid of him, although one team might not have a shot at him. It would be a bad look for the Jets, though, if they lost faith in a second-round receiver after only one season.
