The Eagles have been linked to a number of players in Mock Drafts over the last month or so. Most of those mocks have them drafting a wide receiver, with LSU wideout Justin Jefferson being the most popular. But Jefferson is far from the only wide receiver that analysts and reporters have linked to the Eagles. One name who has been increasingly connected to the Eagles over the last week or so is Denzel Mims.
In an interview with 94.1 WIP at the end of last week, Mims said that the Eagles had shown more interest in him than any other NFL team. If that is in fact true, Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman probably isn’t thrilled about that news getting out right before the NFL Draft. But that’s not the point here. The Eagles are interested in Mims and, according to the wideout himself, talked to the Baylor product four or five times in the last week alone.
It is no secret that the Eagles need help at the wide receiver position, and they are projected to take at least one in the first two rounds and could very well end up selecting two in the first three or four rounds of the draft. They were decimated by injuries at the position last year, and they did nothing to improve it in free agency. With Nelson Agholor gone and Alshon Jefferey’s future in question, they desperately need to draft and develop young talent at the position.
A few days ago, we took a look at some recent Eagles draft picks to try and get an idea about what they might do in the draft this week. They haven’t drafted a wide receiver in the first round of the draft since taking Nelson Agholor in 2015, though they did use one of their two second-round picks in 2020 on Stanford wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Whiteside’s poor rookie season is another reason why the Eagles could once again target a wideout early in this draft.
But would Denzel Mims be the right pick at 21st overall for Philadelphia? That remains to be seen. Some scouts and analysts think he might have the highest ceiling of any wide receiver in this draft. Others think he is more of a raw prospect who needs further development and might even need to “redshirt” his first year in the NFL.
After the “big three” wide receiver prospects (Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III), the general consensus is that Justin Jefferson is the most “pro-ready” wideout. But there is also a feeling that his future ceiling might be as a slot receiver in the mold of Randall Cobb. The Eagles need any and all wide receivers, and Jefferson might very well step in as a starter on day one. But is taking a player who might end up being best suited for the slot a good use of resources in the first round? It will be very interesting to see where he goes on draft day.
If the Eagles are interested in Mims, then they must feel confident about his long-term potential. Even if some of the scouts are right and he does need a year in an NFL system to develop, Philadelphia could very well take him in the first round if they trust their own evaluation. The Eagles are in the unfortunate position of almost having to draft for short term needs, but that doesn’t mean they can just ignore long term potential.
For more on Denzel Mims, check out his interview with Geoff Mosher and Adam Caplan on Inside the Birds TV:
