Mile High Report
Broncos wide receiver/returner had a breakout year last season and will look to continue that this upcoming season.
In the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the Denver Broncos traded up into the second round and selected Oklahoma wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr.. The explosive wide receiver was Sean Payton’s first draft selection with the Broncos, and he was expected to become an immediate playmaker and deep threat in their offense. Unfortunately, that did not happen, and things started slowly for Mims, at least on the offensive side of the ball.
In his rookie year with the Broncos, Mims had just 22 receptions for 377 yards and 1 touchdown. That was a bit of a disappointment, but he did earn a Pro Bowl nod as a kick returner and was a second-team All-Pro during his first season with the Broncos. The hope was that Mims would improve on the offensive side of the ball in year two, and again, that was not the case, at least for the first half of the year.
Through the Broncos' first 9 games of the season, Mims saw just 15 targets in the passing game and had 7 receptions for 56 yards. You were seeing players like Lil’Jordan Humphrey and rookies Devaughn Vele and Troy Franklin see more looks on the offensive side of the ball, while Mims was mostly just a high-end returner.
That all started to change during the Broncos' first game vs. the Chiefs. He saw 4 targets in the passing game while having 3 rushing attempts. While the production was not great, the uptick in usage was promising considering his lack of it prior. After this game, Marvin Mims would become an electric part of the Broncos' offense moving forward.
He would get his first offensive touchdown a week later vs. the Falcons, top 100 yards vs. the Browns a few weeks later, while also scoring another touchdown, and then going off vs. the Bengals, where he had 8 receptions for 103 yards and 2 touchdowns. He would have another two-touchdown game a week later during the season finale game vs. the Chiefs' backups.
During this 8-week stretch, Mims would see 37 targets in the passing game and total 32 receptions for 447 yards and 6 touchdowns. If he produced like this over a 17-game stretch, Mims would be somewhere in the range of 80 receptions for 1,000 yards and 12 touchdowns. I would sign up for that in a heartbeat, AND he did all of this while also being an elite returner once again. Mims would receive Pro Bowl honors once again and become a 2x Pro Bowl returner while also receiving first-team All-Pro honors as a returner for the first time in his career.
Now, Mims enters his third year with the Broncos, looking to carry over the success he saw late last year into this upcoming year. You expect him to be an elite Pro Bowl/All-Pro returner once again, but now, if he continues to play...
