FanPost

A Perfect Pair: Kinlaw and Mims

All this talk about who to take at 13 – WR or not – loses sight of one important consideration: Pick 31. You have to think about the picks together. They are ham and eggs, salt and pepper, hand and glove. All this hype about picking a WR at 13, whether the route running of Jeudy, YAC of Lamb or speed of Ruggs, misses the point. We should not take any WR at 13 because the draft is so deep; WR is notoriously hit or miss, and picking a WR at 31, lets us pair him with another difference maker at 13.

What this means is that you take Denzel Mims at Pick 31. He is 6’3" and 207 lbs and fast. This is 9 lbs heavier than Lamb, 15lbs more than Jeudy, and 20 more than Ruggs. Let’s look at the scouting reports.

"An incredibly deep class of wide receivers could see Mims drafted lower than he would be in most drafts but make no mistake about it: he is the truth. A lengthy wide out with insane athleticism and more than enough physicality, he has the tools to develop into the big-bodied target a lot of teams love to line up on the outside.

Mims possesses a rare combination of size and athleticism. He accelerates well off the snap and has great deep speed, allowing his team to use him as a vertical threat to stretch the field. He does a good job of utilizing footwork to create separation, and he has a good speed release against man coverage. Mims’ catch radius is fantastic, as his length and his lower-body explosiveness allow him to jump up and fight for nearly any ball thrown his way. He has good body control and does a commendable job of adjusting his body to make tough grabs."

Oh, and by the way, this kid loves to block down field, which sounds pretty good in our running game. He is also strong. He put up 16 in the bench press at the combine which tied for 12th. Jeudy and Ruggs did not even bother and Lamb put up 11 – which is exactly one less than AJ Jenkins (12).

Sure, he is raw, needs to work on route running and getting off press coverage. He is learning but what better place. One of our own Kyle Posey’s draft crushes noted Mims would love to be on the Niners. "I love it. I feel like I fit in good with that type of offense. They want to block. I’m going to go block. If they want me to catch the ball. I’m going to go catch some balls. Whatever they want me to do, I’m going to go do it."

Sound familiar, Mr. Samuel? And least we think he is some lumbering big body, rest assured that he is a man among men. Let’s compare Player 1 and Player 2:


Player 1
6'3" 220
40: 4.34
Vert: 38 1/2
Broad Jump: 135"
3C: 6.66
20 yard shuttle: 4.25
BP: 17 reps

Player 2
6'3" 207
40: 4.38
Vert: 38 1/2
Broad Jump: 131"
3C: 6.66
20 yard shuttle: 4.43
BP: 16 reps

Yeah, that’s right. Player 1 is Julio Jones and Player 2 is Mims. Not anointing him just yet, but he has all the physical tools. He was 5th at the Combine in the 40-yard dash and first in the 3-cone drill. Whoa Baby. He is bigger and faster than any of the popular picks at 13, save Ruggs, with the best time in arguably the most important drill for a WR.

So why do we take Kinlaw at 13, because we can take Mims at 31. This is also why we don’t trade back. We don’t need players. We need Players. We need difference makers. That is also why we do not package 13 and 31 for Okudah. Why get one difference maker when you can get 2. These guys are both physical who bring unbelievable athleticism. Do they have holes in their game? Sure, but that is what coaching is for and in Shanahan and crew I trust. In a league full of the best of the best athletes, you got to take those players that have the tools to make a difference.

People are throwing out Jeudy and Cleveland, Henderson and Jefferson, Wirfs and Higgans. You can make a case for all of those but the perfect pair: Javon Kinlaw and Denzel Mims. We are not a finesse team. We want big fast dominating players and these guys embody exactly what the Niners are doing.#NinersforKinlaw,#NinersforMims

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of Niners Nation's writers or editors.