2020 NFL mock draft: Denzel Mims can replace Stefon Diggs for the Vikings

In six seasons under head coach Mike Zimmer, the Minnesota Vikings have been the definition of a good but not great team. Other than making the NFC title game after the 2017 season, it seems like the Vikings should always be a little better than they are.

Last season, the Vikings went 10-6 and four of those losses were by single digits. The season was ended in the Divisional Round of the playoffs with a loss to the eventual conference champion 49ers.

The Vikings have some obvious needs in the 2020 NFL Draft, including cornerback, wide receiver, and a defensive end. In the SB Nation NFL writers’ mock draft, the team got a cornerback at pick No. 22. Now Christopher Gates of Daily Norseman is back for his second pick.

Gates: Having filled one of their primary needs at No. 22 with cornerback Jeff Gladney, the Vikings turn to their other major position of need at No. 25. The trade of Stefon Diggs has left the Vikings pretty thin on the depth chart at wide receiver behind Adam Thielen, and this selection gives them an opportunity to get a complementary player for him.

This is a deep wide receiver class, so the Vikings may elect to wait until Round 2 to fill this need, but Mims has too many physical gifts to pass on at this spot. The 6’3, 210-pound Mims has been one of the stars in the pre-draft process, as he lit things up at both the Senior Bowl and the NFL Scouting Combine. He didn’t run the most diverse route tree at Baylor, but being able to learn from guys like Thielen will help that to develop over time.

In the interim, he should be able to step in and contribute right away, particularly as a deep threat for Kirk Cousins. Mims is one of the more exciting players in this year’s class at the receiver position, and he’s a very nice get for the Vikings in this spot.

Analysis: As mentioned previously in this mock draft, the wide receiver order is going to be based on preference. Other receivers like Brandon Aiyuk of Arizona State, Jalen Reagor of TCU, or even Tee Higgins of Clemson could have been considered.

If the Vikings want a more straightforward replacement for Diggs, Reagor is probably the choice. But I like the basketball team strategy of building a wide receiver group. If Diggs and Thielen are guards, Mims is a forward.

Our next pick of the day will be up at 11 a.m. ET with The Phinsider up yet again. Kevin Nogle is back to make his third pick for the Miami Dolphins after taking quarterback Tua Tagovailoa and safety Xavier McKinney earlier in this mock draft.