As Denzel Mims looks back at his rookie season with the Jets, the wide receiver sees things that he’s proud of, but also realizes what needs to be done.
“I think I showed flashes of what I can do,” Mims said Wednesday. “I think I took advantage of every opportunity that I got. Is there a lot that I can improve at? Yeah. That’s something that I look forward to doing. I showed a lot of good things, I thought. I showed some things that I can work on. My coaches are going to help me get better.”
Mims is getting to know his new coaches. He said he has texted with new head coach Robert Saleh. He spent time with wide receivers coach Miles Austin recently when he was in New Jersey.
“We talked a lot, tried to get to know each other,” Mims said. “He talked to me about my game, what I can do to improve it, went over my weaknesses and my strengths. We had a lot of conversations to help me overall.”
On Wednesday, Mims was making the media rounds promoting Panini NFL Trading Cards. A year ago, Mims was getting ready for the NFL draft, and the Jets took him in the second round, hoping he could be a spark in their offense.
But Mims was slowed by a hamstring injury that knocked him out of training camp. Then, he injured the other hamstring and missed the first six games of the season. He ended up with 23 catches for 357 yards in nine games.
Looking back now, Mims believes the unusual offseason may have contributed to the hamstring injuries, because he could not work out normally during the pandemic restrictions in Texas.
“It was pretty tough,” Mims said. “I think it was an issue with the hamstring. Back home in Texas, they shut down everything. We were on lockdown. I wasn’t able to do anything. I barely left the house for a month. The muscles get tight. I think it played a big role in the beginning with my hamstring.”
Mims’ plan this offseason is to work with his personal wide receivers coach, David Robinson, in Texas to improve in every area of his game.
“I just want to get my body right, get my mental right and make sure those two things are good,” Mims said. “I’m just going to work on my game, get stronger, get faster, get my routes better. I want to work on everything I can. There’s a lot you can improve at. I’m going to try to do everything I can to improve.”
Mims said he believes the Jets have a lot of good young players — including quarterback Sam Darnold, the subject of trade rumors this offseason. Mims said Darnold helped him immensely during the time he was injured.
On Wednesday, Mims’ focus was on pitching, not catching, as he promoted Panini NFL Trading Cards. Mims said his rookie year was filled with a lot of thrills, including seeing his rookie card.
“It is pretty cool seeing yourself on a card for the first time,” Mims said. “It’s something you dream about as a kid. I know I dreamed about it, and it became a reality. That’s pretty dope.”
