INDIANAPOLIS -- General manager John Lynch believes the 49ers have built a culture that is attractive to veteran players who have their choice where to play.
Under coach Kyle Shanahan, they also have built an offense that makes young skill players want to play for the 49ers, too.
There is no shortage of talented wide receivers in the 2020 draft class, and the 49ers figure to take advantage of the abundance of talent at some point. There are receivers to fit every profile. The 49ers could certainly use a player who is big, fast and a threat in the red zone. Oh, yeah, he also has to be a willing blocker.
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Baylor receiver Denzel Mims fits the profile of a player whom the 49ers covet for their offense. And Mims believes he would be a perfect match for the 49ers’ offense, too.
"I love it. I feel like I fit in good with that type of offense,” Mims said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “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."
Mims has the size at 6-foot-2 7/8 and 207 pounds. He ran a blazing 4.38 seconds in the 40-yard dash. Shanahan values fluidity and change of direction, and Mims has that, too. His time of 6.66 seconds in the three-cone drill was nearly 3/10th of a second faster than anyone else at the combine.
He also produced on the field. In his final three seasons at Baylor, Mims averaged 60 receptions for 967 yards and nearly 10 touchdowns.
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Shanahan always has considered the team’s wide receivers a big part of the running game with an importance placed on their willingness and ability to block. Mims checks that box, too.
"I had seen that it would separate my game from a lot of receivers in this league, and, so, I took pride in it,” Mims said. “And I knew that if I were elite at that, then I'd be an elite receiver.
"I take blocking very serious. I feel like you have to run the ball in this game. You can't just pass every single down. And, so, if I open up the blocking game, it will open up the passing game. And, so, if I block for my teammates, then they'll block for me and the quarterback so I can get the ball.”
Mims does not shy away from contact. He said his favorite route is the slant, which he works the middle of the field and has the ability to make a defender miss for a big gain.