Broncos rookie Bo Nix could have new favorite target in breakout receiver

Marvin Mims Jr. was one of the most dynamic playmakers for the Denver Broncos in 2023 yet was massively underused. Even head coach Sean Payton admitted to this very thing. So what changes? What makes him a breakout player in 2024? Because Jerry Jeudy was blocking his direct path to increased playing time and is now catching passes in Cleveland. Mims Jr. will not only be a breakout player for the Broncos but one of the best breakout players in the league in 2024.

Mims Jr. should be a primary focus in the offensive attack led by Nix and Payton. He was Payton's first-ever draft pick as a Denver Bronco. He's got blazing deep-threat speed with the lateral quickness to be a threat in the middle of the field as well. Having someone who can play at all three levels of the passing attack is hard to come by and the Broncos have one sitting there just waiting for the opportunity to prove it.

What kind of season would it take to be considered a breakout? Well, let's look at some previous young receivers breakouts to gauge what we are looking for. Just last year, Puka Nacua took the world by storm in Los Angeles when he went for 1,486 yards while catching 105 passes and six touchdowns. Ja'Marr Chase had 81 catches for 1,455 yards and thirteen touchdowns as a rookie. Justin Jefferson during his rookie season went for 1,400 yards, 88 catches, and seven touchdowns. So, what would Mims Jr. need to achieve in year two for the Broncos to be considered a breakout?

1,000-plus yards along with 75-plus catches and no less than eight touchdowns would be a heck of a line considering the likes of Courtland Sutton, Tim Patrick, and Troy Franklin are still hanging around catching passes. Sutton and Patrick are big-bodied receivers who will eat up touchdown opportunities if the team finds themselves in the red zone. Predicting Mims Jr. to be a double-digit touchdown recipient in today's game might be foolish but with his speed and wide catch radius, he should be able to rack up the catches and yards without an issue.

Let's take a look at one of coach Payton's previous receivers who set the league on fire in 2019. Michael Thomas and Marvin Mims Jr. don't share the same physical or athletic build but they could be molded into the same type of player in the right offense. Thomas caught 149 passes for 1,725 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019. Mims Jr. if put into the same situations could see his numbers and overall game mirror that of Thomas. A high-volume attack that results in moving the ball down the field at a consistent rate with the mix of some big chain-moving ability up their sleeve as a bonus.

Overall, I see a lot of potential in Mims Jr. The numbers and comparisons back it up. His height and weight may seem light to some, but that explosiveness and top-end speed aren't the easiest to come by. We've seen his big play ability and it's only a matter of time before that becomes a consistent pressure in the Broncos offense moving forward.