All Sooners

Oklahoma WR Marvin Mims Headed to Denver

The Sooners' record-setting wideout was taken by the Broncos with the final pick of the second round on Saturday.

John E. Hoover

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Marvin Mims is Mile High.

Oklahoma’s big-play, record-setting wide receiver heard his name called Friday with the final pick of the second round of the NFL Draft (No 63 overall) and will begin his professional career with the Denver Broncos.

Mims is the 10th Sooner wideout picked in the draft since Ryan Broyles in 2012, joining Kenny Stills and Justin Brown (2013), Jalen Saunders (2014), Sterling Shepard (2016), Dede Westbrook (2017), Marquise Brown (2018), CeeDee Lamb (2020) and Mike Woods (2022).

The 5-foot-11, 182-pound Mims was a two-year starter for the Sooners and averaged a school-record 19.5 yards per catch from 2020-22.

Mims’ best year at OU was 2022, when he caught 54 passes for 1,083 yards and scored six touchdowns. He averaged 20.1 yards per catch as a junior as the Sooners went 6-7 but the offense remained explosive under new coordinator Jeff Lebby. Transitioning to a new offense after two years under Lincoln Riley helped his overall game, Mims said.

“I feel like off the field, just the verbalization, the different language they like to use, different mindsets,” Mims said at his Pro Day. “You’re talking about probably two of the best OCs in the country right now, especially at the college level. So just to learn from both of them I think it helped my game tremendously.”

As a true freshman, Mims set a Big 12 Conference freshman record with nine touchdown receptions. As a sophomore, Mims averaged 22.0 yards per catch.

In his three seasons in Norman, Mims caught 123 passes for 2,398 yards and scored 20 TDs.

Mims also was a dynamic punt returner, averaging 12.5 yards per punt return in 2020 and 16.0 in 2022.

Mims’ productivity made him one of the most prolific wideouts in OU history despite having to play with three different Sooner quarterbacks — Spencer Rattler, Caleb Williams and Dillon Gabriel — in three years.

He also played multiple positions and had three different position coaches in Cale Gundy, Dennis Simmons and L'Damian Washington. 

Mims ranks eighth in school history with 2,398 receiving yards, sixth with nine 100-yard games, 10th with 20 TD catches and 11th with 123 catches. Mims caught a pass in all 37 games of his OU career, including two catches for 77 yards against Florida State in the Cheez-It Bowl.

Mims said the decision to leave Oklahoma after just three seasons wasn't an easy one.

"It was a real tough decision," he said. "It was getting at me, especially at the bowl game. That was probably one of the most emotional moments recently, just being out there in what could have been the last time. I wasn’t sure yet. So just soaking up that trip, and then got home, had a lot of stuff to think about. With the changes here, just talking to the people in my life, prayed about it a lot."

Mims came to Oklahoma out of Frisco, TX, as a 4-star prospect, having set the Texas state high school records with 5,485 career receiving yards and 2,629 single-season receiving yards. As a senior at Lone Star High School, he caught 117 passes and scored 32 touchdowns. 

Now Mims is fulfilling a lifelong dream in the NFL.

"Sad it’s gone," he said, "but I still got some living it up to do."

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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