Led by wide receiver Denzel Mims, a potential first-round pick, Baylor should have its biggest NFL Draft haul since 2016.

The first round of the NFL Draft will begin Thursday at 7 p.m. and will be televised on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network. The second and third rounds will be held Friday beginning at 6 p.m. while the fourth through seventh rounds will start Saturday at 11 a.m.

After six Baylor players were selected in the 2016 NFL Draft, Baylor has had just two draft picks in the last three years. Center Kyle Fuller went in the seventh round in 2017 to the Houston Texas while receiver Jalen Hurd was picked in the third round by the San Francisco 49ers in 2019.

Coming off an 11-3 season that included a Big 12 championship game appearance, six Baylor players were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis in February.

Joining Mims were Big 12 defensive player of the year and All-America defensive lineman James Lynch, safeties Chris Miller and Grayland Arnold, linebacker Clay Johnston and running back JaMycal Hasty.

Surprisingly, all-Big 12 noseguard Bravvion Roy wasn’t invited to the combine, but he’s also a potential draft pick.

Due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, the draft will shift from a highly visible spectacle in Las Vegas to NFL commissioner Roger Goodell’s home in New York. Instead of walking across the stage to meet Goodell at the draft, potential early-round draft picks under shelter-in-place orders will be interviewed from their homes.

“This was my dream as a kid and my family will be there to experience it with me,” Lynch said. “It’s getting closer, so I’ve been thinking about it a lot. For me, it doesn’t matter where I go. I just want to show what I can do.”

Mims could become Baylor’s first pick in the opening round since the Cleveland Browns selected Biletnikoff Award winning wide receiver Corey Coleman with the 15th overall pick in 2016. Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports projects Mims to be picked in the first round with the No. 30 overall pick.

ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper projects Mims to be the second pick in the second round by the Indianapolis Colts. Several weeks ago, Kiper projected Mims to be picked No. 22 overall in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings.

Mims was an all-Big 12 receiver for the Bears in 2019 as he made 66 catches for 1,020 yards and 12 touchdowns.

But the 6-3, 207-pound Mims improved his stock by performing well during the week of the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala. He then turned in great numbers at the combine as he was clocked at 4.38 in the 40-yard dash and had a 38.5-inch vertical leap.

“You want to nail the process by having a great year, a great all-star game and then doing well at the NFL Combine,” said Kiper in a recent teleconference. “You’re going to soar up the board, and Mims did just that.”

Both Lynch and Arnold decided to forgo their senior seasons at Baylor. The 6-4, 290-pound Lynch is expected to be drafted in the third or fourth round after a consensus All-American season in which he collected 13.5 sacks and 22 tackles for loss.

After battling injuries throughout his career, Arnold delivered an all-Big 12 season as a fourth-year junior as he made 46 tackles and led the Bears with six interceptions. The 5-10, 190-pound Arnold played cornerback most of his four seasons before moving to safety in Baylor’s 3-3-5 defense in 2019.

Miller had a solid senior year at safety as he made 76 tackles, but he’ll have to learn to play with controlled aggression as he was flagged for three targeting calls last year.

Sharing backfield duties with John Lovett and Trestan Ebner, Hasty never put up big season rushing numbers for the Bears. But he’s a physical back at 5-9 and 205 pounds who could be an asset for an NFL team.

The 6-1, 333-pound Roy often occupied two blockers on the line of scrimmage, clearing the path for Lynch and Baylor’s other defenders to make tackles. The all-Big 12 nose guard still made plenty of tackles as he collected 61 with 13 for loss and 5.5 sacks.

Johnston is hoping an NFL team gives him a shot after rehabbing from ACL surgery. He was enjoying an All-America type of season with 58 tackles and eight for loss when he injured his knee after making an interception in the sixth game of last season against Texas Tech.

“Deep down it would be cool to be drafted,” Johnston said. “But I just want the opportunity to play and be with the guys in the locker room because it’s a special place.”