Mum’s No Longer the Word for Mims : Football: Rookie is beginning to live up to the expectations of the Charger management.

Chris Mims was the Chargers’ No. 1 draft choice this year, but in training camp, his rap sheet was rather lengthy.

His long, flabby body looked more like a basketball player’s frame than that of a defensive end. George O’Leary, his position coach, questioned his commitment. Mims was getting physically abused twice a day by Charger tight ends Duane Young and Derrick Walker, and he spent most of the first scrimmage on his rear end.

After watching Mims work, starting defensive end Burt Grossman said: “I see me and Leslie playing. If one of us gets hurt, maybe (Mims will play). Where he’s at now, I don’t see all three of us playing.”

Billy Devaney, Charger player personnel director, heard the negative talk and even saw a guy who was afraid to wear a muscle shirt in public. But Devaney fell in love with Mims’ ability at last year’s Senior Bowl. He stood by his man.

Now Devaney and the rest of the Charger organization look like prophets. As the 23rd pick overall, Mims is becoming a steal.

His eight sacks, including a career-high three Sunday against Tampa Bay, place him second on the team to Leslie O’Neal’s 9 1/2 and second among NFL rookie defensive lineman, behind the Buccaneers’ Santana Dotson (nine). Mims also has become the team’s most versatile lineman, playing four line positions. Mims’ flexibility has paid dividends for a team with injury problems on an already thin defensive line.

Devaney hates to say he told you so, but . . .

“Anybody whose opinion that we valued wasn’t questioning the pick,” Devaney said. “Any negative stuff that we heard, we usually heard it from the media. That doesn’t do anything to us one way or another.

“We knew what he was when we drafted him. How soon he developed was all going to be up to him. It was all about how much time and effort he put into it. In our mind, there was never any question he was going to be a good player. How fast he got stronger was going to be the key.”

The two-a-day practices during training camp hindered his progress in the weight room for awhile. But once the Chargers broke camp, Devaney said Mims began to develop muscles he never thought he had.

“The one thing he had to do in his life that he’d never done before was get stronger,” Devaney said.

But Mims has put on 15 pounds since training camp, and although he’s no Arnold Schwarzenegger, he’s starting to look like a football player now.

“He’s a great leverage guy,” Devaney said. “He’s got what we call functional strength. His playing strength is much better than his weight-room strength. Now he’s combining natural functional strength with added weight-room strength.”

The rest, Devaney said, was easy.

“He had the stuff that you can’t coach or develop,” Devaney said. “The athletic ability, movement off the ball. He always had the knack to rush the passer. The other knock against him was that he was an up and down player in intensity. I don’t know how those things get started, but that was never a question we thought had to be answered.”

Lately, Mims’ opponents have been asking the questions. His recent play has convinced opposing teams to change their blocking strategy on the Chargers’ front four.

“Teams have to be aware of him,” Devaney said. “They can’t double Leslie as much. It just narrows an offensive line if they can’t key on two outside pass rushers. There’s a force now inside that they have to account for.”

The person who has benefited the most, according to Devaney, is Grossman, who has 4 1/2 sacks through 11 games after having six last year.

“He’s made Grossman this year,” Devaney said. “Leslie’s always been by far the premier pass rusher. Even if Leslie does get double teamed, teams might keep a running back in to account for Burt. Well, teams are starting to look to Mims now to keep an extra guy in to block. Not that they’ve been ignoring Burt, but Burt’s had more opportunities this year.”

Mims has not only proven Grossman and others wrong, but he’s also shown Coach Bobby Ross a little something.

“I thought maybe we’d play him 15 plays a game, get him a little experience and he’d be ready to play next year,” Ross said. “His development has come a little faster and that’s helped us as a team.”

Even Devaney didn’t predict this much early success for Mims.

“He’s come on faster than we thought,” Devaney said. “Obviously, we’re ecstatic.”