Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims is certainly an intriguing prospect with his massive size and extreme athleticism. The one big knock with him is his lack of experience, however. He started just eight games in college.
NFL Network lead draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah does not see Mims as a guy who can start day one, and he might even fall to the second round.
Dane Brugler of The Athletic is on the same page as Jeremiah. He likes Mims’ upside, but if he needed a tackle tomorrow, he’s passing on him in the top 20.
“I think he’s more inexperienced than he is truly raw because I think there’s a lot of natural ability there. It’s just, but again, it does take a leap of faith when you’re talking about a guy with eight starts. But just the fact when you throw on the Ohio State game from last year and his first career start ever, and he was that good. I can’t eliminate that from my mind. And it’s like, okay, I want to bet on this in the right situation. If I need a tackle tomorrow, I’m not drafting him top 20,” Brugler said on The Athletic NFL podcast.
Mims addressed the concerns over his eight career starts in college during an appearance on NFL Total Access on Thursday. For Mims, it as a non-issue.
“I was fortunate to play at a great O-line room my freshman, sophomore year. Had some strong battles with guys like Warren McLendon, Broderick Jones, Jamaree [Saylor]. So I got some playing time freshman year, wasn’t significant time, but sophomore year was kind of hard, I was in a three tackles rotation where I was with two other good tackles. We all, we were battling every day just for all three of us to get 30-40 reps a game. It is what it is, starts are the starts. But I feel like even with that eight career starts, I don’t think it’s a big deal, in my opinion. ”
The 6-foot-7 3/4, 340-pound Mims certainly has the size and athleticism to be an elite offensive tackle. At the combine, Mims ran a 5.07-second 40-yard dash, an impressive time for that size.
As mentioned, the questions about Mims’ experience level and injury history are valid. After sitting behind Broderick Jones and others his first two seasons, playing in just two games as a sophomore, Mims played only six games due to injury in 2023, before declaring early for the draft.
The Steelers haven’t bothered to hide their interest in Mims, bringing him into the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for a pre-draft visit, sending general manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin and others to his pro day in Athens, Georgia, and holding a formal interview with him at the 2024 NFL Combine.
The Steelers have drafted three former Georgia Bulldogs in the last two drafts — wide receiver George Pickens, offensive tackle Broderick Jones and tight end Darnell Washington. Mims very well could be the next product out of Athens to come to the Steel City.
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