Bengals take a worthy home run swing in the first round by selecting Georgia OT Amarius Mims
The Cincinnati Bengals commit to bulking the trenches by selecting Georgia OT Amarius Mims with the 18th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Mims stood out as a likely Bengals target since signing Trent Brown to a one-year deal. Rostering two mammoth tackles with Brown and Orlando Brown Jr. made the Bengals a haven for Mims, who […]
The Cincinnati Bengals commit to bulking the trenches by selecting Georgia OT Amarius Mims with the 18th pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Mims stood out as a likely Bengals target since signing Trent Brown to a one-year deal. Rostering two mammoth tackles with Brown and Orlando Brown Jr. made the Bengals a haven for Mims, who stands 6-8 and 340 pounds, to develop alongside two similarly-built players. He immediately becomes the third tackle on the depth chart with a chance to beat out Trent Brown to start at right tackle.
While injury concerns and a lack of experience are risks in Mims' profile, he's by far the most talented offensive lineman the Bengals have drafted a long time.
Mims is ranked as the 12th overall prospect in this draft class by A to Z Sports NFL Draft analyst James Foster. His top attributes make a clear argument.
- Size, frame, & movement skills of a top-5 pick
- Hunts & flattens linebackers
- Creates movement on drive blocks & double teams
- Only 7 pressures allowed on 402 career pass blocking snaps
- Patient & nuanced hand usage is impressive for such an inexperienced player
Why the Bengals took the risk on Mims
Cincinnati has not had an elite offensive tackle since Andrew Whitworth. That's nearly a decade of getting by with marginal talent with the occasional highs of Jonah Williams and Brown Jr. at left tackle, while the right tackle spot has been a desolate wasteland featuring the likes of Cedric Ogbuehi, Bobby Hart, and a couple veterans past their primes.
None of that is ideal playing six games a year against AFC North teams who roster the best edge defenders in the game. Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt of the Cleveland Browns and Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively, have terrorized the Bengals for years as they've had the pleasure of going up against mediocre athletes protecting the pocket.
Mims is anything but a mediocre athlete. He ran the 40-yard dash in 5.07 seconds and jumped 111" on the broad jump at his immense size. That speed and explosion is unbelievably rare for his size. The best offensive tackles in the league are elite athletes, and Mims is in that category.
The red flags with Mims are simple. He only played 803 snaps at Georgia, and missed most of the 2023 season with an ankle injury. He had tightrope surgery and tried coming back quickly during the season and re-injured it later in season. He then strained his hamstring at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Ankle injuries can be re-occurring if not enough time is taken to rest, and tightrope surgery has been known to lead to hamstring injuries. That exact timeline disrupted Mims' path to the draft, but it wasn't enough for the Bengals to pass on him.
While Mims is relatively inexperienced, he isn't raw. The flashes of technique and awareness are prevalent in his tape. But even if the Bengals aren't comfortable playing him immediately, they already have two starting tackles on the roster for Week 1. Mims is expected to have time to fully heal and develop under an offensive line coach in Frank Pollack that has experience maxing out elite talents.
The Bengals' lack of upside and athleticism along the offensive line has been a problem for a long time. Mims is a crucial first step in the right direction.
Highly ranked NFL Draft prospects whom the Cincinnati Bengals have met with multiple times
Cincinnati has gotten familiar with these players over the past two months.
