Kirby Smart empathically settled the Amarius Mims NFL Draft debate
Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Amarius Mims missed a good chunk of the 2023 college football season after he suffered a high-ankle sprain. The injury kept him limited to just seven games with six starts last fall. In total, Mims made only eight starts throughout his three-year career at Georgia, which has many wondering whether or not he's […]
Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Amarius Mims missed a good chunk of the 2023 college football season after he suffered a high-ankle sprain.
The injury kept him limited to just seven games with six starts last fall.
In total, Mims made only eight starts throughout his three-year career at Georgia, which has many wondering whether or not he's worthy of a Day 1 selection.
But Georgia head coach Kirby Smart doesn't think it should even be a debate.
"I think the eight career starts is a mistake," Smart told reporters during Georgia's Pro Day on Wednesday, March 13. "What does that matter if you block Travon Walker, Nolan Smith, Robert Beal your whole career… Would you rather have a guy who's played 27 games and played against nobody or somebody who played against first-round draft picks every day at practice? I know which one I'm picking. … He's uber-talented. He's going to play a long time [in the NFL]."
As for Mims, he's already blocked out the doubters.
"I know my sample size of starts and snaps isn't as great as everybody else's, but I'm fortunate enough to go to the best University in the nation where they prepared me on and off the field so like that'll help. And then too like I said, my maturity level has increased day by day. They're still talking about it, but I don't really listen to it anymore. It's more that I know what I want in life at the next level and I know I've got to work to get there. So they can go off of the starts and all that good stuff but doesn't matter to me."
Mims, who ran an impressive 5.07-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine but injured his hamstring along the way, did not participate in Georgia's Pro Day.
He plans to privately work out for NFL teams on April 10.
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