Cincinnati Bengals select Amarius Mims in first round of 2024 NFL Draft

The Cincinnati Bengals selected Georgia offensive lineman Amarius Mims in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Mims spent the last three seasons helping the Bulldogs win back-to-back national championships.

Mims is an interesting player as he has seen limited action on the offensive line during his career. In 2023, Mimis played right tackle in seven games, making six starts, and helped the offensive line rank first in the SEC and seventh nationally in sacks allowed (0.93). Mims also helped the offensive line finish second in the SEC and fifth in the nation in total offense (496.5) offensive passing efficiency (168.21) and scoring offense (40.1).

Mims suffered an injury during the conference opener against South Carolina last year. he returned to the team for their home finale against Ole Miss but did not play in the Orange Bowl.

Mims played high school football at Bleckley County High School in Cochran, Georgia, where he was a five-star prospect. He ranked as the No. 10 overall prospect and No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2021 class, according to the On3 Industry Rating, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

What NFL Draft analysts are saying about Amarius Mims

NFL.com Lance Zierlein provided some analysis on Mims’ game in his recent scouting report of the offensive lineman’s draft profile. Zierlein compared Mims to Donovan Smith who played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. Smith won a Super Bowl with the Buccaneers in 2020 and another with the Chiefs in February.

Zierlein loves what Mims brings to the table as he has great size, strong hands and can fight back when he’s beaten. However, the draft analyst is a little concerned with his lack of experience and his inconsistencies in sustaining blocks in the run game.

“Talented tackle prospect carrying a picturesque frame and exciting NFL traits,” Zierlein wrote. “Mims plays with pretty good technique and is ahead of the game with hand placement. He has the size and bend to create movement and adequate athleticism to make blocks on the move, although he can be inconsistent in that area.

“He uses a two-hand punch that causes him to lunge forward a bit, but that should be correctable. It is very rare to see him clearly beaten by a rusher, and he has the recovery talent to do something about it when it happens. Mims has more development to go, but he’s a Day 1 prospect with the traits and talent to be considered at either tackle position. He has a high ceiling, but questions due to his lack of experience could temper early expectations.”