Amarius Mims fits needs of Cincinnati, Bengals feel they're 'right team to take him'

The Cincinnati Bengals came into the opening round of the 2024 NFL Draft with a plan, and it played out perfectly. Head coach Zac Taylor and general manager Dan Pitcher had their eyes on an offensive tackle. They met with all the top options at the position during the pre-draft process, made it a priority to get to know each and every one of them and in the end, the Bengals had an opportunity to take one they loved in Amarius Mims at 18th overall.

“Fired up about Amarius Mims. The potential that this guy’s got, we were excited he was there at 18,” Taylor said Thursday night. “We think we’re a great fit for him with acquiring Trent (Brown) and having Orlando (Brown), guys that can help with his processing early on as he comes into the NFL. We were just really excited he was there at 18 and that we get to have him next.”

“The only thing I’d add there, we’re of the opinion that the only reason he’s here to pick at 18 is because of the fact he only has eight starts. Had he gotten through and played this whole season the way he played in the tape we saw, there’s a very low chance we’re having an opportunity to pick him,” Pitcher added.

That narrative shared by the team’s top executives fits the one Mims shared with local reporters shortly after his selection. According to the 6-foot-8, 340-pound offensive tackle, Taylor told him during a pre-draft visit, “We want O-linemen that are winner… If we’re lucky to get you, we’re going to come get you.” Things fell their way, and that happened Thursday night.

With six quarterbacks off the board in the top 12 picks, teams continued to spend their draft capital on players the Bengals weren’t targeting. Joe Burrow is their guy, they just need to keep him on his feet – especially after a season that saw the star quarterback go down with a season-ending injury in early November.

“We underwent an extensive process and had a lot of these guys in the building. We made it a point that we wanted to get to know all of these high end tackles,” Pitcher said. “I think probably after meeting him here and getting to interact with him and really understand what he was about – that’s the biggest piece to this puzzle. It’s so hard to predict the kind of success these guys are going to have. You have to feel really comfortable with the person. We felt that way when he left this building, watched all the tape there was to watch. You combine those two things, and we felt really good about the pick.”

Mims excited about joining an offense led by Burrow. The Bengals also have star firepower on the perimeter with wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins – for the time being at least. He watched the dynamic duo of Burrow and Chase during their special season together at LSU and dreamed about playing with them one day.

“It’s just wild because just watching Joe Burrow at LSU I was like, ‘Oh my god. I would love to block for him one day,’ and now that I have the chance to, it’s a blessing,” Mims said. “I just look forward to getting in and talking to him. It’s almost like a little kid, getting to be around somebody you look up to at quarterback and say, ‘You’re one of those guys in college for me who I’d love to play with and block for.'”

When describing Mims’ skillset, potential is key. A former five-star prospect, he’ll arrive in Cincinnati with just eight collegiate starts under his belt. He has all the tools, he’s just inexperienced – something Taylor made sure to emphasize. That’s okay too with the Bengals having a pair of Pro Bowlers and Super Bowl winning offensive tackles, Orlando Brown (LT) and Trent Brown (RT), for him to learn behind.

“What we’ve done at the tackle position allows us to take Amarius and get him ready to play,” Taylor said, not wanting to go into whether Mims might work on the interior until his time comes at tackle. “Those guys that have similar measurables and have gone through a lot of seasons, won Super Bowls both of them. It’s coincidence – we didn’t set out to do this – but the way it’s played out makes us look brilliant.”

“The same reason we’ve talked about why we like Trent and Orlando, the length. He has length, and he plays with tremendous length. And then, he’s 340 but he doesn’t look like he’s 340,” Pitcher added. “He moves a lot better than what you’d expect a player of that weight to move. He stays in good position. He’s seemingly unaffected by speed and bull. He plays under control. He’s comfortable. It’s all the things you’d want to see out of a guy that size to project to be a high end pass protector in the NFL.”

Mims is aware of the tackles that Cincinnati already has. While their presence likely means a lack of early playing time for the first rounder, Mims considers it a blessing for him to have an opportunity to learn from them without being rushed into action.

“I can get behind those guys and learn from Trent and Orlando as much as possible,” Mims said. “It was just wild watching both of those guys in college and now in the league and getting to be in the same room with them is just a blessing.”

“It’s definitely going to grow,” he added about his game. “Everybody’s game is going to grow a lot. But like I said, I’m just very fortunate to come around a great coaching staff who can keep developing me and mold me into a player that’s better than now … That’s something me and coach will talk about. I’m open to all options. My game is not perfect, but I’m going to get with a great group of coaches and we’re going to work together and we’re going to figure that out.”

As for the immeasurable traits of the massive offensive tackle, both Taylor and Pitcher said it was important to them to get to know Mims off the field during the pre-draft process. Knowing that drafting is an inexact science, they felt it was paramount to feel comfortable with the person they were drafting as much as the player.

“Really enjoyed being around him. He was about the right things, the things we want to be about. You could tell his love for football was genuine and pure, and that’s the feedback we’ve always gotten. Really enjoyed our interactions, especially when we got him here in town,” Taylor said. “There’s just a lot there to work with that we’re excited about. We’ve had a lot of exposure to him face to face where we’ve had chances to interact with him in a lot of different ways. Felt really good about his fit with us in the o-line room, with our team and what his future could bring. We think it was the right fit for us.”

“I think they do a good job of developing offensive linemen there at Georgia. They’ve got a really good track record of putting guys into the NFL, guys that can come in and play,” Taylor added. “He’s gotten the practice, gotten the experience in practice – even when he wasn’t starting. He was playing against all these top draft picks and as good of competition as there is out there. It’s just an inexperience level in actual games, but again, that’s why we felt comfortable with how we’re built with the two tackles we have. We’re the right team to take him on.”

The NFL Draft continues with the second and third rounds on Friday night in Detroit. Coverage begins on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network at 7:00 p.m. ET.