Amarius Mims names best players he faced at Georgia
INDIANPOLIS, Ind. — Georgia has had eight players taken in the first rounds of the past two NFL Drafts. Amarius Mims has a very good chance of joining that group in 2024 and he credits the competition he faced every day on the Woodruff practice fields in Athens for giving him that chance.
The massive tackle was asked on Friday at the 2024 NFL Combine about the toughest player he has faced both in practice at Georgia and in games. He couldn’t narrow the list of Bulldogs down to just one.
“I might have to give you a top five at Georgia because there’s so many,” Mims said with a wind grin. “No order at all, of course you’ve got Jordan Davis, you’ve got Devonte Wyatt, you’ve got Jalen Carter, you’ve got Travon Walker, and then you’ve got, I’m going to throw a tie in there. It’s going to be six, Adam Anderson and Nolan (Smith). I had to deal with that all my freshman year and they made life miserable. They got me prepared. They got me where I am today, honestly.”
As for the opponents that gave him the toughest time, Mims singled out B.J. Ojulari from LSU in the 2022 SEC Championship game and Tyler Barron at Tennessee in 2023. It’s not surprising that he singled out that group of Bulldogs, though. He listed five of the eight players who have been taken in the first rounds of the 2022 and 2023 NFL Drafts. All of them are on NFL rosters and had roles with their respective teams this past season.
The competition Mims faced in practice every day is why he was comfortable forgoing his final year of eligibility at UGA and turning pro despite starting just nine games in three years. Being in the neighborhood of 6-7 335-340 pounds doesn’t hurt, but he credits the entire organization in Athens giving him shot.
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“Honestly the three years I spent at Georgia,” Mims said. “I had to mature early. I went into the portal and all that good stuff that kind of matured me fast. I know I don’t have the amount of starts and snaps as many guys here but I feel like I’m just as prepared and just as good as everybody else here.”
The transfer portal ordeal in April of 2022 played no small part in Mims’ development. He remembers it well. When he told Kirby Smart that he would be entering his name, the Georgia head coach had a short and sweet message. “The grass isn’t always greener on the other side.”
Mims took a visit to Florida State and while he had nothing bad to say about that experience on Saturday, he saw what Smart meant. He ultimately decided that Georgia is where he wanted to be. A little less than two years later, he’s about to make life-changing money playing the game he loves. Teams have questioned him on the lack of game experience and he wants them to know that the University of Georgia has him ready for what’s next.
“I mean, yeah, it comes up and I just say the same thing over again,” Mims said. “I went to a very strong institution where they prepared me on and off the field as a man and a player and I feel like I’m ready.”
