The Cincinnati Bengals selected Georgia Bulldogs offensive tackle Amarius Mims with the No. 18 pick in the 2024 NFL draft. Now, NFL draft experts are grading the pick.
USA TODAY gives the Bengals’ first round pick a B- grade.
Big player. Big risk. Big reward. The 6-8, 340-pound Mims is massively talented and might develop into one of the NFL’s most imposing blockers over time. With only eight career starts, though, he’s very much an unproven product.
Mims entered the 2024 NFL draft with questions surrounding his durability and limited starting experience. The Bengals love Mims’ upside and potential. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound offensive tackle was very effective when he played at Georgia. Cincinnati was also impressed with how Mims practiced.
The Bengals’ director of college scouting, Trey Brown, noted that Mims stood out in practice.
“(Mims) would show up every time,” said Brown. “Anytime you get a guy coming out of that program with how they (Georgia) train, how they develop players, it puts you at ease going to guys coming out of that system. There were a lot of great defensive players Amarius was able to go against.”
This sentiment is very similar to what Georgia head coach Kirby Smart echoed about Mims’ limited starting experience.
Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz does not think Amarius Mims will start at the beginning of the season.
Trent Brown likely will have to handle the starting role at right tackle in the early going, but Mims fits the bill of what Cincinnati seems to want from its offensive linemen. But when can the Bengals trust him to keep Joe Burrow clean?
Mims has been so effective when healthy that we disagree with this take. A healthy Mims is good enough to start on Week 1 in the NFL.
