Brugler: Amarius Mims Has Talent to be Long-Term Starter at Right Tackle
Dane Brugler believes that the potential Pittsburgh Steelers first round pick Amarius Mims could be a long-term starter.
The Steelers haven’t bothered to hide their interest in Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims, bringing him into the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for a pre-draft visit, sending general manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin and others to his pro day in Athens, Georgia, and holding a formal interview with him at the 2024 NFL Combine.
The Steelers have drafted three former Georgia Bulldogs in the last two drafts — wide receiver George Pickens, offensive tackle Broderick Jones and tight end Darnell Washington. Mims very well could be the next product out of Athens to come to the Steel City. And while it is his personal pro day on Wednesday, Mims is viewed as a potential long-term starter at right tackle by Dane Brugler in his new draft guide, the Beast.
“Overall, Mims isn’t as far along fundamentally (especially in the run game) as other tackles in the class, but he is a natural in pass protectionwith above-average length, footwork and body twitch to handle different types of edge rushers. Though there is projection involved with his draft grade, his best football is ahead of him, and he has the talent to become a long-term starter at left or right tackle,” Brugler wrote.
An interview of Mims discussing the possibility of being reunited with Jones, Washington and Pickens was unearthed from the Georgia pro day on March 13.
“It would mean a lot,” Mims said on the possibility of playing with former Georgia teammates in Pittsburgh. “Just reuniting with the Georgia guys again. Guys like Darnell, of course, Broderick and George. We got a bond and it would be great spending however much time I can possible with them, however long I would be there. So that definitely would be nice.”
Georgia tackle Amarius Mims on potentially playing with Broderick Jones and Darnell Washington again in Pittsburgh.
Not to mention, #Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was in attendance at his Pro Day.
📽 @DawgsHQ #SteelersNation #HereWeGo #NFL #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/CS4iUa1Gsl
— Steelers Black and Gold Nation (@B_GNation1) April 9, 2024
Mims did not work out at the pro day due to a hamstring injury that he suffered at the NFL Combine. He is set to workout privately in front of several NFL scouts and evaluators on April 10.
The 6-foot-7 3/4, 340-pound Mims certainly has the size and athleticism to be an elite offensive tackle. At the combine, Mims ran a 5.07-second 40-yard dash, an impressive time for that size.
But he has significant questions about his experience level and injury history. After sitting behind Broderick Jones and others his first two seasons, playing in just two games as a sophomore, Mims played only six games due to injury in 2023, before declaring early for the draft.
Former New York Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum, who picked Mims to go No. 18 overall to the Cincinnati Bengals in his latest mock draft for ESPN, acknowledged the risk in taking a player like Mims.
“I like him,” Tannenbaum said in a conference call last week. “A big, talented guy. I do worry that he didn’t play a lot there. Now, there were a lot of good players in front of him. So, I still have him in the first round because his movement for his size is just rare. It’s not ideal when you’re talking about some of these other guys who have played for at least three years. It is a little bit of a risk.”
The Steelers have an affinity for younger players in the draft, and they took Jones as a junior out of Georgia last year, but the lack of college playing time makes Mims a tough evaluation.
His current NFL Mock Draft Database average is No. 23, so while there are scenarios, like Tannenbaum’s in which the big Bulldog will be off the board, the Steelers will more likely than not have their chance at Mims — if they want him.
Read This Next
