A return of our Summer Scouting Series here at Steelers Depot as we highlight several 2024 NFL Draft hopefuls that are generating buzz prior to the start of the 2023 CFB season at positions that the Pittsburgh Steelers may have interest in several months from now once the pre-draft process gets underway.
#65 Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia (Junior) – 6-7, 330 pounds
The Good
— Enormous human being with impressive height, size, and length
— Has the wingspan to establish first contact and neutralize the pass rush
— Does a good job coming to balance and dropping anchor against the rush
— Good athlete out in space when it comes to locating defenders and making blocks
— Has the agility and quickness to redirect in pass protection
— Fluid mover overall for his size laterally and on the move
— Possesses a lot of strength in his punch to stonewall pass rushers
— Does a good job down blocking on the line of scrimmage and performing reach blocks
— Quick to pick up twists and stunts up front
— Can combo block from the defensive line up to the linebackers at the second level
— Can be a road grader up front, pushing defensive linemen off their spot thanks to sheer size and power
— Just scratching the surface of his ability given his youth and experience
The Bad
— Extremely raw with 409 career snaps under his belt
— Can be a waist bender at times due to his size and height
— Needs to do a better job of keeping his head up and not lunging into blocks
— Can do a better job of hitting and replacing with his hands
Bio
— Junior prospect from Cochran, Ga.
— Born October 14, 2002 (age 20)
— Verified wingspan of over seven feet
— Played OL/DL at Bleckley County High School
— Five-star prospect by Rivals, four-star prospect by ESPN
— 2019 Class 2A All-State team offense, 2020 MaxPreps Preseason All-America first team
— Selected to the 2021 Under Armour All-America Game
— Saw action in nine games as a true freshman with no starts, played a total of 121 snaps
— Played in 12 games and a total of 288 snaps in 2022 and gave up just two quarterback hurries, no quarterback hits, and no sacks
— Two-time national champion
— Sports Management major
Tape Breakdown
Amarius Mims may not have the extensive starting experience as some offensive tackle prospects in the 2024 draft class, but his play in his limited sample size has plenty of scouts and draft analysts enamored. The 6-foot-7, 330-pound blocker looks the part coming off the bus, having the size, height, and length you desire in the offensive tackle position. Much like former teammate and current Pittsburgh Steelers OT Broderick Jones, Mims served mainly as a reserve lineman his first two seasons, getting some run near the end of the 2022 campaign as clearly a better player compared to the upperclassmen ahead of him on the depth chart.
When you turn on the tape on Mims, you see an impressive man, having the frame paired with the athleticism to become a quality offensive tackle in the NFL. He is physical at the point of attack in the run game, doing a good job of mauling opposing defensive linemen in a phone booth while also being able to combo block and climb to the second level. Like we see in this clip below against Ohio State, Mims picks up the linebacker after helping the guard on the defensive lineman.
As mentioned above, Mims is a strong blocker in a phone booth who will overwhelm opposing defenders. He does a great job generating a push up front and will turn the shoulders of the defender across from him. As you see in this play against TCU, Mims takes the defensive lineman out of the gap for the runner to get in for the score.
Mims is a great athlete in the open field, having the fluidity to locate and pick up defenders out in space. Watch the bottom of your screen in this play. Mims gets out in space on the screen pass and locates the defensive back down the field, squaring him up and chucking him away as the ball carrier scoots into the end zone.
In pass protection, Mims does a good job of mirroring the pass rush, having the quickness off the snap to set his depth of the pocket and pick up the block. His long arms and sturdy base allow him to neutralize pass rushers right in their tracks, dropping anchor and making defenders come to a halt, like in this rep below against Ohio State.
Mims can pick up twists and stunts, as you can see in the first of two plays below. He also can represent himself well when on an island with some of the better pass rushers in college football. Watch in the second rep how Mims shuts down Ohio State EDGE J.T. Tuimoloau, a potential first-round pick in his own right. Getting a strong punch inside the defender’s chest, he drops anchor and stands up Tuimoloau right in his tracks.
For being so raw in terms of playing time, Mims represents himself well on tape when it comes to technique. However, he does let his size and height get the better of him sometimes as he will lunge forward into blocks, dropping his head and leading to whiffs. Check out the rep below. Mims starts out in great position on his block, but later falls off after he loses balance and drops his eyes, needing to come to balance and run the defender off the ball rather than go for the kill shot.
Conclusion
Amarius Mims is in a similar boat to former Bulldog and current Steeler Broderick Jones was a season ago, coming off a strong season when he wasn’t the starter but flashed in a big way. Hopefully Mims can lobby that momentum into becoming a first-round pick himself in the 2024 NFL Draft, having the size, strength, athleticism, and smarts to become a quality tackle in the league for a long time.
He needs some seasoning in terms of his hand usage and playing with more consistent leverage, but Mims could be yet another Georgia Bulldog on Pittsburgh’s radar, having the opportunity to potentially reunite Mims with Jones as the bookends should the Steelers decide that they want to transition away from Chukwuma Okorafor after the 2023 season.
Projection: Late Day One/ Early Day Two
Games Watched: vs Ohio State (2022), vs TCU (2022)
