If the Pittsburgh Steelers want to continue the Georgia-to-Pennsylvania pipeline, they could have an encore performance in the 2024 NFL Draft. NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah released his first 2024 NFL Mock Draft Friday afternoon. In it, he has the Steelers selecting Georgia OT Amarius Mims with the 20th overall selection, one year removed from the team trading up for and picking Georgia’s Broderick Jones with the 14th pick.
Explaining the selection, Jeremiah writes:
“The Steelers go back to Georgia after selecting Broderick Jones and Darnell Washington last year. Mims would pair with Jones as the team’s starting offensive tackles.”
Pittsburgh drafted a pair of Bulldogs last season. After taking Jones in the first round, they stopped TE Darnell Washington’s draft day fall with their third-round selection, one they acquired after trading down with the Carolina Panthers. Mims would further the pipeline.
With freakish size at a listed 6-7, 340 pounds, Mims lacks starting experience but plenty of upside. He started the final two games of Georgia’s 2022 season, a playoff run leading to another national championship, before starting six games at right tackle in 2023. Injury curtailed his season, Mims suffering an ankle sprain in the team’s Sept. 16 game against South Carolina. He underwent the same “tightrope” surgery QB Kenny Pickett had this season.
After recovering, Mims suffered a right ankle sprain in the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, exiting before the game was finished. While he joined his teammates on the sidelines for the Bulldogs’ bowl game against Florida State, he didn’t play. Mims declared for the draft on New Year’s Eve.
In July, our Jonathan Heitritter profiled Mims as part of his Summer Scouting Series, writing:
“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.”
With OT Chukwuma Okorafor doubtful to return and the possibility of the Steelers moving Jones back to left tackle, his natural position, they could have a glaring hole at right tackle. Dan Moore Jr. is unlikely to shift over there, having very little experience and admitting he’s not comfortable on the right side, while the team is light on other internal options. Dylan Cook is a name to remember but he can’t be counted on to start in 2024.
Though inexperienced, Mims could be a Day One starter as the Steelers take Georgia’s offensive players and put them in the NFL. His run blocking would be attractive and make up for what the team would lose by shifting Jones back to the left side.
Look for a full report on Mims in the coming weeks.
Elsewhere in Jeremiah’s mock, he has the Chicago Bears taking USC QB Caleb Williams with the first overall pick. The top three picks are quarterbacks with UNC’s Drake Maye going second to the Washington Commanders and LSU’s Jayden Daniels third to the New England Patriots. Again, check out the whole list at the link here.
