It’s quite easy to connect the dots between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Georgia OT Amarius Mims. The Steelers have a need at offensive tackle with LT Dan Moore Jr. struggling mightily last season. However, with all the needs the Steelers have at this point in the offseason, the surprise might be that they would trade up in the first round to get Mims.
Well, that’s exactly what Josh Edwards of CBSSports.com is predicting. In his latest mock draft, he has the Steelers trading with the Seattle Seahawks to move up four spots to the 16th overall pick for Mims.
“Pittsburgh is not a team that likes to wait around to see if its target is going to be available,” Edwards writes. “In this scenario, the Steelers move up a handful of picks to ensure they do not miss out on new right tackle Amarius Mims. Mims’ selection allows them to move Broderick Jones back to the left side, which he played at Georgia.”
As Edwards highlighted, drafting a player like Mims would allow Jones to move back to his natural position. Jones played left tackle at their mutual alma mater but started the final 10 games of the 2023 season at right tackle. He helped pave the way for a quality running game but struggled at points in pass protection. Perhaps a move back to left tackle could be beneficial.
Mims is an athletic prospect at right tackle who simply lacks experience. He only started eight games in his college career and saw the field for 803 offensive snaps. That’s a limited amount of game tape for a first-round pick, but his combination of athleticism and physical build is pretty darn great. His Relative Athletic Score versus other offensive tackles since 1987 is 9.50 out of 10.
Steeler Depot’s Alex Kozora scouted Mims early this offseason to get a feel for the mammoth offensive tackle. His size and athletic ability show up on tape, not just in shorts. However, due to the lack of limited playing time, Kozora acknowledges the risk of drafting him in the first round.
“Overall, Mims’ potential is off the charts. He could be the next great offensive tackle. The physical tools and traits are just absurdly good. But knowing he’s viewed as a first-round pick, it’s a large investment on someone who simply hasn’t played much football. That creates uncertainty, which creates risk. If drafted by Pittsburgh, he would make for a pair of impressive bookend Georgia tackles opposite Broderick Jones, who could shift back to left tackle.
A risk/reward selection, but Mims has All-Pro potential if he hits. My NFL comp for him is Tra Thomas. Though, if he reaches his potential, and I know this sounds wild and isn’t my official comp, he has a Jonathan Ogden ceiling.”
The reward is potentially great for Mims. However, the Steelers would be betting heavily on a limited sample size. As Edwards writes, the Steelers are willing to move up in the draft to get their guy. After all, that’s exactly what they did in the 2023 draft to get Jones.
The Steelers had a large presence at Georgia’s Pro Day with general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin both in attendance. Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, and vice president of player personnel Dan Rooney Jr. were also there. That is a lot of big names in one location during a busy stretch of the offseason.
We also know that there are plenty of other Georgia players the Steelers could be looking at beyond just Mims. They could have been looking at WR Ladd McConkey due to a need for that position. We also know that Smith loves to utilize tight ends, but Brock Bowers could necessitate an even bigger jump in the first round than what Edwards projected for Mims.
Whether or not the Steelers move up or even draft Mims, there appears to be genuine interest there.
