The Pittsburgh Steelers have gone to the well often the last two years at Athens, Georgia, drafting three Bulldogs in WR George Pickens, OT Broderick Jones, and TE Darnell Washington. There is a chance they turn back to the SEC powerhouse again in the 2024 NFL Draft, having OT Amarius Mims drawing the eyes of NFL teams as a first round hopeful this spring.
Mims played alongside Jones and Washington on the line in 2022 and has stayed in contact with Jones since, saying to the media on Saturday that he mentored him both on and off the field during their time together at Georgia.
“Brod was a great teammate,” Mims said at the Combine. “Like I said, he helped me more off the field than on the field. Like I said, he was a year older than me, so like he’s been shown the ropes longer than I have. So, like I said, he didn’t have to, but he like took time to like show me little things like watching film, how to break down film, how to turn the switch on and off, like when to be serious, when like when you can actually have a little fun, you know? So, I’m very thankful for Broderick in those times he spoke with me.”
Mims looks like he was built in a lab walking into the room, standing 6-7 and 340 pounds with long arms to dominate the opponent across from him. He is a physical freak of nature in the run game, displacing defenders with ease while also stonewalling talented pass rushers at the line of scrimmage with a blend of strength and well as impressive athleticism for his size. Still, experience has been a big factor evaluators have pointed to for Mims, having only started eight games at the college level. Mims doesn’t see the lack of college starting experience as big of a deal as some are making it to be, stating he’s been prepared at Georgia for the NFL stage.
“Honestly the three years I spent at Georgia, I had to mature early going to the portal and all that good stuff that kind of matured me fast,” Mims said. “And like I said, I know I don’t have the amount of starts and snaps as many guys here, but I feel like I’m just as prepared and just as good as everybody else here.”
Jones, like Mims, also came out of Georgia last year light on playing experience but was able to see the field quickly for Pittsburgh as a rookie, logging starts at both left and right tackle after Chukwuma Okorafor was benched. Mims was also asked if he played snaps at both tackle spots during his time at Georgia like Jones did in practice, adding that versatility factor to the equation should the need arise to flips sides.
“A hundred percent,” Mims said. “Like I said, all my snaps are at right tackle, of course, but in practice, you gotta play both. It’s just how it is. I remember my freshman year I came in at left tackle and did snaps at left tackle and ever since then, from sophomore year on I’ve been right. So, you just gotta be thorough, ready to play both.”
Mims mentioned that he had a formal meeting with the Steelers at the Combine and would enjoy playing alongside Jones, Washington, and Pickens in Pittsburgh. Selecting Mims would allow Jones to move back to his more natural left tackle spot while inserting Mims at right tackle, giving Pittsburgh two former Bulldogs that can be bullies as run blockers with high ceilings as pass protectors.
Amarius Mims would have to prove that he is ready for the spotlight, having to beat out Dan Moore Jr. for a starting spot, but given GM Omar Khan’s comments this week that Jones will be the team’s starting left tackle at some point, it’s safe to say that they are doing their homework on Mims and will heavily consider him should he be on the board at 20th overall.
