Typically, when it comes to an NFL draft prospect with limited experience, such as just eight starts and a little over 800 career snaps, teams tend to be scared off in the evaluation process, categorizing the player as one not worth taking a chance on, especially early in the NFL draft.
Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims is different.
Though he had just eight career starts and a little over 800 career snaps for the Bulldogs, missing some time due to an ankle injury that required tightrope surgery, Mims is considered one of the most intriguing players in the draft class, especially in a deep offensive line class.
While there are concerns about experience, there aren’t many concerns about Mims’ tools. Instead, teams are seemingly considering those concerns ones that will get worked out with more reps in-game.
For DraftKings analyst Mike Golic Jr., Mims has the bones of a really good NFL offensive lineman with a rare physical profile.
During an appearance on the 93.7 The Fan Morning Show Thursday, Golic spoke highly of Mims, calling him the offensive line version of current Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson from a year ago in the draft, a player with all the tools and impressive tape, but just needing more in-game reps.
“So, I think it would worry me only a little bit if you really needed him to play like right away and press into duty. That being said, he reminds me in an o-line form of Anthony Richardson from last year where he gets the billing of big, incredible athlete, all these physical gifts. But when you actually pop on the tape, the technical stuff’s not that far away,” Golic said of Mims, according to audio via 93.7 The Fan. “…And it’s the same with Mims where the stuff he does naturally bending being a knee bender and not a waist bender, where he puts his hands and arms, all these different things show up pretty well considering how little football he’s played.”
While the number of actual in-game snaps and games started is certainly concerning when considering a player in the first round of the NFL draft, the traits and overall size of Mims is incredibly tantalizing.
Teams in the middle of the first round, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, have been heavily connected to him throughout the process. Mims’ size at 6076, 340 pounds, along with his overall athletic testing numbers, including a 5.07 40-yard dash and a 9’3″ broad jump, stand out. He scored a 9.57 Relative Athletic Score from Kent Lee Platte, which was the 58th best number from an OT from 1987 to 2024 in the testing department.
The traits have teams salivating, but those traits don’t always translate onto the field. That will be the challenge with Mims.
But Golic, who spent time with the Steelers in training camp in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Notre Dame before being cut in final roster cutdowns, sees a really good offensive lineman in Mims, one who will continue to get better and better with the more reps he gets.
“The stuff that he has difficulty with all just comes with time and reps. And so I think the bones are there of a really good offensive lineman,” Golic Jr. said. “And like you said, the physical ability that he presents, the physical profile that he has is so rare. One of one in this class that he’s a guy in terms of, hey, a little bit more raw prospect on the offensive line that I would probably be the most comfortable with in this class just because some of the things he does from a technical standpoint aren’t that far off. He just needs to play more ball.”
Assuming he stays healthy at the next level, Mims will get that playing time that he needs, especially if he ends up being a first-round pick.
Again, though the tape and reps are limited, what he’s shown on tape in games in the SEC is rather good.
A team is going to take a chance on him in the first round. It’ll be up to his next offensive line coach to get the best out of him, especially with those traits.
