Amarius Mims, the offensive tackle prospect from the University of Georgia, has been one of the trendiest mock draft selections for the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round. Mims visited the Steelers in March, and he’s been lumped together with some of the top tackle prospects generally falling in the 15-25 range in draft projections.
Nate Tice, an NFL draft analyst for Yahoo Sports, heaped immense praise on Mims, comparing him to 11x Pro Bowl offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden.
In a Yahoo Sports podcast earlier today, NFL writer Charles McDonald revealed that Tice messaged him and others with the note, “Does Georgia have a Jonathan Ogden on offensive line?”
You’d be hard-pressed to find a loftier comparison than that one. Jonathan Ogden was a unanimous All-American in his final year at UCLA before becoming the fourth overall draft pick in the 1996 NFL Draft. Ogden went on to dominate edge rushers in his 12 seasons with the Baltimore Ravens, leading the newly instituted Ravens team to their first Super Bowl win in 2000. If anyone could handle the dominant Pittsburgh Steelers’ pass rushers in the 2000s, it was Ogden.
The comparison is obviously some generous speculation because Mims isn’t even the highest-rated tackle prospect in this class, but there is some validity to this pre-draft take. Ogden’s size and athleticism was overwhelming, as he measured in at 6-8, 318 pounds with a 34-inch arm length coming into the draft. Yet Mims is actually bigger than Ogden, standing at 6-8 as well but weighing 340 pounds with 36-inch arms. Mims’ 5.07 40-yard dash wasn’t anything off the charts, but his speed is impressive for his size, and his in-game athleticism is apparent to scouts.
“Solely based on talent you could make a case that he’s the best guy in this class…he only played seven games last year…and 682 snaps over the past two years combined…but the baseline talent is out of this world,” McDonald said.
Sample size is the biggest concern with Mims. Unlike Ogden, who was a four-year starter at UCLA, Mims didn’t get any serious playing time until his junior season, and he saw the bulk of his snaps in his senior season. Part of this can be attributed to Georgia’s exceptional offensive line talent. The Steelers are certainly familiar with it, selecting Georgia offensive tackle Broderick Jones with the 14th pick in the 2023 draft. Additionally, Mims injured his ankle last season, forcing him to miss the final three regular-season games.
The upside is about as high as it gets for a guy with Mims’ physical traits, but it may take several years of development to get there. He showcased his outstanding abilities in pass protection while at Georgia, utilizing his length and athleticism to prevent top-tier SEC defenders from getting around him at right tackle. The Steelers have other needs that they could address with their first-round pick, such as center, but right tackle is also a spot that must be filled this offseason. If the Steelers see Ogden as a legitimate comparison to Mims, then every Black and Gold fan should be eager to see him selected at pick 20.
