For years, Bob McGinn has picked the brains of NFL scouts as they weigh in on the top talents in each year’s draft class. Today, they’re sharing their thoughts on the 2024 offensive line class and definitely aren’t holding back. As shared in Tyler Dunne’s Go Long substack, the o-line class is generally viewed favorably though it has its detractors.
Scouts are concerned about big Georgia OT Amarius Mims. Despite his size and upside, a lack of experience has them concerned about his NFL projection.
“He may be the biggest bust,” one scout told McGinn. “He’s so f–king talented but there are so many (questions). He’s only started how many games? That ain’t very many. That scares the f–k out of me.”
Mims started eight career games at Georgia, the final two of the team’s 2022 championship run and six along the 2023 season. A high ankle sprain that required surgery caused him to miss much of this past year, Mims bouncing in and out of the lineup. And though he sometimes came off the bench and rotated snaps, Mims still logged less than 900 career snaps, making him a tougher evaluation to the next level.
Still, one scout believes he is the second-most talented offensive tackle in the class, only behind Alabama’s JC Latham. Whoever takes Mims will have to coach him up even more than a typical first-round pick, refining his technique and improving his ability to mirror against inside counters, one weakness we noted in our scouting report.
“Really neat kid. Nice, friendly, well-spoken, intelligent. You could really hit on this guy,” another scout shared.
Mims has checked as many Steelers boxes as any prospect in this year’s draft and it wouldn’t be a shock if he became the team’s pick in the first round. But there is a level of risk and projection that comes alongside it. and that was universally agreed upon by scouts in McGinn’s blurb.
Many draftniks believe Duke’s Graham Barton can kick inside to center. But at least one scout thinks that’s the last place he should go. One suggested Barton play guard because at 6-5, playing center is going to give him leverage problems.
“I don’t know why you’d want to put a guy that’s 6-5 at center…but at center, the guy’s 6-5, I don’t think he’d have a chance.”
It’s a case Dave Bryan has made in recent weeks, and worth noting in the article, Barton was listed as the second-best guard behind Washington’s Troy Fautanu, who played left tackle in college (and does not want to move inside).
Barton played center in 2020, his freshman season, as injuries rocked the Blue Devils’ lineup. Since, he kicked out to left tackle but a lack of length projects him to return to the interior at the next level. Most have viewed him as playing center, a relatively rare conversion, but Barton worked out at center during his Pro Day. And for the Steelers’ purposes, that’s where they have a need.
One other scout was more optimistic about Barton’s chances of succeeding at the pivot.
“He did a lot of center work at pro day and it looked like he’d been doing it the entire season.”
Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, a former offensive lineman, attended Barton’s Pro Day, though neither Mike Tomlin nor Omar Khan made the trip. OL Coach Pat Meyer was in Washington for the Huskies’ top tackles in Fautanu and RT Roger Rosengarten.
An injury caused Barton to pull out of the 2024 Senior Bowl, where he would’ve gotten valuable reps at center. Similar to Mims, Barton is a bit of a projection in terms of the position switch but it’s clear the Steelers have interest. Barton is arguably the favorite to be Pittsburgh’s pick at No. 20, though it has done homework on all the top centers in this class.
At center, Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson grabbed the top spot over West Virginia’s Zach Frazier.
