Amarius Mims, an offensive tackle from Georgia, was chosen by the Cincinnati Bengals with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Mims, who is a mammoth 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds, will be Joe Burrow’s backup quarterback. Burrow recently suffered a season-ending injury.
Due to a wrist injury that necessitated surgery in Week 11 of the previous season, Burrow’s team missed the playoffs for the first time since his rookie year.
Maintaining Burrow at the proper level and avoiding missing the playoffs in consecutive seasons is Cincinnati’s foremost aim.
According to Pro Football Focus, the Alabama graduate should be able to accomplish that after going 377 pass-blocking snaps during his school career without giving up a single QB hit or sack.
Because of his obvious inexperience, Mims does carry some danger. He played just 802 total snaps and had just eight career starts while at Georgia.
Trent Brown, a seasoned offensive lineman signed by the Bengals in free agency, means that Mims won’t have to start right away.
For just this reason, head coach Zac Taylor feels Cincinnati was the greatest place for Mims to end up.
The Bengals made a wise decision by grabbing Mims at the right time. Mims was the fifth player off the board after there was a run at offensive tackle.
While the Bengals are undoubtedly taking a chance on Mims, in a few years they may look back and claim to have selected the top offensive lineman in the first round of the draft.
