Georgia OL Amarius Mims picked by Cincinnati Bengals in first round of 2024 NFL Draft
Amarius Mims now knows where he will begin the next phase of his football career. The Georgia offensive tackle was selected by Cincinnati Bengals with the 18th overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday, becoming the fifth Bulldog player at his position to be selected in the first round in the past eight years.
He joins the likes of Isaiah Wynn, Andrew Thomas, Isaiah Wilson, and Broderick Jones as first round picks out of UGA. Mims was taken in the opening round in the draft despite starting just eight games in his Georgia career.
The Cochran, Ga. native started the final two games of the 2022 season, both College Football Playoff games. Mims then began the 2023 season as a starter before suffering a high ankle sprain that forced him to miss most of the season. After returning late in the year, he experienced a setback in the SEC Championship game against Alabama and that was the last game of his Bulldog career.
He didn’t have a significant role in his first season at Georgia. After playing in mop-up duty as a freshman, Mims entered the transfer portal where many had him tabbed for Florida State. The former five-star prospect eventually decided to return to Athens where he played in a three-tackle rotation in 2022.
At 6-foot-7 340 pounds, Mims had an impressive NFL Combine earlier this year. He has been viewed as a potential top-flight NFL prospect since his high school days. According the On3 Industy Ranking, a weighted average that includes all four websites that publish recruiting rankings, Mims was the nation’s No. 10 overall prospect in the 2021 class. He was the No. 3 offensive tackle and the No. 1 prospect in Georgia.
Mims is one of two Georgia offensive linemen that will hear their name called in the 2024 NFL Draft. Sedrick Van Pran-Granger, a three-year starter at center, will also be picked before the seven rounds are up.
