ESPN's Mel Kiper dishes on Georgia Bulldogs in 2024 NFL Draft

ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. released his latest mock draft this week where he has a pair of Georgia players going in the first round. Projecting tight end Brock Bowers to the New York Jets at No. 10 and offensive tackle Amarius Mims off the board at No. 30 to the Baltimore Ravens, it would mark the third straight year multiple Bulldogs have been first round picks.

“Brock Bowers is not a tight end. He’s a multiple option player,” Kiper said while discussing his projection of the UGA product to NYC. “You can put him in the backfield, slot, wing, outside, any which way–fullback, h-back–you can do anything you want with Brock Bowers. He is not a tight end. He’s just an offensive weapon. So, would he fit in right with Aaron Rodgers? Doggone right he would. To have him and (Mike) Williams and (Garrett) Wilson, all of sudden you’ve gone from having questionable weapons to having a heck of a lot of them.”

“Amarius Mims, with 36-plus arms, a wingspan at 507, 6-foot-7-1/2, 340 pounds, Amarius Mims is intriguing,” he added on Mims. “You wish he had played more football. He had the injury and came back. He’s the kind of guy, if he had another year at Georgia, would probably be a top 10-15 pick. We thought he could be Broderick Jones this year. He wasn’t because of the injury, but boy, on talent, if you’re an offensive line coach, that’s why I have him going to Baltimore. Todd Monken, the offensive coordinator, was with Mims at Georgia, and maybe that’s a direction they go there. He’s going to go somewhere in the late first round.”

Bowers and Mims represent opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to their college production. Both true freshmen in 2021 when Georgia won its first National Championship in 41 years, Bowers played a huge part in that. He led the team in receiving (56 catches, 882 yards, 13 touchdowns) and won national Freshman of the Year with a record breaking first season. It only got better from there.

Meanwhile, Mims didn’t start for the Bulldogs until late in his sophomore season in 2022. Of course it’s harder to crack the lineup early as an offensive lineman, and he was part of a rotation throughout his second year on campus, but the lack of overall experience with only eight career starts has some concerned. His natural size and ability can’t be ignored though.

Kiper on other Dawgs

Those weren’t the only Georgia players he mentioned during a pre-draft conference call this week. Defensive backs Tykee Smith and Kamari Lassiter along with wide receiver Ladd McConkey also grabbed his attention during the NFL Combine and UGA’s Pro Day.

“There’s so many of them, as you know, the Georgia program and what Kirby’s done there is remarkable. Some of these guys when they’ve left and moved on to other programs are doing a heck of a job elsewhere,” Kiper said. “When you look at where we are right now with guys who were at the combine when you look at a guy like Tykee Smith, he’s interesting. He ran 4.4 and had a vertical of 36. He kind of gets lost in the shuffle a little bit at safety, but I like some of the things I saw with Tykee. Transferred from West Virginia. I think he’s the kind of guy who, if he goes on Day 3, will wind up maybe having a little bit better career than people would anticipate in the National Football League. He would be one there.”

“Ladd McConkey. We knew he would run well. He did. Ladd’s probably going to be a second-round pick, but he’s going to play a lot in the NFL,” he continued. “This guy is just a smart football player, gets open and catches everything. I think certainly he’s going to go … Lassiter, running that 4.51 at the Pro Day I think pushed him into the second (round) from the first. Lassiter didn’t run at the Combine but did at his Pro Day. Didn’t run the 4.6 some were reporting. Was more of a 4.51 to 4.54 range. He’s more of a second, but he’s a good player. Kamari Lassiter is a really good player, but he will be more of a second-round pick now.”

All in all, Georgia has 13 draft eligible Bulldogs this spring. Of those, 11 were invited to Indianapolis for the Combine while all had opportunities at Pro Day recently. The NFL Draft is set for April 25-27th in Detroit, airing on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network.