Cincinnati selected Mims at No. 18 overall Thursday in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Mims played behind two top tackles in 2021 and 2022 but got his first two starts in the College Football Playoff his sophomore season to carve out his spot at right tackle last season. An ankle injury sidelined him for half the season but his tape was impressive enough he didn’t need a senior year to boost his draft stock. In 402 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed no sacks, no hits and just six hurries.
“I think they do a good job developing offensive lineman there at Georgia,” Taylor said. “They’ve got a really good track record of putting guys in the NFL — guys that can come in and play. He’s gotten the experience in practice, even when he wasn’t starting, (he was) playing against all these top draft picks, as good of a competition as there is out there. It’s just an inexperience level, actually in games. ... We feel comfortable with how we’re built with the two tackles we have, that we’re the right team to take him on.”
Mims said he went into the draft with an open mind about where he could land but when Taylor called him to inform him the Bengals were selecting him at No. 18, he wasn’t surprised. He had met with Bengals scouts and coaches multiple times, including on a Top 30 visit to Cincinnati, and felt a “good energy” in those meetings.
Having watched Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown – both Super Bowl winners – while he was in college, Mims believed it was a good fit for him. He’s built similar to the two mammoth Bengals tackles.
“I just remember just sitting at the office with Coach (Zac) Taylor and he was like, ‘We want O-lineman that are winners,’” Mims said. “That’s all I remember him saying. And he was just like, ‘Dude, if we’re lucky to get you, we’re going to come get you.’ I’m just glad they came to get me.”
Taylor joked the Bengals look really smart setting Mims up to learn from two offensive tackles who look a lot like him. Mims’ 86.75-inch wingspan measured at the NFL Combine ranks 10th longest among offensive tackles who tested at the combine since 2003 – right behind Trent Brown, a 6-foot-8 tackle who posted an 87.375-inch wingspan at the 2015 NFL Combine.
Mims’ stature is unique though. He doesn’t look 340 pounds and that plays into what he brings to pass protection as a mobile, athletic tackle for his size.
“It’s rare,” Taylor said. “We see him — he looks like he could add weight. I don’t know how. He’s a rare-sized athlete and we’re fortunate to get him.”
“Just wait until he sits up here and answers questions (in person),” Taylor added. “I say that’s rare because I’ve seen Trent (Brown) and Orlando (Brown Jr.) stretching in the weight room, so it feels a little more normal now. But you meet with a lot of these guys — 30 of them to be exact, that walk in my office, and they all walk out the same door. You find yourself staring at him as he walks out the door. He’s impressive. He carries it well. He’s got a great personality about him. ... And again, we think he’s got a lot of potential.”
Mims said he couldn’t control whether teams would discount him because of his lack of experience, but he was glad the Bengals are giving him a chance. He believes his abilities will just continue to grow as he works at the NFL level.
“I feel like just athleticism and being very versatile,” Mims said when asked what will make him successful in the NFL. “I don’t mind playing either side, any position, wherever they need me. Just the athletic part. There’s a lot of big guys that can’t move, and I feel like that’s something in my game that gives me a step up and an advantage.”
Pitcher said it’s difficult to predict the success draft prospects are going to have, so the Bengals had to feel “really comfortable with the person” and the coaches all felt that way when Mims left the building during his visit. Mims seemed a good fit for the locker room, his “love of football was genuine and pure,” according to Taylor, and his tape showed everything they wanted to see.
“Any player that you’re going to acquire with this type of draft asset has got to be a big part of your future,” Pitcher said. “We believe he can be that and he will be that, and we’re going to do everything in our power to put him in position to be exactly that.”
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