The Bengals drafted Mims at No. 18 overall with plans to develop him at right tackle after signing Trent Brown to a one-year deal in free agency. They know what Brown, a 10th-year veteran, can do even while he hasn’t been on the field much since arriving this offseason, but Mims has been taking advantage of first-team reps in his absence.
“You don’t know 100%, but my feeling on that guy is pretty good right now,” Burrow said Thursday. “His mindset, his athleticism, his size, his willingness to be coached, grow and learn is all an A-plus. So, sky’s limit for that guy. I’m really excited he’s on our team.”
Mims, who is 6-foot-8, had time during the offseason workout program to learn from both Trent Brown and left tackle Orlando Brown Jr., before Trent Brown had to leave for a family emergency that caused him to miss several weeks of voluntary practices.
Through eight days of training camp, Mims has been getting all the first-team reps at right tackle while Trent Brown is managing some tightness that landed him on the Non-Football Injury List.
“I feel like I’m in a room where, I’m expected to be a starter right now, so I’ve got to do my job and that’s knowing all the plays, doing all the right stuff,” Mims said. “I’m just trying to do that. Day by day trying to get better.”
Mims didn’t want to get too excited about Burrow calling him an “A-plus,” but he appreciated the compliment from one of the league’s top quarterbacks.
“I come to work everyday and try to work hard,” Burrow said. “I want to be a guy that’s known for his hard work and not trying to slack off. So, him saying that means a lot.”
Bengals coach Zac Taylor admitted he is going to be “slow to speak on him” so early in camp, but said he has been pleased with Mims’ demeanor and approach, knowing what to do and how to do it.
There will be plenty of opportunities over the next few weeks, between practices, preseason games and two joint practices, for Mims to prove if he is up to the task of protecting Burrow. Trent Brown has been showing progress in the meantime and is expected back soon, so the real competition will come when both players are on the field getting in work.
“He’s going to get plenty of work against veteran guys that we’ve got on our team; against talented players on other teams with the joint practices and the preseason games,” Taylor said. “I think for all of our rookies, they’re going to get plenty of opportunity to show that I should be a starter or a key backup or I should play special teams for this team. There is going to be so much opportunity in the next three weeks all right on top of each other that it will naturally shake itself out.”
Taylor didn’t specify what exactly he needs to see from Mims, but Mims said he feels good about the work he has put on tape so far. The biggest challenge for him is “just recognizing the speed of the game, knowing situations and being smart.”
The adjustment from college was a little overwhelming right when he got into offseason workouts with the veterans, but Mims was a sponge and spent extra time listening and studying and then applying what he learned. It was never a question whether he would have the tools to be successful.
Most of the concern around Mims, when the Bengals drafted him, was how well he would transition after getting just eight starts at Georgia because of injury once he earned the job. He wasn’t bothered by that perception, but maybe it did push him a little extra.
“Just trying to be consistent, stack my days,” Mims said. “Trying to make the least amount of mistakes as possible. I can tell day by day, like I said whether it’s a walkthrough or just practice, the mistakes are already being minimized. Other than that, just trying to be consistent and I feel like I’ve been consistent.”
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