Amarius Mims scouting report: Exploring the Georgia OT's strengths and weaknesses

A top-20 national recruit in 2021, Amarius Mims saw action as a backup in seven games as a true freshman. He was on the field for 12 contests as a fill-in OT, before jumping in for the injured Warren McClendon on the right side for the College Football Playoff (Peach Bowl vs. Ohio State and Natty vs. TCU).

This past season, Mims suffered a high-ankle sprain midway through week three and underwent tightrope surgery to return for the final four contests.

Amarius Mims scouting report

Run-blocking:

• Total freakshow measurement-wise – 6’8”, 340 pounds with seemingly no ounce of fat to his body, just over 36-inch arms and 11-and-¼ inch hands
• Carries devastating vigor in his hands and the powerful quads to ride people along once he’s created some initial momentum
• In one step closes the gap created when the guard inside of him pulls and puts his massive frame in the way, forcing defenders to take a wider path around him
• Can use the movement of defenders against them, like D-ends attacking up the field and him drive them that way, in order to open up the frontside B-gap
• Has the short-area agility to reach-block or pin defensive ends in wider alignments inside when they ran swing screens
• Shows the reactionary athleticism and hip flexibility to peel back against pursuit defenders on plays out to the perimeter
• The way he engulfs linebackers gliding up to them on end-around or reverses almost seems unfair
• Easy mover getting out in space on toss plays or as part of the screen game and people are typically trying to get out of his way

Pass-protection:

• Covers ground pretty effortlessly to choke off the angle for edge rushers on diagonal sets
• His massive frame and insane length make him incredibly tough to get around in order to arrive at the quarterback
• Stands up edge rushers quite regularly by getting under their pads, never being out-reached
• Already shows flashes of advanced hand usage, swatting down the inside hand of defenders in order to latch into their chest
• Has some impressive moments of recovering laterally after oversetting vs. spin moves or dropping the anchor after losing the initial contact phase
• Displays the foot quickness to stay a half step behind hard-charging blitzers off the edge and then guide them past the arc as they try to flatten at the apex
• Packs so much force in his hands to pass off slanting D-linemen on twists, before sliding in front of loopers coming his way – I’ve seen him send guys airborne as they try to cross his face
• Wasn’t responsible for a single sack or QB hit and just six hurries across 402 career pass-blocking snaps, with PFF grades above 82 in each of the last two years
• Looked like a top-ten pick in the Ohio State game (Peach Bowl) in 2022, more than holding his own against a tremendous defensive front for the Buckeyes, as he didn’t allow a single pressure on the QB

Weaknesses:

• Appears a little bit lazy (with his lower half) and isn’t looking for work if he doesn’t have anybody in his way in the run game
• Gets too tall in his pass-sets and allows rushers to fit into his chest, despite those tree branches attached to his shoulders
• Lifts that inside foot way too much and leaves the B-gap vulnerable on up-and-under moves when defenders able to swipe down the inside hand
• Generally, his understanding for how to frame rushers and not present soft edges is a work in progress at this point still, in large due to the lack of live reps
• Only started eight games in his career and didn’t even make it through the first quarter of the final one of those, for a total of 803 snaps across three seasons at Georgia, undergoing surgery on his ankle in the middle of last year

Amarius Mims is one of most intriguing players overall in this entire draft. He’s built like Zeus and his moments of dominance make your jaw hit the floor. Unfortunately, we have very limited tape to evaluate him and he doesn’t utilize his God-given ability at a consistent level yet.

With that being said, this to me is much more about a lack of experience than being a “raw project”. When he’s been on the field for the Bulldogs, he’s performed at close to the All-SEC level we’ve seen come out of Georgia in recent years.

If his future coaching staff can get him to enforce his will on all run plays, fully utilize his length and keep his base level with his upper body in pass-pro, you’re looking at a guy with All-Pro upside.

Grade: Mid-first round