Mims, a 6-foot-7, 340-pound specimen, had just eight collegiate career starts but put a lot on film to impress in those opportunities, including his first start coming in the 2022 College Football Playoffs against Ohio State. He didn’t allow a sack in 30 appearances, and his 86.75-inch wingspan measured at the NFL Combine was the 10th longest among offensive tackles since 2003..
Cincinnati signed Trent Brown to play right tackle this season, but the Bengals need a quality backup and a player to develop into a potential replacement next year as they continue to invest in protecting Joe Burrow.
The Bengals believe his best football is ahead of him, and as a rare athlete for his size, Mims fits the mold of the two offensive tackles – Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown – he will be studying behind.
“The potential that this guy’s got is really, you know, we’re excited that he was there at 18,” Bengals coach Zac Taylor said. “We think we’re a great fit for him with acquiring Trent (Brown) and having Orlando (Brown), two veterans that can help his processing along as he comes to the NFL, so we’re just really excited he was there at 18 and to have him in the mix. … His traits are immeasurable if you’ve ever seen him walk through your door. So again, there’s a lot there to work with that we’re really excited about.”
Mims said he felt like his visits with the Bengals during the pre-draft process went really well and he knew there was a good chance they would take him when their pick came up. He looks forward to the opportunity to block for Burrow.
“Just watching Joe Burrow at LSU, I was like, ‘Oh my God, I would love to block for him one day,’” Mims said in a conference call with media Thursday night. “Now that I have a chance to, it’s a blessing.”
Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said Mims’ lack of starts was the only reason he was available to them at No. 18 because had he gotten through the entire 2023 season playing the way he did in what was on film, he would have gone higher.
“I think the same reason we’ve talked about why we like Trent and Orlando is the length, just naturally, he has length and he plays with tremendous length and then he’s 340 but he doesn’t look like he’s 340,” Pitcher said. “So he moves a lot better than what you expect a player of that weight to move, and so if he stays in really good position, he’s seemingly unaffected by speed, he plays under control, he’s comfortable. It’s all the things that you want to see out of a guy that size to project to being a high-end pass protector in the NFL.”
A five-star recruit out of high school, Mims was the No. 3 offensive tackle in the 2021 recruiting class and the No. 1 recruit in Georgia. He played nine games with no starts as a true freshman, then got his first two starts during the college playoffs in 2022. Mims missed six games because of a left ankle injury this past season and chose to forego his senior season to declare for the draft.
Six quarterbacks went in the first 12 picks Thursday, including the Atlanta Falcons surprising by selection Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., and no defensive player went off the board until the Indianapolis Colts selected former UCLA edge rusher Laiatu Latu at No. 15.
Three offensive tackles that mock draft analysts predicted could land with the Bengals went in those first 14 picks, as the Tennessee Titans (and former Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan) took Alabama’s JC Latham at No. 7, the New York Jets selected Penn State’s Olumuyiwa Fashanu at No. 11 and the New Orleans Saints picked Taliese Fuaga at No. 14.
It was the only draft since at least the 1970 merger without a defensive player selected in the top eight picks.
Cincinnati is set to draft No. 49 overall in the second round Friday, and the Bengals have two third-round picks.
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