Leading up to the 2024 NFL Draft from April 25-27, The Red & Black is previewing each of Georgia’s 14 prospects.

Former Georgia right tackle Amarius Mims declared for the NFL Draft after a three-year career in Athens that saw him appear in 30 games, making eight starts. Mims started seven games this past season and was a preseason All-SEC first-team selection.

Mims was one of the most prolific offensive line prospects to ever suit up for the Bulldogs. He was the No. 1 overall prospect in the state of Georgia, the third-ranked tackle prospect and the No. 8 overall player in the country per the 247Sports composite. He saw limited action as a reserve across his first two years before emerging as a starter in the 2022 Peach Bowl against Ohio State and the national championship against TCU.

If you could build the ideal NFL offensive tackle in a lab, chances are he’d come out looking similar to Mims, who stands at a hulking 6-foot-7, 340 pounds. His wingspan, arm length and hand size are also all 95th percentile or above. To call him a freak of nature is underselling things.

The knock on Mims’ draft stock is, of course, the fact that he only started eight games in college. He was projected to finally get his chance as Georgia’s full-time starting right tackle in 2023 but suffered an ankle injury in the Bulldogs’ conference opener against South Carolina that sidelined him for nearly two months until his return against Ole Miss.

Mims also missed Georgia’s Orange Bowl victory over Florida State with an injury, and was unable to participate in the Bulldogs’ Pro Day. His lack of game tape has been a concern for some NFL teams. In a draft class loaded with talent at offensive tackle, it’s a tough sell for some organizations to draft a player with only eight college starts under his belt. However, head coach Kirby Smart dismissed those sentiments at Georgia’s Pro Day.

“I think the eight career starts is a mistake,” Smart said. “I mean, what does that matter if you block [former Georgia pass rushers] Travon Walker, Nolan Smith, Robert Beal your whole career, what does the eight starts matter? Would you rather have somebody that started 27 games and played against nobody or somebody who played against first round draft picks every day in practice? I know which one I’m picking.”

Smart’s point about who Mims had to practice against every week is a legitimate argument. Several highly-drafted tackles throughout history have put on tons of outstanding game tape against weak opponents only to end up looking unprepared in the NFL. Mims’ situation is essentially the opposite, and he feels his time at Georgia has molded him into an NFL-ready player, even with his relative lack of game experience.

“I know my sample size of snaps and starts isn’t as great as everybody else,” Mims said. “But I’m fortunate enough to go to the best university in the nation, the way they prepared me on and off the field. So I feel like that’ll help, and my maturity level has increased day by day.”

What we’ve seen from that sample size has been impressive. Mims was an absolute mauler on the right side of Georgia’s line. He has strong hands and loads of upper-body strength, which makes it extremely difficult for any pass rusher to outright overpower him. He is also freakishly agile for his size and has shown the ability to make blocks on the move, which is particularly useful in the run game.

He also played in a very complicated Georgia offense that balances the run and the pass almost equally, which should prepare him well for the pro game. The biggest concern on the field is his tendency to “punch” or “strike” edge defenders with two hands instead of one, which often results in his getting knocked off balance.

Mims’ lack of starting experience is inevitably going to scare off a few NFL teams, but he is too unique of a physical talent to fall far. Hypothetically speaking, if Mims had started the same number of games as many of his peers in this year’s tackle class, there’s a real chance he would be the first one off the board.

There are enough NFL teams who understand that for one of them to take a chance on him. Even with his lack of starts, and how loaded this year’s draft is at tackle, Mims offers too much upside to not be at least a late first rounder.