Amarius Mims was taken by the Cincinnati Bengals in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft with pick No. 18.

Mims is the second Georgia Bulldog to come off the board, as Brock Bowers was taken by the Las Vegas Raiders in the first round of this year’s NFL draft.

Mims only started eight games during his college career. He missed seven games during his junior season due to an ankle injury that required surgery.

Yet he still went in the first round due in large part to his massive upside. Mims is one of, if not the, most athletic tackle prospects in this class. He measured in at 6-foot-8 and 340 pounds and still ran a 5.07 40-yard dash.

Mims made his first career start in the 2022 College Football Playoff, stepping in against Ohio State. All eight of Mims’ starts in college came at right tackle.

Georgia head coach Kirby Smart thinks the discussion around Mims and his lack of starts is overblown. He blocked former first-round picks such as Travon Walker and Nolan Smith in practice every day during his time in Athens.

“Would you rather have someone who 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 said. “He started last year for me. The year before last he started almost every game in terms of he was in the second or third series. I think when you look over the history, there have been some really successful linemen that have been three-and-out that didn’t start in that window. He’s uber-talented. He works really hard. He’s really intelligent. He’s going to play a long time in the NFL.”

Mims signed with Georgia as a 5-star prospect out of Cochran, Ga., in the 2021 signing class.

“I know my sample size of starts and snaps isn’t as great as everybody else but I’m fortunate enough to go to the best university in the nation, where they prepared me on and off the field,” Mims said. “So I fell like that will help.”

Georgia has had a strong run of first-round tackles under Smart, as Mims is the fifth first-round offensive tackle to be drafted since Smart became the head coach. He joins Isaiah Wynn (2018), Andrew Thomas (2021), Isaiah Wilson (2021) and Broderick Jones (2023).

Mims is the 57th overall draft pick of the Smart era and the 17th player to be taken in the first round from Georgia since Smart took over the Georgia program.

What Amarius Mims brings to NFL team

Amarius Mims NFL draft measurables and stats