At first glance, the Denver Broncos don’t have a massive need for an offensive tackle, with both Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey under contract heading into the 2024 season, but upon a closer examination, it seems Denver could soon have a massive hole at one of the league’s most premium positions.
Bolles is currently on the last year of his contract, on the wrong side of 30, and on a team in the midst of a rebuild. Uncertainty around what his value may be and if his age fits the Broncos’ timeline could lead to the team letting him test the market next offseason.
Lucky enough for the Denver Broncos, this year’s draft class is loaded at offensive tackle, although none may be as naturally gifted as the University of Georgia’s Amarius Mims.
Height: 6’7 3/4″
Weight 340
Hand: 11 1/4″
Arm: 36 1/8″
Wingspan: 86 3/4″
40-Yard Dash: 5.07
3-Cone: N/A
Shuttle: N/A
Vertical: 25.5″
Broad: 9’3″
Positives
- He has a frame that looks like it was made in a lab, at 6-foot-8, 340 pounds, with 36 and 1/8″ arms, all of which rank in at least the 90th percentile among tackles.
- Moves with ease, which is even more incredible at his size. He can be an asset in the screen game or when asked to block on the move.
- Possesses great lateral ability. Comfortably able to redirect and mirror his opposition.
- Extremely powerful, and can displace defenders without breaking a sweat.
- Seems capable of working in any scheme.
- Owns a ridiculous anchor. Is regularly able to absorb contact and stonewall SEC pass rushers.
- Athleticism affords him the ability to get beat and still recover in pass protection.
- He uses his length well, consistently keeping defenders at his fingertips, and keeping him out of their reach.
- Enters the NFL a blank canvas. He doesn’t have much college playing time, which gives him the luxury of not having many bad habits on tape.
- Good at processing stunts and blitz packages thrown his way, especially for his level of collegiate experience.
- Has the athleticism to potentially switch to left tackle.
- The ceiling of this player is truly elite. Not many NFL tackles are this big and athletic.
Negatives
- Lacks tape as a result of limited playing time. He only started eight games through his collegiate career.
- Injuries kept him out of many games, only playing in eight of the sixteen games he was scheduled to start in, and he left two of those due to injury. Also, hurt himself at the NFL Combine limiting the drills he competed in. It makes one worry if his unique frame is as much of a detriment as it is a blessing.
- Mims only has experience at the right tackle position.
- While not as raw as you’d think for a player with as little experience as he has, he’s still very raw in comparison to his counterparts.
- His feet stop moving at the point of attack, making it easier for defenders to absorb his power and shed.
- Has plenty of athleticism, but he lacks the timing and nuance to make blocks downfield consistently.
- His punches aren’t always well-timed or well-placed.
- Often lunges, putting himself out over his skis, and making him lose balance.
- Ideally wouldn’t be asked to start in year one.
Overall
Mims truly is a one-of-a-kind talent, being one of the biggest and most athletic people, let alone tackles, you will see in any draft class, and it shows on film.
In pass protection, Mims is as smooth as ever, effortlessly showing enough range to be trusted in space, and ultimately as an NFL offensive tackle. This athleticism also goes towards his ability to mirror and match, being an extremely talented lateral athlete for his size.
As a technician, he isn’t the most advanced, struggling in an array of taught skills, but at the collegiate level, it rarely mattered.
A lot of the reason he got away with shoddy technique is the extreme mass and length Mims possesses and knows how to use. Often walling off and keeping his opposition at his fingertips, Mims presents a massive (literally) challenge to any opposing EDGE — getting around a guy who is 340 pounds with arms that are 36 and 1/8″.
He is so tough to get around that his opposition may elect to run through him or use some sort of power-based rush to get to the quarterback. But again, Mims has that covered, showing a great ability to absorb contact.
Mims may be out-leveraged at times, just being as tall as he is, but he is often able to anchor down and wall-off defenders.
In the run, Mims has easy power, having the ability to physically overwhelm defenders and carve out openings for his running back.
On the move, this is also true, being a plenty capable athlete to reach landmarks others at his position may struggle with. His main issue in this department is just the overall nuance in reaching those landmarks as his timing and body placement can be erratic.
Additionally, if Mims develops into an elite run blocker, his feet must continue to move. Too many times he makes great initial contact, only for his feet to stop, ultimately making it a lot easier for his opposition to recover and control the rep.
Mims is plenty capable of developing into an elite-level player but the lack of snaps he has under his belt is truly staggering. With only 803 snaps played throughout his entire three-year career as a Bulldog, Mims hasn’t been battle-tested like many of his fellow participants in the NFL draft.
In fact, this would be one of the lowest number of collegiate snaps for a tackle prospect drafted in the first round, if Mims ends up going there, as seems likely.
Some evaluators may even question how reliable some of the strengths shown on film are, as three of the eight games he participated in were against either Group-of-Five or FCS opponents. This doesn’t take away from his games against great competition but heightens the degree to which his lack of snaps is concerning.
The explanations for his lack of playing time in the past passes the smell test, as he was stuck behind the amazing offensive linemen the University of Georgia consistently puts out into the draft every year, but this season, when it was his time to shine, injuries got the best of him.
This should also raise red flags, as he has yet to prove that he can withstand the 12-game collegiate season, not to mention the grueling 17-game season that the NFL has to offer.
Ultimately, Mims is one of the most polarizing figures in the 2024 NFL draft, with some evaluators having him as high as the No. 1 OT in the class, while others are quite a bit more skeptical.
Whether Mims is a first-round talent or not should not be in discussion though.
As long as Mims clears his medical examinations by team doctors, Mims is absolutely a first-round caliber player. His weaknesses are almost exclusively things that can be learned from by playing live game reps. Because of that, Mims projects to be a much better pro than he was a Bulldog, given the team he is drafted to gives him adequate coaching and the requisite time to learn.
For The Denver Broncos
With the Broncos holding the 12th pick of the draft, Mims should absolutely be in consideration for their selection, but the lack of playing time raises the question of how much Broncos Country should trust offensive line coach Zach Strief.
Strief, a former NFL offensive tackle, is just entering his second year in his coaching position, and while his first-year results were largely good, we have yet to see him develop a rookie prospect.
With Mims still having so much to learn, and costing such a premium to acquire, selecting him would be a massive gamble on the coaching abilities of Strief. It is imperative for a player like this to be selected in the right program, in order to reach his sky-high ceiling — especially valuable considering the fact that Mims’ elite potential is the driving factor in his top-15 buzz.
Aiding the case for betting on Strief, Mims’ lack of playing time lends to him virtually not having any bad habits. If the Denver Broncos’ new offensive line coach is someone to be trusted, Mims can be molded into a fantastic tackle for years to come.
In comparison to his counterparts though, Mims is a bigger projection than many of the ones who will be there when the 12th pick is on the clock.
Being in a class with the likes of, Joe Alt, Olu Fashanu, Taliese Fuaga, Troy Fautanu, and others, is tough for Mims, as he looks like the riskiest of any of the tackles the Denver Broncos may consider at their pick, and he’s far from the only one with high upside potential.
This raises the question of whether the Broncos should swing for the fences at the position, or take what looks like the safer thing.
Because offensive lines should be evaluated more as a group, the dividends behind swinging for the fences seem severely hampered in comparison to positions like quarterback and wide receiver, where one guy can change the entire dynamic of an offense. Pass-catching ensembles are often defined by their No. 1, not their No. 5. Offensive lines are often defined by their No. 5, not their No. 1.
Instead, the Broncos would be wise to take one of the multi-positioned and more seasoned offensive tackles if they stay put at pick twelve. However, if the Denver Broncos do trade back, Mims would be a more-than-acceptable selection, as the reward would better balance the risk involved.
