Amarius Mims: 'I'm just blessed' to be drafted by Bengals in first round of 2024 NFL Draft

DETROIT — Amarius Mims is in Cincinnati after a whirlwind 24 hours where the Bengals drafted him in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

"A lot to be thankful for," Mims said while talking to reporters on Friday. "A great organization to come in and play, a great team ... I'm just blessed man."

Selected 18th overall, draft analysts say the Georgia OT should become a "good starter" for the Bengals within just a couple of years.

Mims is hopeful he'll get the chance to show his chops and protect one of the players he's dreamed of playing alongside.

"As an O-lineman, you've got guys you want to protect and he's one of those guys I said I always wanted to protect," Mims said of QB Joe Burrow. "Now, that's a reality. I plan on doing just that."

The Georgia native spent the past two seasons at right tackle, which is where recent signee Trent Brown is expected to play, but ESPN analyst Field Yates noted the Bengals should still be focusing on the offensive line in an effort to protect superstar QB Joe Burrow.

"You can't leave yourself vulnerable with Joe Burrow coming off of an injury and potentially risking him getting hurt once again," Yates said before the draft.

Mims noted he has spoken to Brown, who he identified as one of the players he grew up watching tape on.

"Me and him, I feel like we're very similar — big guys, both can play left and right tackle," he said.

He said he's also spoken to fellow lineman Orlando Brown Jr. and hopes to learn as much as he can from the newly-named "Brown County" duo.

"Both of those guys are used to winning," Mims said. "I'm looking forward to them taking me up under their wing."

While an injury sidelined him for much of 2023, analysts said Mims' upside makes him an excellent prospect.

"If (they) could keep him on the field, it could be a home run," ESPN analyst Booger McFarland said of Mims the night before the draft.

Like his new teammates, Mims weighed over 340 pounds at the combine. He's also 6-foot-8 and listed as having strong hands and a great mix of size and proportionality.

"[Mims] got the experience in practice even when he wasn't starting, playing against all these top draft picks," Bengals head coach Zac Taylor said. "... so it's just an inexperience level actually in games, but that's why we feel comfortable with how we're built with the two tackles we have. We're the right team to take him on."

After Mims received the call from Taylor, he said all he could do was cry.

"Just because as a kid I dreamed to be in this situation honestly," Mims said. "... There's a lot of people in this draft and for me to be pick 18, it's wild man."

The Bengals still have picks in all remaining rounds, including two selections in rounds three, six and seven.