HEADLINES

Amarius Mims

Draft Notes: Sweat, Seahawks, Titans, Bears, Patriots, Packers, Mims, Eagles, Broncos

April 9th, 2024 at 10:06am CST by Sam Robinson

Ranked as the No. 3 defensive tackle on Mel Kiper Jr.’s ESPN.com big board, T’Vondre Sweat has an off-field issue to navigate ahead of the draft. The Texas alum was arrested on a DWI charge over the weekend. Sweat was involved a two-car accident, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Rittenberg, who indicates the DT’s SUV collided with a sedan shortly before 5am on Sunday. The Seahawks and Titans are among the teams performing some due diligence on Sweat, with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero indicating the ex-Longhorns D-lineman met with the Titans on Monday and will fly to Seattle for a “30” visit later this week. Sweat posted a $3K bond following his arrest.

Here is the latest from the draft ranks:

  • Widely expected to begin the draft by taking Caleb Williams first overall, the Bears still hold another top-10 pick. Pertaining to the latter draft slot, the team is hosting Alabama tackle JC Latham on a two-day visit that runs through Tuesday, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. Latham has already met with the Cardinals and Titans. One of this draft’s supply of intriguing tackle prospects, Latham is on track to be a first-round pick. Daniel Jeremiah’s NFL.com big board ranks the first-team All-SEC blocker 18th overall, while ESPN slots him 12th. The Bears have Braxton Jones and Darnell Wright, their 2023 first-round pick, as their starting tackles. A recent report indicated Chicago is unlikely to trade its No. 9 pick.
  • Another of the Round 1-level tackle prospects in this draft pool, Tyler Guyton visited the Patriots recently, ESPN’s Mike Reiss notes. Ranked 23rd on Jeremiah’s big board, Guyton stands 6-foot-8 and is more projection than proven talent. Only garnering honorable mention All-Big 12 acclaim last season, Guyton made just 15 college starts. Five of those came at TCU in 2022 before transferring. The Patriots re-signed Michael Onwenu with the intention of keeping him at right tackle, but with Trent Brown leaving for Cincinnati, New England still has a need at left tackle. Barring a trade out of No. 3 — certainly a possibility — the Pats would need to address this issue after the first round.
  • This draft class features another raw tackle talent drawing first-round consideration. Amarius Mims has Guyton beat, starting eight games in three Georgia seasons. Six of Mims’ starts came at right tackle last season. The 6-foot-8, 340-pound tackle missed time at Georgia, requiring ankle surgery early last season, and suffered a hamstring injury while running at the Combine. Viewed as high-ceiling talent, Mims has drawn understandable concerns about his durability, per ESPN.com’s Jordan Reid.
  • The Eagles and Broncos are two teams to monitor with regards to an early-round tackle investment, ESPN.com’s Matt Miller writes. Although Philadelphia just extended left tackle Jordan Mailata, stalwart RT Lane Johnson is heading into his age-34 season. The Eagles are typically proactive on their O-line. The Broncos have two high-priced tackles (and a rather glaring QB need) in Garett Bolles and Mike McGlinchey, but Bolles is going into a contract year. The second pick going to the Saints in the Sean Payton trade is the Broncos’ 2024 second-rounder, leaving Denver with only a third after its No. 12 overall slot.
  • Add the Packers to the list of teams to meet with cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry. The Alabama product visited Green Bay on Monday, per the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein. This will follow McKinstry meetings with the Jaguars, Buccaneers and Lions. Regarded as a more highly touted prospect going into last season, McKinstry has seen teammate Terrion Arnold leapfrog him. The latter ranks higher now, though McKinstry should still hear his name called early. Save for the Jordan Love pick, the Packers have used a defense-focused approach in Round 1 for more than a decade. Beyond Love, Green Bay’s last offensive player chosen in Round 1 was tackle Derrick Sherrod in 2011.

NFL Draft Rumors: Tackles, Senior Bowl, Rakestraw

February 16th, 2024 at 8:24pm CST by Ely Allen

The 2024 NFL Draft class may feel relatively light at certain positions like quarterback and running back, but there’s one position that has scouts and coaches excited. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, this year’s offensive tackles group has the potential to match 2020’s class, which saw six tackles selected in the first round.

Four names have been regarded as likely first-rounders for about a year now, so the projections of Notre Dame’s Joe Alt (ranks 6th overall in Dane Brugler of The Athletic’s top 100 prospects), Penn State’s Olu Fashanu (9th), Alabama’s JC Latham (13th), and Georgia’s Amarius Mims (17th) come as no surprise. After some impressive performances in Mobile, Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga (16th) and Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton (18th) have joined those four in the range of the first round.

The top-end depth doesn’t end there, either. There are several other prospects that sit just outside that first-round range in Brugler’s rankings that still find themselves in consideration to be Day 1 picks because of strong Senior Bowl performances and a general interest in the position. Arizona’s Jordan Morgan (32nd), Houston’s Patrick Paul (55th), and Texas’ Christian Jones (NR) all sit on that fringe, according to Fowler.

With these nine guys and still more others pushing for Day 1 money, we’re bound to see a change in recent trends of five or fewer tackles taken in the first round. Even if this year’s class fails to match 2020’s six first-round picks, which seems unlikely as of now, the depth in the first two rounds of this class have a lot of teams excited about what’s available.

Here are a couple of other draft rumors from around the country, starting with more updates out of Mobile:

  • In a mailbag Q&A this week, Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer gave his take on some prospects who improved their standing after this year’s Senior Bowl. Breer sees Fuaga and Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell (11th in Brugler’s rankings) as big risers coming out of Mobile. While both players were already expected to be Day 1 picks, Breer believes that they’ve played their way into the top half of the first round. He also touts Michigan wide receiver Roman Wilson (45th) as a recent riser. While Wilson may not hear his name called in the first round, Breer thinks he may have pushed his way up to the second.
  • One player who wasn’t able to improve his stock at the Senior Bowl was Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw (48th). Rakestraw had been dealing with a core muscle injury for much of his redshirt junior year before opting to undergo surgery at the close of the season in December, according to Matt Miller of ESPN. After missing out on the college all-star game due to the surgery, Rakestraw, who has been considered a fringe first-rounder, was unable to secure his potential Day 1 status. The young corner has shown a resiliency in coming back from an ACL tear his sophomore year, but his injury history may be enough to push him into the second round.

Georgia T Amarius Mims Declares For 2024 NFL Draft

December 31st, 2023 at 5:56pm CST by Ely Allen

The Georgia Bulldogs continue to churn out top-tier NFL talent. Following the team’s blowout 63-3 victory over Florida State in the Orange Bowl, giant human and Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims has officially declared for the 2024 NFL Draft, per ESPN’s Pete Thamel, forgoing his senior year of eligibility. Widely considered a top-five tackle prospect, Mims is expected to be a Day 1 pick come April.

Mims came out of Bleckley County HS (GA) as a five-star offensive tackle, enrolling in Athens a semester early in order to get a head start on his development. Mims failed to crack the starting lineup as a freshman, sitting behind future NFL draft picks Warren McClendon and Jamaree Salyer. With future first-round draft pick Broderick Jones set to replace Salyer at tackle in 2022, Mims made the decision to explore his options in the transfer portal. He would visit FSU before ultimately deciding to withdraw his name from the portal and remain at UGA, knowing that he would once again be serving in a reserve role.

After an injury to McClendon late in the year, though, Mims was asked to step up to start in a College Football Playoff game and the team’s victorious National Championship game. McClendon would be drafted in the fifth round this past April, opening the door for Mims to finally enter the season as the Bulldogs’ starter. After three starts, Mims suffered a high ankle sprain and was forced to undergo tightrope surgery. It would take nine weeks for Mims to finally get back on the field. Following his return, Mims would exit the team’s loss in the SEC Championship Game early and was not dressed yesterday against the Seminoles.

While in limited time Mims has graded out well, with Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranking him as college football’s 52nd best offensive tackle, most of his first-round hype is based on projection. In three years at Georgia, Mims started only eight contests. Still, listed at 6-foot-7 and 340 pounds on the Bulldogs’ roster, Mims is an absolute, physical specimen, serving as a potential development prospect with incredible upside. The Athletic slotted Mims in as the 19th-best overall prospect (and the fourth-best offensive tackle) in Dane Brugler’s midseason rankings. ESPN’s Mel Kiper put Mims at 23rd overall, ranking him as the draft’s fifth-best offensive tackle.

There aren’t many examples of offensive tackles with so little starting experience being drafted so highly, but that likely won’t stop a team with desperate offensive line needs from taking a chance on the big-bodied 21-year-old. Interested teams will likely be paying close attention in interviews, the Scouting Combine, and Georgia’s pro day. While his lack of experience and recent injury history will pose a hurdle on his road to the NFL, his freakish size and immense potential should overshadow any doubts.