My random thoughts on Amarius Mims and the Bengals
I get the pick. I get the frustration and concern with the pick
Fans screamed: Protect the investment. They made a pick designed to do just that.
Fans complain the Bengals are never bold in their actions. Taking a swing at a guy with off the chart measurables, but with limited college snaps is bold.
It’s a pick of projection and with great development required. All draft picks are picks of projection and development. This happens to be a pick from an organization lacking a solid resume of OL development.
The snaps that Mims put on tape had evaluators pegging him as a clear 1st rounder, in most cases a Top 20 or better pick. It’s not like the Bengals pulled him from left field.
If he’d made 24 starts, instead of 8, he might have been a Top 5 pick. But he didn’t. And he wasn’t.
The Bengals are keeping Tee around one more year in a SB window….for the here and now, yet they drafted an OL that needs to be developed for the future.
If the Bengals are going to be as good as everyone thinks, No. 18 is going to be the highest they pick in a while. And the pick came in a year with a strong OL class.
Just because he’s only made 8 starts doesn’t mean he can’t do it. But it does mean he hasn’t done much.
Pointing to your draft pick 44 years ago that lacked experience but went on to be the greatest OL all-time seems like a silly talking point to prop up the pick of Mims. There is only one Anthony Munoz.
Only 21, his slate is relatively clean of learned bad habits. Frank Pollack can now mold/shape. Who has Frank Pollack molded and shaped?
Is he Cedric Ogbuehi, Jake Fisher, Billy Price, Jackson Carman, Jonah Williams? I have no idea. But each question I have to ask about him makes me less comfortable.
He’s an inexperienced player that basically gets a redshirt season of watching/learning/development. He's likely to only plays as a rookie if free agent right tackle Trent Brown gets hurt/doesn’t play well or Mims outplays him….Only one of those three scenarios is a positive.
He’s a 340 pound guy that needed ankle surgery last season…..Big frames need a strong foundation.
He’s a guy that suffered a hamstring injury 20 yards through the 40 yard dash at NFL Combine.
He played in the best conference country…made starts in the Peach Bowl against Ohio State and the National Championship against TCU. But he was a reserve offensive lineman in 14 of 15 games two years ago.
Does Mims have 'it' in him? His measurables sure are exciting. But those measurables were measured in small doses.
Will Troy Fautanu be better for the Steelers? Perhaps. I’m curious if he’s actually a guard.
Can the Bengals get the best out of him? Sure hope so. Hope isn’t the ideal strategy when you have Joe Burrow.
If the Steelers had selected Mims, I’m guessing some would have criticized the Bengals for not taking him.
Doesn't it always seem like we have picks to compare between the Bengals and Steelers?
I'd guess most people, including myself, base thoughts on draft picks on what we've read and heard. What the heck do I know about OL play?
My default position is almost always positive/optimistic. I'm there with this pick. I won't criticize fans for criticism. The Bengals simply have not offered enough evidence of the ability to identify/develop OL talent to earn the benefit of the doubt. When that impacts QB1 I get it.