We’re in the darkest part of the pre-NFL Draft process, but the end is in sight. In one week, we’ll finally have tangible data to discuss.
Until then, what’s a content creator to do? With a sea of mock drafts, prospect discussion, and argumentation to choose from, it’s hard not to get fatigued with the process. But there are some true gems out there, and Good Morning Football‘s Peter Schrager’s is one of the best.
Schrager recently released his first mock, which included an interesting first-round selection for your Green Bay Packers: Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims.
What makes Schrager’s mock worth discussing, and what makes Mims an interesting pick? Let’s dig in.
Mock drafts can be fun and informative. They can give you a good idea of where players you like may go or offer insight into what positions your team might target. However, the draft process is too long, and the tools to make mocks are so commonplace that there is ultimately a bloated amount of them. At this point in the process, there isn’t a lot of new insight or non-gimmicky mocks.
But Schrager’s is different. He doesn’t mock based on what he would do. Instead, his mock reflects data he gathered from countless conversations with the league’s general managers, head coaches, and other high-ranking members.
As with any mock, there’s some guesswork involved, and the board can always fall differently. Still, a mock based on what those in the league are actually saying means his annual mocks hit differently. In 2022, Schrager was one of the few pundits who connected Quay Walker with the Packers despite the national audience believing an off-ball linebacker was a pipe dream.
For his 2024 mock, Shrager awarded the Packers with Georgia offensive tackle Mims at 25. From the man himself:
A massive offensive tackle at nearly 6’8” and 340 lbs., Mims has tremendous upside despite a lack of experience at Georgia (eight total starts). He’s shown enticing flashes in big games. This is a deep wide receiver and O-line draft. The Packers got plenty of production out of their young WRs and TEs last season; they bypass taking a first-round wideout and grab a gifted OT prospect.
Need and value align here, allowing the Packers to grab one of the top tackles in the draft. The Mock Draft Database has Mims as the 23rd player on the consensus big board, their sixth-ranked offensive tackle overall. That’s consistent with the CheeseheadTV Draft Guide, which has Mims as their sixth-ranked OT, and close to the Green Bay Draft Guide, which has Mims at OT4.
It’s worth noting that the Packers have had a top-30 visit with Mims and other top tackle prospects.
Some have argued against Green Bay taking a tackle so early, citing the team’s ability to develop later-round picks into quality starters. However, offensive tackle is a need for the Packers, especially if the team wants to move Zach Tom to center. And this draft class is rich in quality offensive linemen. If there was ever a draft to dip into those waters early, it’s 2024.
So, a tackle makes a lot of sense. But what’s more interesting is that Mims isn’t a prototypical Packers offensive lineman.
Mims is absolutely massive at almost 6’8”, 340 lbs., much bigger than Green Bay’s typical early picks. He’s also inexperienced, starting only eight games for the Bulldogs. In those eight games, he only played right tackle, so he’s lacking the usual versatility the Packers value. Finally, Mims did not participate in agility drills, leading to an incomplete athletic profile. Mims would undoubtedly be an outlier for the Packers.
But so were Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt, and Schrager was clued into the team’s interest in the former. Despite being an outlier, Mims could be an exciting option for the Packers.
First, Mims may be built like a Space Marine, but he moves incredibly well for his size. Mims has a 9.50 (though incomplete) RAS score and tested well in the size and speed categories. While they’ve gone smaller in the past, their late-round and developmental guys have also been big fellas. Yosh Nijman is 6’7”, Caleb Jones is 6’9”, and Luke Tenuta is 6’8”. Ted Thompson always said the good lord only made so many big, athletic men. Therefore, Mims is in play based on his size alone.
Part of the size issue is that Green Bay likes guys who can play multiple positions. At that size, Mims is probably a tackle-only prospect. But if the plan is to move Tom inside, that gives the Packers two Pro Bowl or better interior offensive linemen between Tom and Elgton Jenkins. With that in mind, it’s worth developing such a high-upside developmental tackle, knowing the inside can hold its own.
Finally, his lack of experience isn’t ideal. While the Packers have taken plenty of developmental players in the first round, including Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Walker, they prefer their offensive linemen more experienced. Mims has high upside but certainly needs more reps to correct some of his cons. Again, what the team does with Tom determines how this could affect Mims. The Packers could keep Tom at tackle for another year, making Mims the backup swing tackle, then move Tom to center in 2025 and let Mims take the RT job.
Mims would absolutely be an outlier for the Packers. But with five top-100 picks, the Packers are well-positioned to take a swing on a high-upside player if the board falls that way. Schrager was among the few who connected fellow outlier Quay Walker to Green Bay in 2022. Because he bases his picks on conversations with NFL personnel, he didn’t just draw Mims’ name out of a hat. Mims could be in play for the Packers at 25, and it will be interesting to see how close Schrager’s mock is to reality during next week’s draft.
