When Amarius Mims was growing up, he dreamed of being the next Ray Lewis.The Bengals’ first-round pick started his football career as a linebacker. Because of his size, Mims had to play two age groups up because “I used to hurt my classmates,” Mims said. “They said they would not sign their kids up if I played in their age group.” |
He also had to keep a copy of his birth certificate at the record department of his local rec center. The league put two stripes on his helmet to signify that he wasn’t able to carry the ball because he was so big. And that was before the growth spurt. |
Mims, who’s 6-foot-7 and 340-pounds, makes a strong first impression. |
“His traits are immeasurable if you've ever seen him walk through a door,” Zac Taylor said. |
Bengals offensive tackle Amarius Mims said that he grew five inches during one summer when he was in high school.
Phil Didion/The Enquirer |
When Mims was a freshman in high school, he had a significant knee injury. He was stuck in a wheelchair, and he had to do his school work from home.After he recovered, Mims returned to school. |
“I went to school one day,” Mims said. “I was thinking I was a regular sized dude.” |
But he wasn’t. He said that during a five month span, he grew from 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-7. |
Everything is different for a player with Mims’ size. He collects sneakers, which is difficult to do when you wear a size 15 shoe. |
“I’ve got shoe places everywhere in the United States,” Mims said, wearing a black leather pair of Louis Vuitton sneakers. “They get my size, and they text me.” |
Bengals offensive tackle Amarius Mims collects shoes, which is challenging for someone who wears a size 15 shoe.
Phil Didion/The Enquirer |
After Mims got picked on Thursday, a video from his high school career resurfaced and went viral. It showed him going through pregame drills with the other offensive linemen on his team. Mims looked like a giant, and the reaction on social media focused on that size difference. |
But when Mims saw it, he had a different perspective. He was mortified by his technique. |
“I prayed that video was buried in the backyard,” Mims said. “I forgot I was moving like that. I’m thankful I’m not that no more.” |
Mims developed into a more fluid athlete by playing other sports. On the basketball court, he could dunk even before his growth spurt in high school. He was a playmaking forward who swatted shots near the rim. He says playing basketball helped him get consistent with his footwork. |
Mims also threw shotput and discus. “I was pretty good at both, but I enjoyed shot put more,” Mims said. “Athletes play multiple sports. My coach always told me that. I wanted to do soccer and baseball too, but it didn’t work in my schedule.” |
Taylor said that one of the most impressive aspects of Mims’ physique is that he still looks like he could put on weight. Dan Pitcher said, “The only reason he's here for us to pick at 18 is probably because of the fact that he only has eight starts.” |
Since Taylor became the Bengals’ head coach in 2019, he has never had an athlete on the offensive line like Mims. The Bengals have made a lot of changes since 2019. For example, they got good at free agency. |
Bengals offensive tackle Amarius Mims played multiple sports and developed athleticism as he was growing up.
Phil Didion/The Enquirer |
The next step is proving that they can develop an offensive linemen with upside.The Bengals have paid a premium to add ready-made linemen in free agency. Alex Cappa, Ted Karras, Orlando Brown Jr. and Trent Brown were finished products when the Bengals added them. |
Because of what the Bengals are paying Joe Burrow and what they will be paying Ja’Marr Chase, they won’t be able to continue to build their entire offensive line through free agency. To protect Burrow, they’ll have to draft and develop. |
“Nobody plays a perfect game as an offensive lineman, but it’s my job to come in and find those weaknesses and turn them to strengths,” Mims said. “Me and coach Pollack will do a good job together, and whatever he needs me to do, I’ll do.” |
In three of the previous four seasons, Jeimer Candelario was one of the 100-most valuable players in baseball. Through the first month of the 2024 season, entering Monday night’s game, Candelario was hitting .159 with a .580 OPS and 34 strikeouts in 23 games. |
“He’s making some feel adjustments to let his path work out front a bit more,” Reds hitting coach Joel McKeithan said. “He had some things early in spring that we saw that were a little bit different than years past when he was at his best. Really having that damage mindset and trusting he’ll lay off of pitches with that mindset. Getting to better contact points out front and having bat speed that works out front like he has in years past.” |
Cincinnati Reds third base Jeimer Candelario has had a tough year at the plate in 2024.
Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer |
Are the Bengals still looking for an upgrade with their third running back behind Zack Moss and Chase Brown? How much confidence do the Bengals have in Moss as a pass protector? Would they prefer a third running back who could play on third downs or another option as a ball carrier? |
Amarius Mims: “I play pretty physically and I play patiently. In a game, you don’t want to get too anxious and try to overdo anything. Especially as an O-lineman and as a tackle too, because I feel like you have pound-for-pound the best athlete on the field. So in my opinion, you’ve got to be aggressive, and then sometimes you’ve got to be patient just because you’ve got to know the guy you’re playing against. I feel like those two things describe my game.” |
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