There are at least two things we know about the Titans heading into the start of the NFL Draft on April 25.
One: They’re desperately in need of a starting left tackle.
Two: They have only three selections among the draft’s first 145 picks.
The simplest way to address the first point is by drafting a left tackle with the No. 7 pick, seemingly Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, assuming the team’s beliefs line up with those of the vast majority of draft analysts.
But the Titans could also use the No. 7 pick to address point number two, trading back in the first round and increasing their number of selections.
Even if the Titans did choose to move back in the first round, though, they would still need to find that starting left tackle. So who might it be?
There are plenty of options at tackle, as The Athletic’s Dane Brugler gives first-round grades to six prospects. Pro Football Focus believes as many as eight tackles could be taken in the first round.
We’ve heard many of the names mentioned in speculation, especially Penn State’s Olu Fashanu (considered an elite pass protector) and occasionally Alabama’s JC Latham (who played right tackle in college).
But on a conference call this week, ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper sang the praises of a name that hasn’t been bandied about as often: Georgia’s Amarius Mims.
The 6-8, 340-pound Mims is rated as The Athletic’s No. 19 overall prospect (fifth-best tackle) and as PFF’s No. 23 overall prospect (sixth-best tackle).
Mims is a mammoth force, a powerful and athletic player who allowed a combined zero sacks, zero quarterback hits and five quarterback hurries (just one in 2023) over the past two seasons.
The main question mark concerning Mims, 21, is his lack of experience. He started just eight games at Georgia, two as a sophomore in 2022 and six last year before suffering an ankle injury. Mims has just 402 pass-blocking snaps to his name, with 168 of those coming last season when he was a full-time starter.
“If you feel like you can find a tackle [while trading] down, I think the guy to roll the dice with is Amarius Mims from Georgia,” Kiper said. “Had he played more games than eight in his career as a starter, he could have been in the top 10, maybe top five. He’s that gifted. The arm length, the size; he’s a mountain of a man. He can move.
“He played really well when he was out there healthy. Another year [in college], you’d have been looking at a top five, top three guy possibly, certainly a top 10. So if you’re going to roll the dice on talent and take a leap of faith that we can coach him up, and [that] inexperience isn’t going to be a factor working against him, Amarius Mims from Georgia would be that guy.”
Another set of questions regarding Mims, who played solely right tackle at Georgia: Would he be able to make the switch to left tackle in the pros? And if so, would he be able to learn the other side of the line quickly enough for the Titans to confidently roll him out there for the season opener?
“He’s got the skill set to be a left tackle, so again, with him, it’s coaching, it’s more experience,” Kiper said. “But the talent is in abundance, and when he did play, he played really well. So I think it depends on how you feel, who your offensive line coach — they get heavily involved in these discussions about who is drafted and who isn’t — feels like they can work with, who has the skill set that they need for that scheme.”
Trading back from No. 7 is an intriguing option, one that might become even more likely if Alt is chosen in the draft’s top six picks.
But if Alt is available — and if the Titans like him as much as the vast majority of draft evaluators — it would seem an awfully logical, simple choice to make.
“Joe Alt really got better, from what he was [originally] at Notre Dame to what he was the last two years was a significant improvement,” Kiper said. “His father, John Alt, first-round pick of the Chiefs, had a successful career in the NFL. Got great bloodlines.
“And he’s a left tackle, and he’s what [Titans quarterback] Will Levis needs. Will just can’t keep getting hit like that. You got to solidify that line, and that would be a good starting point. But if they don’t take him and they move down, they got to have conviction about one of those guys that I mentioned on the offensive line, because that’s the critical area of need right now for them.”