Why Benjamin Solak compares Bengals' Amarius Mims to Lane Johnson

The emergence of Amarius Mims as one of the best tackles in football has been a revelation to Bengals fans. Cincinnati has been known for very poor offensive line play since 2020, when it couldn't protect Joe Burrow, leading to his ACL tear.

But now, the Cincinnati Bengals' rebuilt offensive line has become one of the league's better units, and Benjamin Solak says a big reason is the dominance Mims has shown week in and week out.

Solak says he grew up a Philadelphia Eagles fan and always tries to avoid comparing tackles to Lane Johnson, one of the best tackles of his generation, but he can't help seeing the similarities. Solak said Mims is a "top-tier, elite athlete." He explained that the term is used a lot in football but clarified that when he says it about Mims, he really means it, adding that Mims is a tier above Chicago Bears offensive lineman Darnell Wright, who is also known as an elite athlete.

Both Mims' explosiveness and his foot quickness, given his size, are "preposterous," according to Solak. Jordan Schultz, who was speaking with Solak in the clip, says the pass rushers on his podcast call Mims not only the best tackle in football but also one of the best offensive linemen. Solak says that's because they face 16 different tackles every year, and seeing someone with Mims' combination of size and speed makes him an outlier.

Solak also gave a ton of credit to Bengals offensive line coach Scott Peters, who took Mims, absolutely a project coming out of Georgia, and molded him into the player he is today by focusing specifically on technique.

Mims has had a ton of success against some of the best pass rushers in football, especially Will Anderson Jr., Trey Hendrickson and T.J. Watt. So far this season, he's allowed just eight pressures and one sack, according to Next Gen Stats, while Pro Football Focus has him at just five pressures and one sack allowed.

He has benefited from his own development, while also benefiting from the group of blockers around him. Dalton Risner has become one of the more productive guards in the league, and Ted Karras, Orlando Brown Jr. and Dylan Fairchild have played solidly as well.

Mims has another big opportunity against Watt in prime time on "Sunday Night Football." Earlier this season, Mims said he circled the matchup against the Texans because Houston had $100 million on their defensive line, and he knew he had to step up.